"Precious heart, young Ophelia"

   Beautiful, young Ophelia, how I wish we could give her the burial rights a soul like yours deserves. But it is just too hard to say the intent or lack of intent that came with her death. Even if the drowning was not a suicide, I would understand if she did want to do this to herself. How could one not descend into madness after the path that she was on? How could one say they would not think of ending it all after what Ophelia was going through? With a lover gone mad and a father dead, Ophelia was struggling with an immense amount of grief. I feel even worse, because I believe Ophelia was made to feel like she was the cause of Hamlet's madness. And it was that madness that resulted in him killing her much loved father. What this sounds like to me is that Ophelia might have felt like she caused all of this. "You were tired of the shadow life, of fears that hold us tight"(Ophelia- Kula Shaker). I regret that no one reassured her that none of this was her fault, because a beautiful life could have been saved.
    To address those here skeptical about that matters of Ophelia's death and the nature of this funeral, I will give my opinion on how she drowned. There is no hiding that Ophelia had descended into a state of madness as a result of her recent trials. According to Gertrude "clambering to hang, an envious silver broke; when down her weedy trophies and herself fell in the weeping brook. Her clothes spread wide; and mermaid-like, awhile they bore her up: which then she chanted snatches of old tunes; as one incapable of her own distress." I do not believe Ophelia went over to the brook that day with the idea to kill herself. I believe Ophelia was picking flowers in a state of mad innocence, when she slipped into the brook. As the water soaked her clothes and she began to drown, she did not fight it, who knows if she could. Either way she was not fully conscious of what was happening to her. She did not take her life with the intent of disobeying God, she just approached death with acceptance. She was in no state to keep living how she was. Rest easy Ophelia, you deserved a better ending than this. " I will lie beside the river now forever and a night" ( Kula Shaker).

To Avenge or not To Avenge

  Hamlet's ability to stop himself from killing his uncle for revenge must mean that he carries a strong set of morals or obligations. His plan is not to kill his uncle just to kill him; he is killing with a purpose. And in that moment, the purpose was taken away in a sense. Even though it would have been easier if Hamlet had just killed Claudius when he had the chance, I think he was right for not doing it in that moment. By waiting for any other moment when Claudius is not repenting for his sins, Hamlet will get the job done that his father asked him to do. King Hamlet asked his son to avenge his death, and it would not be the proper revenge if Claudius was sent to heaven (because he was asking for the forgiveness of his sins) while King Hamlet was still sentenced to walk the Earth. Hamlet knew that Claudius would pretty much get off the hook if he killed him then, and he would never let him get off that easy.
   The question of whether it is better to take action or think something through is posed in this scene. It is especially confusing to choose one side of that debate because there is so much at stake. On one side, Hamlet could kill him and his father may be disappointed because his killer is resting in peace. On the other side this now gives Claudius more time to be suspicious of Hamlet and Hamlet could run out of time to act on it in general. But in my opinion, Hamlet was so upset by his father's death that he would eventually kill Claudius no matter what. One question that I asked myself through this scene was: although Claudius was asking for forgiveness during this scene, would that really mean that if Hamlet had killed him he would go to heaven like he never killed his brother?

To Be or Not to be scene

  The first version of Hamlet's soliloquy that we watched was actually my favorite interpretation. The scene begins with Hamlet looking down at crashing waves that represent the conflict and turmoil he is feeling internally. The symbolism of the stormy sea can also reflect the "sea of troubles" Hamlet refers to in his soliloquy. The gloomy mood in this version was set up by the grey-toned colors, fog,music, and Hamlet's disposition. He talks in a very somber tone, which is how I imagined Hamlet would talk as he contemplates life and death. At some points the actor would just close his eyes and not move his mouth, but the audience can still hear Hamlet speak. I liked that addition to the scene because I felt like it was exaggerating how this whole soliloquy is pretty much Hamlet thinking aloud. This version added Hamlet actually pulling a dagger out, as if he was ready to kill himself right then. I think that helped portray how serious he was contemplating suicide during that moment, instead of it being interpreted as just a depressing train of thought.

   The second version of Hamlet was a more dark and emotional take on the scene. It takes place in a very dark grave, where Hamlet is literally surrounded by the idea of death. During some lines, it actually seems like Hamlet is talking to these dead bodies. This whole idea portrayed what was going on in Hamlet's mind, and I thought that was an extremely creative way to actually show his conflict. Not only was there lighting on the tombs, but at certain times a ray of sunlight would shine on Hamlet's face. In those moments I connected the usage of light with Hamlet's words to understand what he was really thinking. I believe he steps into the light as he talks about cowards, and I thought that Hamlet stepping into the light at that moment meant that he was calling himself a coward. Unlike the first version, Hamlet's voice does not stay at one consistent tone. Hamlet uses his voice and the way he says the lines to express his emotions.

   Version three of the "To be or not to be" scene had a sinister tone that none of the others had to it. Throughout the scene it seems as if Hamlet is becoming more and more insane. Even as he contemplated life and death, Hamlet didn't seem to be very emotional about it. I could only see a crazy look in his eyes. The interesting thing about this version though, was how it was shot as a reflection of Hamlet through several mirrors. It was like he was surrounded by his thoughts, or trapped inside his own mind. This also gave the impression that Hamlet was literally talking to himself. When he pulled the dagger out, he points it towards his reflection in the mirror as if he was threatening another person. This whole scene portrayed a very detached and sinister Hamlet, who seemed more likely to kill himself than all the other interpretations of Hamlet did.

   The last version of this scene that we watched seemed very realistic, and not just because it is a modern version. Hamlet walks into this blockbuster looking very depressed, and for the most part he is just thinking to himself. He really just seemed like a normal guy who was in a daze or having a rough time in his life. The music sets a dark and depressing tone and relays how Hamlet feels like he wants to die. I noticed though, that as Hamlet beings to talk about the option of fighting and staying alive, the music lightened up. I think there's more hidden symbolism in this version than any other the other ones. My first interpretation of him looking at movies in a blockbuster was that is could possibly represent how Hamlet was looking for another life. There are also pictures of destruction, death, and madness appearing on the T.Vs in the store. Those scenes could either be showing what Hamlet felt like at the moment, or could be foreshadowing of events to come.

The Ghost Scene Response

The Zeffirelli version of the ghost scene appealed to me the most in terms of how I had previously imagined the scene when reading the play. I first noticed the dark and medieval setting. Hamlet was running through a dimly lit castle while his mother's wedding party was going on in a separate room. Not only did I feel that the setting was true to the original play, but it contributed to the mysterious and dark mood of the scene. Although the lighting was dark, the characters faces could be made out the most. The camera also shot most of the conversation between Hamlet and his late father close up so that the emotions were understood clearly. In this version Hamlet went through times of fear, confusion, sadness, and anger. The ghost had human-like emotions as well, showing his rage and then sadness when the viewer could see him cry. I felt like the emotions about the situation were most realistic in this version, like the way a real son and the spirit of his father may have this conversation.

 The Branagh version was a really interesting take on the ghost scene in my opinion. The scene starts out with an extremely fast pace by switching between clips with bright colors and Hamlet running through the woods, talking quickly. All of these things contributed to starting the scene off more nervous or panicked than anything else. Once that was over I was finally able to take in the setting and aesthetics of the film. The colors popped, as if someone raised the contrast and saturation. The cool blues of the forest and the contrast between the greens and reds against the white snow in the garden all made for a very surreal mood. When Hamlet and the ghost talk, it seems more scary than anything. I felt each of the characters were much less emotional than how they were portrayed in the first version. The ghost was intimidating and filled with anger, while Hamlet didn't show much emotion until his father's spirit had left. What I did like about this version more was how the music added to what feeling was trying to be conveyed and how the flashbacks made for a better understanding of what the characters were talking about.

Although the third version, directed by Almereyda, is a modern spin on Hamlet, the idea of the scene was not lost in transition. The ghost appearing in human form prevented the scene from looking cheesy and also made it feel more realistic. Even though the same language that is in Hamlet is used in this modern version, the way the ghost and son talked seemed like a real father-son conversation. The way both characters conveyed their emotions made it easier to understand the mood of the conversation and situation unlike the second version. But like the second version, both the music and setting also helped the viewer understand the emotions of the characters. The embrace of Hamlet and his father's spirit when the father says "Remember me" was my favorite addition to this scene. I believe the line where the ghost is repeating "remember me" is so powerful and full of emotion that it needed that embrace to actually show how much it was meant.