In John Everett Millais' "Ophelia" the woman it is clear to see is dead. If I had seen this painting and later asked if it reminded me in anyway of Ophelia I would have said no. Mainly because in this painting the woman looks so at peace and all the green and flowers around her usually represent serenity. They most definitely don't remind me of Ophelia because towards the end of her life she was really losing her mind and not serene at all.
The reasons for Ophelia's madness which led to death are quite evident. First, she finds out that her father, Polonius, was killed. Later to find out that the guy she love sis the one that killed her father in cold blood. Call me crazy, but I would be a little out of it too if my boyfriend up and killed my dad. Especially after when Hamlet basically denied ever loving her. All of that happening to one woman in that short a period of time can really mess with a girls' head and even effect the choices she makes.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Choices, Choices
Hamlet's hesitation makes complete sense to me. He isn't one hundred percent sure if Claudius is the one who killed his father and killing an innocent person no matter what religion or mind set the person is in, isn't right. That's why I think that Hamlet made a wise choice by hesitating and making sure that Claudius was the guilty party before doing anything rash. Besides the ethical reasons Hamlet is the heir to the throne and he has to watch what he does. He can't just go around doing whatever he wants because one day he will be the King of Denmark and how are people supposed to trust him as their leader when he killed the previous King. It was a wise decision to have the Mousetrap play occur at the castle so he could witness with his own eyes whether or not Claudius was guilty.
To be or not to be...
Olivier's
In this version of Hamlet's soliloquy the setting is what really seperates it from the other versions. With Hamlet being on the cliff the scene seems more dramatic than the others. It adds to his predicament and whether he should commit suicide or not. It also adds a bit of suspense because if he doesn't kill himself with the dagger then he could just jump off the cliff and into the water. As for the music in the background everytime that the scene got more serious then the music would get louder.
Zeffirelli's
Making the decision to film this part of the play/movie in the catacombs is a brilliant idea. The whole point of "to be or not to be..." is deciding between life and death and what better place than where a whole bunch of dead corpses are. Throughout the speech Hamlet's tone and speed when he speaks keeps changing. Having him change the speeds when he speaks adds to the drama and intensity of this scene because it has the viewers paying even more attention. There was one point in the end when Hamlet seems to be speaking to other worldly creatures where the director changes the lighting and that also adds to the all around product.
Branaugh's
This version is the one which stays closest to the way in which Shakespeare wrote it. It takes place in the castle and even though this is supposed to be a soliloquy Claudius and Polonius are hiding behind the mirror listening. In this scene it seems as though Hamlet knows they are listening and that adds to the suspense for the audience, especially if they have never read Hamlet. The music in this version matches exactly what Hamlet is going through and feeling, it's both tense and suspenseful.
Almeryda's
Of all the versions I feel that this is the weakest. It must be very difficult changing this scene and modernizing it, but I feel as though they could have done a little more with this scene. He seemed a little too sane in this scene to be contemplating whether or not to kill himself. One of the positives was that his voice was smooth and seemed steady displaying that Hamlet had to sense of what he was to do.
There are so many versions of this play because directors envision different things occurring. Just one thing like the background music could be changed and it would give the movie a whole different feel from others. I think that there are so many versions in the world because different people translate this play differently. This play can be interpreted several ways because of all the ambiguities, like whether or not Hamlet was madly in love with Ophelia before the play began. Of all the versions Zeffirelli's is my favorite. Usually my favorite is by Branaugh, but the main difference for me was the level of suspense and intensity, especially with where the scene was filmed (the catacombs).
In this version of Hamlet's soliloquy the setting is what really seperates it from the other versions. With Hamlet being on the cliff the scene seems more dramatic than the others. It adds to his predicament and whether he should commit suicide or not. It also adds a bit of suspense because if he doesn't kill himself with the dagger then he could just jump off the cliff and into the water. As for the music in the background everytime that the scene got more serious then the music would get louder.
Zeffirelli's
Making the decision to film this part of the play/movie in the catacombs is a brilliant idea. The whole point of "to be or not to be..." is deciding between life and death and what better place than where a whole bunch of dead corpses are. Throughout the speech Hamlet's tone and speed when he speaks keeps changing. Having him change the speeds when he speaks adds to the drama and intensity of this scene because it has the viewers paying even more attention. There was one point in the end when Hamlet seems to be speaking to other worldly creatures where the director changes the lighting and that also adds to the all around product.
Branaugh's
This version is the one which stays closest to the way in which Shakespeare wrote it. It takes place in the castle and even though this is supposed to be a soliloquy Claudius and Polonius are hiding behind the mirror listening. In this scene it seems as though Hamlet knows they are listening and that adds to the suspense for the audience, especially if they have never read Hamlet. The music in this version matches exactly what Hamlet is going through and feeling, it's both tense and suspenseful.
Almeryda's
Of all the versions I feel that this is the weakest. It must be very difficult changing this scene and modernizing it, but I feel as though they could have done a little more with this scene. He seemed a little too sane in this scene to be contemplating whether or not to kill himself. One of the positives was that his voice was smooth and seemed steady displaying that Hamlet had to sense of what he was to do.
There are so many versions of this play because directors envision different things occurring. Just one thing like the background music could be changed and it would give the movie a whole different feel from others. I think that there are so many versions in the world because different people translate this play differently. This play can be interpreted several ways because of all the ambiguities, like whether or not Hamlet was madly in love with Ophelia before the play began. Of all the versions Zeffirelli's is my favorite. Usually my favorite is by Branaugh, but the main difference for me was the level of suspense and intensity, especially with where the scene was filmed (the catacombs).
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