"To be or not to be" soliloquy analysis -
In Hamlet’s most
famous soliloquy, Shakespeare addresses the topic of death through the
character of Hamlet. Many images of the uncertainty of death appear throughout
the passage, from the “undiscover’d country from whose bourn / No traveler returns”
(3.1.79-80) to the thousand natural
shocks/ That flesh is heir to” (3.1.62-63). Hamlet also includes the pictures
of a “bared bodkin” (3.1.76), the “whips and scorns of time” (3.1.70), and “that
sleep of death what dreams may come” (3.1.66) to enhance and portray his uncertainty
in the arrival of eventual death. Hamlet also highlights his own negative
experiences of life, emphasizing the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”
(3.1.58) and the “sea of troubles” (3.1.59) he himself has faced so far. He
also speaks of a “bare bodkin who would fardels bear” (3.2.76) and a “mortal
coil” (3.2.67), presenting a terribly depressing tone to his soliloquy. To
convince/motivate the audience, Hamlet uses the appeals of logos and pathos.
The logical perspective Hamlet takes is that life has been so cruel to him, so
now he should have the right to decide whether he should continue living or
not. This logos appears mostly in the beginning and middle portions of his
soliloquy. Towards the end, Hamlet shifts more towards a pathos appeal, using “we”
and “us” to personalize his intent, calling his audience “cowards” (3.2.83). He
resolves to his passion for challenging himself and others in taking action to
emotionally draw in his audience for the final lines. Hamlet’s paradox
throughout his soliloquy is the longing and apparent peace that may come from death
verses the terrible burdens of being alive. Dying is supposed to be a negative
concept, yet Hamlet finds it to be an escape from his pain at this point. The
parallelism examples that Hamlet includes are written for comparing/contrasting
and emphasis such as, “Th’ oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely”
(3.1.70) and “to suffer/ The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, / or to
take arms against a sea of troubles” (3.1.57-59), “pale cast of thought, / And
enterprises of great pitch” (3.1.85-86). Hamlet uses the infinitive purposefully
and repeatedly. “To be, or not to be” (3.1.56) and “To die: to sleep” (3.1.60)
are the main infinitives that Hamlet repeats; these lines match up with Hamlet’s
internal conflict whether he should keep living or not, using infinitives to
cleverly display these brief but heavily-weighted lines of the poem. The tone
of the soliloquy is a combination of depressed, contemplative, and passionate
while the diction used is the typical Shakespearian style and somewhat
elevated. One of the main metaphors used is death being compared to sleep. More
than once in the soliloquy, Hamlet mentions “To die: to sleep” (3.1.60). Hamlet
makes this comparison to death many times, even referring to it as the “sleep
of death” (3.1.66). The other main metaphor in this soliloquy is the comparison
between the “undiscoverer’d country” (3.1.79) and death. This country, of which
“no traveler returns, puzzles the will / And makes us rather bear those ills we
have” is a direct reference to the death that Hamlet has been discussing
throughout the entire soliloquy (3.1.80-81). Without these metaphors, the
concept of death and dying would not be brought to life as much by Hamlet; the
great soliloquy of “to be or not to be” would not be as figuratively complex
and the passion and obsession with death would not be as apparent. There is
much evidence for each of these concepts: life on earth, afterlife, death,
humans, and thinking. For Hamlet’s dejected view on life on earth, he describes
it as “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” (3.1.58) and a “sea of troubles”
(3.1.59). He also mentions the “heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks /
That flesh is heir to” (3.1.62-63). Hamlet refers to afterlife through “the
undiscover’d country” (3.1.79) and acknowledges that “dreams may come” (3.1.66)
after death. A few of the many references to death includes “To die: to sleep”
(3.1.60) and “To be, or not to be” (3.1.56), as close to the central topic and
theme of this play as possible with these lines. For humans, Hamlet refers to “flesh”
(3.1.63) and “mortal” (3.1.67), characterizing humans as somewhat weak and
empty -when faced with a much greater and more consequential area of death.
Finally, when referring to thinking, Hamlet says after “To be or not to be…that
is the question” (3.1.56). The fact that Hamlet is questioning the possibility
of staying alive or dying shows that he is thinking about his future. He must
contemplate the status of his current life and make a decision on what to do
next. A couple of oppositions that Hamlet portrays are between life and death,
present and future, cowardice and courage, right and wrong, and seen and
unknown. The philosophical questions that Hamlet ultimately ponders are: What
is the point of going on with my life? Is death a better fit for me than life? What
does my life after death hold? “To be or not to be” (3.1.56). Ultimately Hamlet
is able to draw the conclusion that we are all cowards to our conscience, an
internal morality that keeps us from taking our own lives, even when logical
and passionate contemplation may suggest its beneficial outcomes.
Mis en scene analysis -
Kennith Branagh - In this depiction of Hamlet’s soliloquy, there is no notable non-diegetic sound that is used, contributing to the seriousness and loneliness of Hamlet’s situation. The only diegetic sound that is present is Hamlet’s voice, a very quiet voice that is almost a whisper. In his voice, it is more difficult to sense his outward anguish, as his voice inflection is not overly obvious compared to the other scenes. The camera angles used are over-the-shoulder and close up. In the beginning of the scene, the camera is angled to look at a mirror in which Hamlet delivers his speech; for most of the video, the camera captures the conflict Hamlet is having with himself on whether to die or not by looking at the mirror. He appears to be staring into his own soul in a depressing turmoil, contemplating death. Towards the end of the scene, the camera angle shifts away from the mirror into a close-up view of Hamlet, revealing what the reality and seriousness of his debate with suicide. The setting of this scene is a large, mostly white, well-lit room. This majestic setting highlights the isolation that Hamlet is subjected to, as the room is empty. This contrasts with the dark, black and princely suit that he is wearing, once again representing the contrast between the toils of his life and the normalcy of his outward surroundings. The main prop used is the dagger. Hamlet dangles the dagger and somewhat plays with it, showing how his life is just hanging in the balances and he could end it at any time.
Lawrence Olivier - In Olivier’s version of Hamlet’s soliloquy, there is much non-diegetic sound that factors in to creating the mood of the scene. In the beginning, there is a reasonably happy and intense sounding music that intros the scene before changing into a more dramatic tune once Hamlet’s speech is about to begin. Through his speech however, the music completely stops. Also, at certain points in Hamlet’s soliloquy, there is a non-diegetic sounding voice-over that expresses his speech through his thoughts. This choice allows Hamlet to appear more contemplative, unsure of how he wants to approach his life. The setting of this scene is in a high place, on a cliff, above a body of water. The high place, probably the ceiling of a building allows Hamlet to be alone and isolated from his family and friends while the cliff and body of water beneath symbolize his walk along the line of life and death. With one purposeful decision, he could end his life in this setting. In the opening of the video, a spiral staircase is displayed, foreshadowing the troubling decision that Hamlet will face. Before his soliloquy begins, there is also a close up of Hamlet’s head, followed by a transition to a medium shot as the words of his famous speech start. A quiet voice as the main diegetic sound, Hamlet anguishes over his choice between life and death. He eventually maneuvers himself to a leaning position on the cliff, characterizing the heavy burden upon him and his awkwardly close entanglement with death. The dagger is his only prop, a prop that he at first plays with and points at his body but then drops into the water, symbolizing his choice to keep his life, even with his negative outlook and position. Other small details about this depiction are Hamlet’s tidy hair, minimal make-up, casually princely clothing, and the black-and-white filming.
Mel Gibson - In Gibson’s depiction of Hamlet’s soliloquy, the setting is in a dark room underground. Hamlet begins the scene by entering into a dark room, symbolizing the dark mood of depression and anguish that he is currently experiencing. The room is filled with figures of dead bodies and/or sleeping people, figures that Hamlet proceeds to walk and visit. These figures are the epitome of what Hamlet is contemplating and seeking, a possible death or sleeping state. Unlike the first two depictions, Hamlet has no dagger in this scene. The diegetic sounds in this scene are Hamlet’s footsteps in the room and his own voice performing the speech. The echoing effect of the room creates an eerie and dark mood for Hamlet throughout his soliloquy. His voice is more fast-paced than in the other videos, and the volume is louder than a whisper, allowing for a greater range of sound and emotion to be expressed. There are both close-ups, medium, and far shots of Hamlet, equally varied throughout the video in order to display the emotion on his face while documenting his interaction with the figures in the room. He is well wrapped in a brown colored outfit, and minimal make-up is evident throughout the different camera angles of Hamlet. In the end, the room appears to be a little more lightly lit, with sunlight coming through the roof and shining on the motionless figures around the room. This could possibly characterize the light of their state in contrast to the darkness and despair that face Hamlet.
Ethan Hawke - In this modernized version of Hamlet’s soliloquy, Hamlet is in the setting of a Blockbuster movie store. In this store, he is the only one wandering through the isles, symbolizing the loneliness that Hamlet feels in this usually crowded location. Also, because of this setting, the camera is able to take certain shots off of the TVs in the store that showed violent scenes and the death that Hamlet was seriously debating. Because of these TVS, the audience is exposed to an image of what is going through Hamlet’s head. The beginning of this scene starts off with the non-diegetic sound of Hamlet’s voiceover. Eventually after passing through the “action” section of the store for the first time, Hamlet begins speaking the second part of his famous soliloquy. In this version, his voice is very quiet, and he seems calmer when compared to the other versions of the speech. Also, there is non-diegetic sound in the music that is played in the background which consists of a moving and anticipating tune that presents the intensity and struggle of Hamlet’s situation. The camera angles used include close up and medium angle to highlight the expressions of this face and bring importance to the close environment around him. Hamlet travels from the action aisle into an empty aisle with no movies on display, paralleling the emptiness of death, the topic of Hamlet’s soliloquy. Hamlet, once again, is dressed in all black, characterizing the depression and hopelessness he is feeling as he is performing his soliloquy. The winter hat that he also wears could hint at the season of winter, a dark and cold symbol of decay and loneliness in Hamlet’s life.
Most/Least effective - After viewing all of these depictions of my son Hamlet, I believe the best, most effective one would have to be Kenneth Branagh’s version. The interesting perspective of Hamlet staring into the mirror allows the audience (me) to see that we aren’t the only ones looking at him; he is looking at himself as well. In this personally trying time for Hamlet, he physically looks at himself and contemplates the choice between life and death. Along with the dark clothing and absence of sound besides his own voice, this depiction is the best portrayal of a distraught and depressed human being. He neither talks too fast nor too slow; his delivery pauses at the times of most conflict, and I can easily see the internal anguish being finally released.
The least effective portrayal of my son’s delivery would be Lawrence Oliver’s version. In this interpretation, Hamlet is reckless and sometimes does not even appear to be serious! I know my Hamlet would never be so improper to lean over a cliff and give his soliloquy in that awkward position. I do think that his handling of the dagger is quite shocking but also understandable, now that I know what he is struggling with. Also, his lack of inflection in this delivery is not what I would expect out of my passionate, although distressed Hamlet. At certain points in his soliloquy, he also looks like he is daydreaming or not paying attention to the situation. I don’t know… But I know this is not the Hamlet that I grew knowing.
Mis en scene changes - For the Lawrence Olivier version of the Hamlet soliloquy, I would have picked different music to start the scene, one that is most foreboding and creepy. When I first watched the scene, the current sound selection for the introduction sounded almost happy and triumphant towards the end when the camera angle goes above the spiral staircase. Also, when Olivier leaned over on the cliff, it was a little distracting and took away from the overall seriousness and drama of the scene. Instead I would have had him stand on the cliff and take a camera angle of him looking down into the water with arms outstretched. He could have walked carelessly on the cliff to display his toil between life and death; I just think this would have created a more serious and effective scene. Also, additional close-up camera angles could have captured more of the emotion and centered the attention on Hamlet’s ordeal better. Too much time spent in the medium camera angle made me feel distant to Hamlet; it made it harder for the scene to be effective. Finally, in such a well-lit, outside location, more effort has to be done to make the situation dark and gloomy, and I think the director could have done a better job of counteracting the bright environment.
Mis en scene analysis -
Kennith Branagh - In this depiction of Hamlet’s soliloquy, there is no notable non-diegetic sound that is used, contributing to the seriousness and loneliness of Hamlet’s situation. The only diegetic sound that is present is Hamlet’s voice, a very quiet voice that is almost a whisper. In his voice, it is more difficult to sense his outward anguish, as his voice inflection is not overly obvious compared to the other scenes. The camera angles used are over-the-shoulder and close up. In the beginning of the scene, the camera is angled to look at a mirror in which Hamlet delivers his speech; for most of the video, the camera captures the conflict Hamlet is having with himself on whether to die or not by looking at the mirror. He appears to be staring into his own soul in a depressing turmoil, contemplating death. Towards the end of the scene, the camera angle shifts away from the mirror into a close-up view of Hamlet, revealing what the reality and seriousness of his debate with suicide. The setting of this scene is a large, mostly white, well-lit room. This majestic setting highlights the isolation that Hamlet is subjected to, as the room is empty. This contrasts with the dark, black and princely suit that he is wearing, once again representing the contrast between the toils of his life and the normalcy of his outward surroundings. The main prop used is the dagger. Hamlet dangles the dagger and somewhat plays with it, showing how his life is just hanging in the balances and he could end it at any time.
Lawrence Olivier - In Olivier’s version of Hamlet’s soliloquy, there is much non-diegetic sound that factors in to creating the mood of the scene. In the beginning, there is a reasonably happy and intense sounding music that intros the scene before changing into a more dramatic tune once Hamlet’s speech is about to begin. Through his speech however, the music completely stops. Also, at certain points in Hamlet’s soliloquy, there is a non-diegetic sounding voice-over that expresses his speech through his thoughts. This choice allows Hamlet to appear more contemplative, unsure of how he wants to approach his life. The setting of this scene is in a high place, on a cliff, above a body of water. The high place, probably the ceiling of a building allows Hamlet to be alone and isolated from his family and friends while the cliff and body of water beneath symbolize his walk along the line of life and death. With one purposeful decision, he could end his life in this setting. In the opening of the video, a spiral staircase is displayed, foreshadowing the troubling decision that Hamlet will face. Before his soliloquy begins, there is also a close up of Hamlet’s head, followed by a transition to a medium shot as the words of his famous speech start. A quiet voice as the main diegetic sound, Hamlet anguishes over his choice between life and death. He eventually maneuvers himself to a leaning position on the cliff, characterizing the heavy burden upon him and his awkwardly close entanglement with death. The dagger is his only prop, a prop that he at first plays with and points at his body but then drops into the water, symbolizing his choice to keep his life, even with his negative outlook and position. Other small details about this depiction are Hamlet’s tidy hair, minimal make-up, casually princely clothing, and the black-and-white filming.
Mel Gibson - In Gibson’s depiction of Hamlet’s soliloquy, the setting is in a dark room underground. Hamlet begins the scene by entering into a dark room, symbolizing the dark mood of depression and anguish that he is currently experiencing. The room is filled with figures of dead bodies and/or sleeping people, figures that Hamlet proceeds to walk and visit. These figures are the epitome of what Hamlet is contemplating and seeking, a possible death or sleeping state. Unlike the first two depictions, Hamlet has no dagger in this scene. The diegetic sounds in this scene are Hamlet’s footsteps in the room and his own voice performing the speech. The echoing effect of the room creates an eerie and dark mood for Hamlet throughout his soliloquy. His voice is more fast-paced than in the other videos, and the volume is louder than a whisper, allowing for a greater range of sound and emotion to be expressed. There are both close-ups, medium, and far shots of Hamlet, equally varied throughout the video in order to display the emotion on his face while documenting his interaction with the figures in the room. He is well wrapped in a brown colored outfit, and minimal make-up is evident throughout the different camera angles of Hamlet. In the end, the room appears to be a little more lightly lit, with sunlight coming through the roof and shining on the motionless figures around the room. This could possibly characterize the light of their state in contrast to the darkness and despair that face Hamlet.
Ethan Hawke - In this modernized version of Hamlet’s soliloquy, Hamlet is in the setting of a Blockbuster movie store. In this store, he is the only one wandering through the isles, symbolizing the loneliness that Hamlet feels in this usually crowded location. Also, because of this setting, the camera is able to take certain shots off of the TVs in the store that showed violent scenes and the death that Hamlet was seriously debating. Because of these TVS, the audience is exposed to an image of what is going through Hamlet’s head. The beginning of this scene starts off with the non-diegetic sound of Hamlet’s voiceover. Eventually after passing through the “action” section of the store for the first time, Hamlet begins speaking the second part of his famous soliloquy. In this version, his voice is very quiet, and he seems calmer when compared to the other versions of the speech. Also, there is non-diegetic sound in the music that is played in the background which consists of a moving and anticipating tune that presents the intensity and struggle of Hamlet’s situation. The camera angles used include close up and medium angle to highlight the expressions of this face and bring importance to the close environment around him. Hamlet travels from the action aisle into an empty aisle with no movies on display, paralleling the emptiness of death, the topic of Hamlet’s soliloquy. Hamlet, once again, is dressed in all black, characterizing the depression and hopelessness he is feeling as he is performing his soliloquy. The winter hat that he also wears could hint at the season of winter, a dark and cold symbol of decay and loneliness in Hamlet’s life.
Most/Least effective - After viewing all of these depictions of my son Hamlet, I believe the best, most effective one would have to be Kenneth Branagh’s version. The interesting perspective of Hamlet staring into the mirror allows the audience (me) to see that we aren’t the only ones looking at him; he is looking at himself as well. In this personally trying time for Hamlet, he physically looks at himself and contemplates the choice between life and death. Along with the dark clothing and absence of sound besides his own voice, this depiction is the best portrayal of a distraught and depressed human being. He neither talks too fast nor too slow; his delivery pauses at the times of most conflict, and I can easily see the internal anguish being finally released.
The least effective portrayal of my son’s delivery would be Lawrence Oliver’s version. In this interpretation, Hamlet is reckless and sometimes does not even appear to be serious! I know my Hamlet would never be so improper to lean over a cliff and give his soliloquy in that awkward position. I do think that his handling of the dagger is quite shocking but also understandable, now that I know what he is struggling with. Also, his lack of inflection in this delivery is not what I would expect out of my passionate, although distressed Hamlet. At certain points in his soliloquy, he also looks like he is daydreaming or not paying attention to the situation. I don’t know… But I know this is not the Hamlet that I grew knowing.
Mis en scene changes - For the Lawrence Olivier version of the Hamlet soliloquy, I would have picked different music to start the scene, one that is most foreboding and creepy. When I first watched the scene, the current sound selection for the introduction sounded almost happy and triumphant towards the end when the camera angle goes above the spiral staircase. Also, when Olivier leaned over on the cliff, it was a little distracting and took away from the overall seriousness and drama of the scene. Instead I would have had him stand on the cliff and take a camera angle of him looking down into the water with arms outstretched. He could have walked carelessly on the cliff to display his toil between life and death; I just think this would have created a more serious and effective scene. Also, additional close-up camera angles could have captured more of the emotion and centered the attention on Hamlet’s ordeal better. Too much time spent in the medium camera angle made me feel distant to Hamlet; it made it harder for the scene to be effective. Finally, in such a well-lit, outside location, more effort has to be done to make the situation dark and gloomy, and I think the director could have done a better job of counteracting the bright environment.
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