Dear Ophelia

                                                                  Eulogy To Ophelia

It was sad to hear the news about Ophelia's death. We mustn't dwell on her death, or how it happened; but to appreciate the life she lived. As some of you may know, some people do not believe that Ophelia deserves a proper Christian Burial, but they only see the surface of who Ophelia once was, and not who she really was. Perhaps the branch snapped that she was sitting on, and her dress got caught between the branches, holding her down disabling her to swim upward for oxygen. So therefore don't assume that she would kill herself over Hamlet, who we know probably didn't love her the way she loved him.
Poor Ophelia was going mad, but it was not her fault, nor can we really understand what caused it. Our reality was becoming her fantasy, and for that even if she killed herself, would that make it her moral decision to commit suicide or was it her ill mind. Or was it Gertrude allowing her to die!? This is a crime if it is proven Gertrude caused her death, and she should be demoted from queen if so. Ophelia I am sorry you had to suffer such a tragic death, and may your soul rest in peace.

                                                                  
                                                                   My Understanding

I believe that the cause of Ophelia's madness was Hamlet. The way he grabbed and yelled at her when he was angry, may have very well traumatized her. This created internal conflict for the character, because the constant verbal and physical abuse she was experiencing, played a huge role in her decision to commit suicide; if she indeed did so. 
Ophelia deserves a proper Christian burial, but maybe not in the location she was buried. She should have been buried in a location where there was not any previous bones buried. This would had been more respectful to the bodies and spirits to those who died, regardless of human status.

Also I try my best to keep an open mind about her character, because there are a few theories and millions of opinions. I wonder if Shakespeare  knew that he would get the reactions that he did from the play. Hamlet inspired many artist's, and film director's; and we all can see the many different views people have about Ophelia's tragic death.
Overall I think Ophelia was a symbol of multiple aspects of life, such as how emotions can affect your decision making, and what people may assume if they do not know who the person really was.

Hamlets Crucial Mistake

To start off, I think that Hamlet's hesitation was a costly mistake. He could have simply avenged his father's death, but he was too busy being a moron. Whether or not Claudius repented for his sins or not, he had the opportunity to kill Claudius, but he passed it up. That decision ended up being a choice that if I were Hamlet would regret, because what he thought was the perfect opportunity, ended up being the fate of somebody else; in this case Polonius.

 Furthermore what was at stake was the vengeance  of his father's death, and what his place in the kingdom would be after he murders Claudius. This scene informed me that Hamlet really did not care for only killing Claudius, but to make sure he would spend eternity in the hot furnace that nobody wants to go to; Hell. So therefore I can see where he was trying to go with this, but killing somebody cold blooded regardless if they repent or not, would have benefitted Hamlet for the sake of his father's vengeance, and for the sake of the kingdom.

Religion plays a crucial role in this scene. Although I may want to strangle Hamlet for waiting, I can somewhat respect him for why he waited, and not pursue such horrific crime. Also let's say we find out Claudius was innocent, then that would mean Hamlets hesitation saved the life of one man, but in the process killed an innocent by stander. I also feel as if Hamlets acting of being a madman can benefit him in the end, because he could just blame it on being possessed or something of that sort. Kind of like how people nowadays blame it on the alcohol.

Overall I think Hamlet made the wrong decision by waiting, because instead of killing Claudius, he killed his dear friend Polonius.

Tyler Lewis II The Man With Many Visions

In class we have seen four different versions of Hamlets most famous soliloquy "To Be or Not To Be". Each director chose a different approach such as setting, clothing, and tone of voice.

The Olivier edition was an older film which was black and white. Also the setting took place on a boulder near the ocean. The effect the setting had on the scene, was more calm compared to the others. I feel as If the director used nature's soothing sound such as the ocean current brushing against the rocks, and quiet music to emulate the sadness and thoughts Hamlet had during the end of Act II. Furthermore whenever his tone of voice would go from calm to a quick second of anger, the music would go from soothing to eery.

Zeffirelli took a different approach compared to the previous version. The setting took place in a chamber of a castle, and it was in color. Mel Gibson talked in a mellow tone without any music playing in the background, which in my interpretation I take it as Zeffirelli trying to make the viewers pay more attention, and to listen to the speech more closely.

Branaugh's edition takes place in a mansion like location, and instead of staring into his surroundings, he is looking into a mirror. The mirror represents how he in visions himself and how he is struggling to decide if suicide is the way to go. In this scene I noticed the changes in clothing the character wears in all four versions, aswell as his tone of voice sounding similar to Almereyda's version. The music is also low and calm as the speech is being said.

Out of all four scenes I watched, this one by far seemed the most bizarre. For instance Hamlet is wearing a winter knitted hat, with clothes from the 21st century. This might be because it takes place in the year 2000. There is no music and this Hamlet does not change his tone of voice. Furthermore something I have also taken note in, was that in the final 2 version's hamlet did no wield a sword.

Each director took many different approaches when it came to props and lighting. Every director except Zefferelli said the speech in light, while Zefferelli shot the scene in a darker setting. The choices  he made compared to the others, can symbolize the dark emotions Hamlet really felt while giving his dark soliloquy.

The figurative aspect of the speech could be when Hamlet says " To die, to sleep - To sleep, perchance to dream..." Is it better live or is it better to die, and perhaps see what is after death? Hamlet is unsure at this point, but he ends up not going through with suicide.

In continuation to the topic, each actor who played Hamlet used facial expressions to emphasize and symbolize the internal conflict with committing  suicide or not.

There were so many versions of the play, because Shakespeare's literature is legendary and the directors wanted to make changes to the play, to give us an idea of what the differences between modern Hamlet and old Hamlet; Details such as time period and clothing. Overall what was most effective to me, was that no matter what year or what setting the scene took place, the central message was still the same.

Differences Between Hamlet Movies

In all three versions of Hamlet's ghost scene, King Hamlet shows his emotions to his son Prince Hamlet, about his death and how it happened; But each director took a different approach on the setting and tone of voice. For example in the Franco Zeffirelli edition, King Hamlet's ghost appeared in the shadows, and was more sensitive explaining the details of his death(when a tear fell from his eye), while in the Kenneth Branagh edition he seemed enraged, wanting his son to avenge his death asap. Directors Franco Zeffirelli Kenneth Branagh, used similar settings, while Michael Almereyda's version took place in 2000. Although it was in a modern setting, the language was still the same. Music also was a key concept that created suspense and anxiety to the viewer. Branagh uses more of a dark or evil background music, while the others tended to change music as the mood changed. Also the Lightning was violent, and Branagh used the sense of danger to introduce the type of tone King Hamlet will have, for example violent lightning strikes and earthquakes.

In the first two versions shown in class, the flashbacks gave us the viewers a visual scenery of who poisoned King Hamlet and how his brother did so. The flashbacks add depth so that we can understand what events took place and where it occurred. The special effects such as the blood oozing out in Branagh's version, and the facial expression in both Zeffirelli and Almereyda's film. Furthermore the vial full of poison was used as a prop to symbolize the death and beginning of vengeance in the play Hamlet.

Overall the effect of the choices each director chose, creates more of a twist  to each movie. I personally liked the second edition because of the built up excitement, while the third version lacked the idea of a good plot line. You cannot make a movie on Hamlet in the 21st century, I thought this was Hamlet not Back to the Future. I would focus on changing the setting in the third version and nothing about the first two. Finally I feel as if each director took their own approach, which as a viewer enjoy the creativity, but may not like the storyline itself.