Ophelia's Eulogy 

Today, we gather here to reminisce our memories of Lady Ophelia. She was young, loving and very beautiful. Ophelia loved others around her very dearly and would do anything to keep them happy. Though some decisions that she decided to take for the sake of others affected her negatively and  their outcomes were unfair to her, Ophelia still went about living as though her sufferings were okay if it kept the ones close to heart happy. Ophelia was a gentle being and through her passing, the Kingdom of Denmark has lost its future Queen.  

Lady Ophelia had lost her mother at a tender age, and so she was raised by her father, Polonius, endearingly. Her brother, Laertes and her father were the two people who looked after her and she as  any daughter adored, loved them both affectionately. As an obedient daughter, Ophelia listened to her father Polonius and brother Laertes and tried to not to continue the relationship with her love, Hamlet. Ophelia tried to do the right thing, which in Polonius' opinion was her to stay away from Hamlet. Ophelia agreed, even though this decision hurt her heart that was beating for Hamlet, the distraught prince of Denmark who later breaks our dear Lady Ophelia.  

The one who loved Ophelia, Prince Hamlet now claimed that he never loved her and reflected more pain onto Ophelia emotionally. He destroyed her when he killed Polonius, who she loved dearly. His death sends the once bright and joyful Lady Ophelia, into a state of shock which she never recovered from. Ophelia thought that her decision to cut all ties with her love, Hamlet, caused him to go insane. In that deranged state he killed Polonius, and so she carried the guilt, grief and sorrow deep in her heart. No one asked of her of her feelings and dismissed her without a second thought, poor Ophelia had no shoulder to lie on. The man whom she loved, had become the murderer of her father who raised her.  

Pain, pain and more pain is all that was left for Ophelia before she became mentally unstable. Of course, anyone would have gone mad if they were to experience similar situations. I believe our gentle Lady did not intentionally take her life, for she was devoted  to God. I believe she tried to rise but gave in to the water that continuously dragged her down. The queen of Denmark, Queen Gertrude, eerily explained every last detail on how Lady Ophelia appeared laying dead. Her statements were precise, which brings up several questions, one of them is whether the Queen was present at the location that Ophelia's died. If she was, why did she not try to save the drowning Lady that she claimed she wanted her son to marry?  

The people in the Kingdom of Denmark grieve for this gentle Lady who has passed in a tragic manner. We hope that her soul may rest in peace and may she watch over us all through the gates of heaven.

                                                                                 

                                                                  Hamlet's  Dilemma 

At the end of Act 3, scene 3, Hamlet has the chance to kill his uncle Claudius. To finally at last, avenge his father's brutal murder attempted by his own kin. But he does not take the step to get rid of Claudius, because of his thinks that killing him while he is " repenting " would not be the right form of payback. Hamlet fears that killing his uncle while he is praying and asking for forgiveness will send him to heaven, which was not exactly what his uncle decided to do with Hamlet's father. King Hamlet died without the chance to regret and repent for his sins  and Hamlet wants to kill Claudius as Claudius had killed his father. Hamlet's goes further to plan to kill Claudius when he is involved in indecent activities as mentioned in act 3, scene 3," When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage, or in th'incestuous pleasure of his bed...And that his soul may be as damned and black." { Lines 89-94 }.  

Hamlet's personality, in my opinion, is very indecisive.  He thinks too much into things and when he does act, most of the time it is always on impulse. For example, Hamlet stabs Polonius and kills him. This act was  rash and impulsive and it occurred completely based on Hamlet's thoughts that it was Claudius behind the curtains. When he does find out that it was Polonius that he killed, I don't think he really regrets his actions which makes me question his sanity. So I do not think he should make another rash decision by killing Claudius while playing the role of a madman. 

The new King of Denmark, Claudius is not guilty for the murder he committed. Though he probably looked like he was praying and repenting for his sins, Claudius was not really  asking for forgiveness in prayer. " That cannot be, since I am still possessed.../My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen. May one be pardoned and retain th'offence?..." {Act3,scene 3;Lines 53-56}  He states that he knows that he cannot be forgiven while still having the crown and the queen in his possession. But he does not take any action to really earn forgiveness , therefore I do not think he repents for his sins.

To Be Or Not To Be

             In Oliver’s version of the scene, Hamlet is looking over the ocean seeming helpless. He almost looks like he would jump off any second and end his existence due to his suffering. Hamlet asks himself whether he should continue living or whether he should die and his thoughts are dark and brooding has he speaks of them. The music in the background also sets a very depressing mood and makes the audience feel Hamlet’s vulnerability. Not only did this character look like he was contemplating on committing suicide any second, his stance on the subject slightly became more real when he took out a dagger. It almost felt like he had decided that ending his life was the way to proceed in that moment . Also when  he pulled out his dagger, the music in the background became stronger and it makes the audience anxious on what his next step would be. This version of the soliloquy delivers emotions like vulnerability, forlornness and desperation to get out of a situation that is suffocating.

            Zeffirelli’s version of the soliloquy, Hamlet played by Mel Gibson, is walking into his father’s tomb. As Hamlet walks into the tomb, he enters the darkness which hints on how his thoughts and emotions are at the moment. The way he carries himself throughout the scene also portrays his inner turmoil. There in no background music that makes the audience anxious this time around, but the setting itself is more affective than music. The tomb is dark but there is light shining through only on Hamlet’s father, and next to him Hamlet sits  and holding his palms together looking like he is praying. The Hamlet is more emotional in this version than the previous version and that is very complementing to the scene itself.

            Branagh’s version of the scene, the character is alone in a hall facing a large mirror. Hamlet walks up to the mirror slowly as the scene continues and his appears stoic. But he expresses his emotions through  his words  and as the scene carries on, Hamlet played by Branagh, seems like he is speaking more likely to himself while facing the mirror. This version of this scene is more like how I imagined the soliloquy would go. This is due to the character being Hamlet, who  is facing a life changing situation where one wrong step could end his existence. Therefore I believe it is important to ask yourself whether what you are doing is surely what you want to because it affects you and others surrounding you, too.

            Almereyda’s version consists of Hamlet looking and walking around a section of movies at a store. The background music and the televisions playing explosions hints us again on what Hamlet is experiencing. Almereyda’s take on this scene is slightly ironic because of the fact that Hamlet is walking in the aisles containing movies with action, which clearly he is not taking at the moment. He almost appears lost and weak as the soliloquy carries on and those are the two emotions that  the character, Hamlet,  in the last three versions portrayed, including some more stronger than others.

            In all the four versions of the soliloquy, Hamlet displayed his inner thoughts differently. The settings were also different which gave the audience different impressions. Though all four versions had their own way of expressing Hamlet’s contemplation, they all showed Hamlet’s frustration and vulnerability in the situation. One version that I prefer over the others is Branagh’s version of the scene which really connected with what  I was thinking. As mentioned before, I believe that the way this actor portrayed the character’s emotions while appearing like he was talking to himself was, in my opinion, very affective than most of the others. The other soliloquy that came very close to my attention was Zeffirelli’s version. The setting was a major factor and also the emotional acting of Gibson which made me feel anxious.

I think that there are so many versions of this play because this scene in particular, touches on the desperations that people have felt for different causes. Which lead them at some point to decide whether living and suffocating is the right choice  or dying and putting an end to their suffering is the better one. Therefore, I believe this soliloquy will always be intriguing to others through its universal question : To Be Or Not To Be.

In Zeffirelli's version, the father acts more desperate in this scene than in the other scenes. King Hamlet spoke like he was about to burst into tears any second. His ghost was also not as noticeable as the other versions of this scene, as a result of dark lighting.Zeffirelli’s version seems the most natural out of the others too, most probably due to the lack of  special affects like background music, ominous smoke, etc. We can also see Hamlet’s character being distraught while seeking out the spirit of his father. His search for the ghost also makes the viewers anxious on what he might find. As for Hamlet, he goes into a rage immediately after learning the horrible truth of his father’s murder.we can see this when Hamlet, played by Mel Gibson, swings his sword against the rocks and expresses his anger towards Claudius and Gertrude. 

Branagh’s version was completely different than Zeffirelli’s version of this scene. Instead of the setting being in a castle, it was in the woods where Hamlet, played by Kenneth Branagh, met the ghost of his father. There is also music playing in the background and smoke that makes the mood dark and creepy. The Ghost appears with bright blue eyes that  are almost glowing and this adds to his unnatural state of being. The King has his armor on and looks almost alive except for his eyes that portray something different. This version also contains flashbacks that gives the audience a visual image on what led to the king's death. Unlike Gibson, Branagh drops to his knees and grieves for his father before thinking of avenging his death. Which is later on acted out in the play. 

In Almereyda's version the deceased father does not seem as a lost spirit because he physically touches Hamlet.In this version the father and son hug before the father disappears, which does not take place in others.The setting in this scene is also different and it is in a messy room that it takes place in. This ghost scene is not as ominous and dark as the previous scenes. But it does contain a T.V. which was showing an explosion while set in the background. The mess in the room could also be interpreted as the inner turmoil that Hamlet, played by Ethan Hawke, is experiencing. While in the other two versions, Hamlet expresses anger after learning the truth, the Hamlet in this version does not show his rage. Rather his father is more aggressive and furious that causes Hamlet to retreat and this was shown when Hamlet was pushed back by his father. 

 In conclusion, all three versions of the ghost scene were expressed differently. Also three scenes had their own way of showing the audience the character's emotions. But the idea is the same, which are Hamlet's feelings of sadness and revenge.