Hamlet Character Post #3

Soliloquy Analysis:

Throughout his soliloquy, Hamlet uses a lot of imagery to describe death. For example, in lines 61-63 he says, "and by a sleep to say we end the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to." He also goes on to then describe death as "the undiscovered country" (3.1.79.) Hamlet mainly uses Logos as his appeal in his soliloquy, "who would fardels bear, to grunt and sweat under a weary life, but that the dread of something after death" (3.1.77-79). We don't see him use the other appeals as much and when he uses the logos, he is questioning why we suffer the pain of life when we could just avoid it all. Hamlet also compares sleep to death by saying "To die, to sleep. To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there’s the rub, for in that sleep of death what dreams may come." (3.1.65-67) Being dead and sleeping are the same thing to him but questions what you dream about when you are dead. The primary metaphors he uses are death and sleep. "To die, to sleep, no more" (3.1.61-62), and comparing life to a sea, "to take arms against a sea of troubles" (3.1.60). Hamlet then comes to the conclusion that thinking about death too much makes humans weak because they would rather suffer the pain of life on earth than to face the unknown of death.

Acting Analysis:

Kenneth Branagh: The use of sound, camera angles, and setting convey the crazy and deranged state of mind that Hamlet is suffering in. The first sounds that the audience hears in this scene is Hamlet's voice. The creates a kind of eerie and mysterious mood because Hamlet is talking to his reflection; this shows how isolated he feels. Since there are no other sounds, the audience then sees that the character is completely alone to his thoughts which then creates a sense of isolation. After this first part of the scene passes, the music starts to play. The music fits the eerie tone because you don't really know what is going on in the music. This music playing while Hamlet discussing death just adds onto the eerie mood that the viewers see in this scene. The over the shoulder camera angle in this scene creates a feeling of insanity and isolation for the audience because the camera is focused on Hamlet's reflection to make Hamlet literally talk to himself and himself only. The camera starts out further out so the audience can see Hamlet's full body in the mirror, then it zooms in until all the audience can only see is from his shoulders up to the top of his head. Doing this shows the viewers how isolated Hamlet is and to get a closer view of his emotions on his face. In the reflection of the mirror, you can see that Hamlet is in front of a mirror in a big, empty room. This highlights how isolated Hamlet feels; he is alone in a giant castle. Being in front of a mirror shows the distrust that is in Denmark and around him in his peers. He can only trust himself with his thoughts, no one else.

Laurence Oliver: The camera angles in this version are what stand out from the rest. The setting and the diegetic sound helped portray the feeling of being alone with his thoughts. one of the earlier camera angles in this scene is a close up on the back of Hamlet's head. This is a very unique camera angle that is not found in very many films. The director chose to do this to send the audience into his mind. The setting of being by the sea has a big impact. Not only does it emphasize how lonely and insignificant Hamlet feels because the sea is so vast and never ending, but it also shows the line between life and death. If he was in the water, he would probably drown after becoming exhausted from trying to stay alive, but on the shore, he is alive but close to death. This really helps the audience member understand his emotions. The diegetic sound of the waves crashing are subtle and seemingly obvious, but the director could have easily just had Hamlet's voice be the only thing the audience heard. Having the ocean waves helps capture everything that Hamlet is experiencing. Overall, the director for this version wanted the audience to experience everything that was going on in Hamlet's head.

Mel Gibson: This adaptation focuses mostly on setting, sound, and lighting to convey Hamlet's indecision between life and death. The setting is portraying not only what Hamlet is thinking about, but also foreshadowing the massive amount of death that will take place later in the play since he is in a catacomb under the castle. The lighting in this scene is very different from the rest of the versions. Very dark lighting was used with some key light hitting Hamlet's face. This emphasizes the juxtaposition of life and death by using dark and light as contrasts. The only thing that the audience hears in this scene is Hamlet's voice and his footsteps. This simplicity in the sound captures how alone Hamlet feels. It also shows how distrustful he is. The only time he ever shows his true emotions is when he is completely alone.