Ophelia's Eulogy

      We are all here today to honor a girl whom we all loved and cherished, oh dear Ophelia. Although it’s known to be believed that this was a case of suicide, we like to think not that she took her own life. As some may feel as though she may not deserve a Christian burial, we do. Perhaps it was Gertrude who let her drown; she was there and witnessed it after all. She was able to observe every detail of the death yet wouldn’t save her? None of us know what was going through Ophelia's mind when she died and nor will we ever, but we would like to remember her as the type of person who would not willingly give up her life, as she was deeply loved and cared for.

      Ophelia was a person who gave many second chances and never stopped loving. Yes, she may have gone through a rough stage, but no one should be judged on their worst day. Ophelia had so many great memories with the people who love and adore her, and even with the people that didn't. I have witnessed Hamlet and Ophelia's love and I can actually say it was beautiful. Yes, it is tragic that she is gone. If I were there i would have saved her, and it stabs at my heart saying she is gone. Gertrude stated that she heard her singing as she was slowly plunged to her death. It may seem as though she were happy to go and end her suffering life. There is no closure to whether she wanted it or she grew a sense of acceptance. Ophelia had such a big heart and its so sad to see her go.

      Ophelia didn’t have it very easy towards the end of her life. Lots of loved ones were leaving her, such as Hamlet, her brother Laertes, and her recently deceased father Polonius. She always obeyed her father, but maintained her independence. I feel sorry for her not only because she was my close friend, but because no one knew the true Ophelia. She was truly a beautiful, young girl who such a kind heart and could never hurt a fly. 

      Unfortunately, there must always come a time where we have to say goodbye to the ones we love even though we may not want to. The good news is that she is now in a better place with her father where she can rest in peace. Ophelia you will be missed by all. I know that she is now forever looking over me and guiding me and I will carry that with me for the rest of my life. So as we must so sadly say goodbye to our dear friend, Ophelia, I hope we all will remember her at her best rather than at her worse. Goodbye Ophelia, Rest easy beautiful soul.

Hamlet's Dilemma

      Hamlet is faced with an extraordinary conflict in this scene. He must decide whether to kill Claudius when he has a huge opportunity (as he’s repenting), or later (at a sinful moment). This enables him to send the murderer to hell and make him suffer, as he deserves for murdering the king, and more importantly, his beloved father.  He decides to wait, and I personally think that that his hesitation is good. I mean, this is the King’s life at stake! He decided to wait so that Claudius' soul would not go to Heaven, but rather plummet towards Hell. This is the right decision, because Claudius had killed Hamlet's father, his own brother, in order to attain power over the kingdom and Gertrude. This also portrays that Hamlet has a lot of will power and can think critically even during high tension moments. Perhaps he's not as impulsive as he insinuates.

      Either way, however, Hamlet is now in harm’s way. The entire kingdom thinks that he has gone mad. If word got out that he had murdered the king, or even considered it, he would face great consequences. Given the overwhelming effect of religion at that time, the people of the kingdom would not have taken this killing lightly. Despite this, Hamlet would continue with it due to the sense of an obligation to his father. This is the necessary thing to do, as his death should not be ignored or forgotten.

      By seeing this scene, I observed a lot more about Hamlet and Claudius. I learned that Hamlet isn’t such an impetuous person. Claudius is not afraid to pray, in vain nonetheless, even after what he did to his brother. He wanted the power, the queen, the throne, and he got it all. Claudius is aware that there’s no way for him to be forgiven if he still contains all the clear evidence.  I think that Hamlet’s internal dilemma, and in turn a hesitation, is completely justified.

To Be or Not To Be

      In Olivier's version, the mood is portrayed with ominous and dramatic background music. The weather in the scene is foggy, and cloudy, adding to the serious kind of feeling. The setting is a small cliff above the ocean, adding  to very isolated, serious, and personal sensations. The ocean waves in the background symbolize the sea of troubles transpiring. Hamlet's voice is very slow and steady, not really changing at all through the speech. The director has put clouds above Hamlet's forehead as he's in his jumbled thoughts, symbolizing conflict and confusion. When he pulls out the dagger, the speech continues through internal monologue. Hamlet drops the dagger in the ocean when he speaks of making cowards, showing he changed his mind about suicide.
      In Zeffrelli's version, Mel Gibson is in a very dark and gloomy cave. The setting includes mummies and dead bodies around. The actor alternates his voice according to the specific emotion that he's experiencing during that specific time of the soliloquy. The way Mel Gibson projects his voice in the play tells the audience exactly how he's feeling at every moment. The catacombs around him add to the contemplation of suicide and death. When he speaks of "face of resolution", he moves into the light and pears up at the sky.
      In Branagh's interpretation, the speech begins as Hamlet is staring at himself as he talks and contemplates things to himself into a two-sided mirror. The mirror shows him literally arguing with himself, symbolizing heavy debate. His voice is the only sound, until music begins when he speaks of "despised love". This version is a lot more sinister then the previous versions. As he gets closer to the mirror he draws out dagger and lays it o his face, showing his lack of fear to use it. Unlike all the other versions, Hamlet isn't very much alone in this speech, as he gets interrupted at the end.
      In Almereyda's Hamlet, the more contemporary approach is a lot more contrasting and distinctive. As opposed to the others, in this interpretation Hamlet is in a Blockbuster. It begins as a internal monologue, but it he gets more in depth he beings to speak aloud to himself. As he contemplates he walks down the "Action" aisles, contradicting the inaction he's been doing. The music sets a dark and depressing tone and relays how Hamlet feels like he wants to die. As he deliberates, he peers up at a scene with fire and guns displayed on a t.v. above him. He's simply just in a depressed daze, contemplating suicide.
      There's multiple adaptations of Hamlet simply because there's numerous ways one could interpret this play. In each version, the directors display the same dialogue in completely individual ways. In each rendition there is admirable aspects of portraying the dialogue. In Olivier's version, the isolation really gets the lonely contemplating feeling out the audience. In Zeffrelli's version, Mel Gibson's voice projections are what really serve as the foundation for that version. In Branagh's version, the conversation looking into the mirror literally symbolizes the internal conflict Hamlet has. And in Almereyda's version, the director is able to display the mood in a much more defined way using literal background scenes and point of views. But on a overall spectrum, I personally like the more modern version, by Almereyda, because I enjoy the contrasting way the director portrays this dialogue.

The Ghost Scene

In Zeffirelli's version, the characters emotions were portrayed immensely. The setting was very dark and mysterious, contributing to the scene with a super-natural sensation. Hamlet (Gibson) and the ghost were both in spitting distance of each other, further contributing to the emotional dismay. The ghost was rather hurt and sad more than angry. Gibson finds rage when he looks at Claudius below him and begins writing on the rocks with his sword. This version is the most emotional and empathetic of them all. 
In Branagh's version, the characters were portrayed differently. The ghosts tone  and visual preference was very eerie and unpleasant, adding to a more creepy and rueful setting. The director also enhanced the plot by having the camera focus on different things (ex. close up on the ghosts mouth when he was talking revenge) like showing the present and past moments during the ghost's discussion. Some props that were used were colored contacts that was worn on the ghost, blood, etc. I appreciate the way the director, Branagh, focuses on many different perspectives and his ways to achieve them. 
In Almereyda's version the setting was more modern and contemporary. The ghost was very human-like, including the mannerism, even the way he had a coat draped around his arm, makes the scene a lot different from the previous versions. In this version, Hawke and the ghost actually share physical contact (spirit running hands through Hamlet's hair, and the two hugging) which contributes to a threatening kind of feel. Hawke's reaction was a lot more frightened and blasphemous in this version too. 
If I were to interpret this scene, I would use some techniques from every one of these directors. I would show different transpiring events during the ghosts monologue, like Branagh. I would have the more super-natural feeling to contribute to the ghost scene, like Zeffirelli. In this scene the most important part is the emotions, the rage, and the expressions. Through directional choices, one could probably argue that Hamlet made the entire thing up, however in Almereyda's version with the physical contact, that it make it a little more difficult. 
Though these three versions were contrasting, all displayed absolute and admirable strategies for recreating the scene.