To Be or Not To Be

Shakespeare has many famous works. When you think of Shakespeare, one of the first quotes that come to mind is the to be or not to be. He is often considered one of the most influential writers because of quotes like this.

Olivier's setting took place by the ocean. He was sitting on a big rock. There was a storm going on adding a little bit of drama. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. You could sense the seriousness of the matter. This version is unique from the others because it seemed like he wasn't just contemplating. Of all the versions, he seemed the closest to taking his life. Hamlet had the dagger in his hand and just when he was getting about to kill himself he stopped and refrained from doing it. The camera zoomed closely to the actor's face towards the end which made the soliloquy end on a serious note.

Zeffirelli's version was clearly the most intense of all the version. The setting took place in the catacombs. This is interesting because he was reciting a speech about killing himself in a place full of dead people. I found that to be a little ironic. It was completely dark with a light mostly on the actor.  He spoke with an angry tone but it had a touch of sadness to it. He had face full of despair as if he had given up all hope. His voice starts off quiet, it carries and it begins to sound like he's screaming, and then he ends it on a quiet note. You sense the intensity from this soliloquy.

Branaugh's version was more of a self-reflection more than anything. He was in the castle by himself, looking at the mirror while he recited his speech. He kept consistent eye contact with his reflection. He breezed through the speech in a sort of casual manner and the words were being whispered so you didn't really feel the words that were being spoken. Just like Olivier he also pulled out the dagger out. Initially, he had the dagger pointed at the head of his reflection on the mirror but as the speech progressed he put it to his own head and moved it in a motion similar to how a person combs their hair. Then the guards showed up and he awkwardly pretended nothing happened. 

Almereyda's version to me was the worst of the four. The actor was thinking instead of speaking. Basically, the speech represented his thoughts. I liked that idea but they didn't execute it properly in the film. He was at Blockbuster which I found to be random. He was paced aimlessly through the action isle. On the TV, there was an explosion going on. This to me was symbolic of what was going on with his thoughts. In this film, it didn't seem like Hamlet was seriously thinking of committing suicide which was a mistake to me. He seemed like he was just confused and just needed some answers. There wasn't any music, emotion , or specific lighting in this film. It all seemed rushed and hasty to me.

There are many versions of this play because there are so many ways it can be interpreted. Since there are so many interpretations there are all these versions. You can see with these four directors they each had a different outlook on the speech and each version is significantly different. My favorite version is Zeffirelli's because it was the most powerful, the tone of the speech was chilling, and the setting made the most sense.