Ophelia's Eulogy

Oh poor Ophelia. First she lost her boyfriend, then her father, and finally lost her mind. Well she lost something else during that time period but that's another story (I'm no story teller). She fell victim to the classic father-hates-boyfriend ordeal that has almost never failed in tearing young lovers apart. Later struck the death of her father however, may he rest in peace. Ophelia's fragile, little heart just couldn't bear the grief of losing the man she loved and then having that same man inexplicably murder her father in cold blood out of sheer madness. To top that all of she was made to believe that she was the cause of Hamlets madness when in reality it was her father who made her leave him (this would've been a great episode of Dr. Phil). But instead of dwelling on the final years of Ophelia's life, let's celebrate the person she was when everything was fine. Before all of this stress and heart break, and madness.

She was always extremely passionate. She was extremely passionate about her love for Hamlet as we've seen. She was a great daughter too, always obeying her father's commands. Sometimes his rule may have interfered with her passions, but parents always know best somehow without actually knowing the situation well enough to make any fair or accurate judgement concerning its nature. Anyway, she was a beautiful soul. I truly knew Ophelia as a good person. Everything a young lady should be.

She was very polite as well. Never spoke unless spoken too, always said please and thank you. She was always company to the King and Queen, so you know she was raised to be a very upright individual. Oh and hey she was a really good singer... as some of you who heard her singing while she was drowning and did nothing to save her may be aware of. You know what I'm sorry, I keep on bringing up the fact that she went a little Gary Busey at the end and I told myself I wouldn't do that. 

Well to be honest with you, I only met her a few months after King Hamlet's death so, I didn't really know her for that long. In reality the only reason I came up here is because my mom thought it would be a good idea to say something nice. Obviously I was a little reluctant at first, but I decided that I should shed a different light on this whole situation. Instead of dwelling on how she died, whether it was intentional or completely by accident, we should remember how she lived. Rather than mourning her death we should celebrate her life. I mean I knew her for barely a month and I had so many nice things to say about her just based off of what I've observed in that little time. You all have known her for much longer than me; so instead of focusing on the way she ended her life and the terrible state she was in, you should all remember all the good things she's done. All the times she's made you laugh or made you smile, or helped you out, those should be the things you remember. *mic finally reconnects* And that's all I have to say about that.  

Hamlet's Dilemma

At the end of Act 3 Scene 3 Hamlet has found himself in what seems to be the perfect position for him to exact his revenge and kill his Uncle, Claudius, for the murder of his father. However, Claudius is now praying and asking God for forgiveness, which is something that Hamlet's father was not given the chance to do. Now Hamlet is faced with the option to kill him now and risk him going to heaven, or kill him in mid-stroke of a sin.

If you're asking for my opinion on what Hamlet should do, I can only generate one by putting myself in Hamlets shoes. I personally don't believe that Claudius would go to heaven just because he prayed. But then again I'm also not that religious to begin with (that's another story, I'm no story teller). So I have to approach this under Hamlet's state of mind: 

At this time people were very religious and I am sure that Hamlet probably does believe that Claudius has purged and cleansed his soul, now being allowed entry into heaven when the day comes. So with that in mind, I would have done exactly what Hamlet has done. I do not think he should kill him now. He doesn't deserve to go to heaven, especially after Hamlets father was taken without the chance to repent for his sins. Hamlet was smart to wait. The only problem that he might run into is the fact that Claudius may be suspicious of Hamlet's intent. But revenge must be gone about carefully. And what kind of revenge would Hamlet be getting sending Claudius to heaven when his father is still forced to pay for his sins?

To Be Or Not to Be

Prior to me watching the different versions of the "to be, or not to be" scene, I hadn't paid any mind to how much the director's interpretation can affect the way he or she goes about shaping his or her own presentation. For example, in Olivier's Hamlet, I can't help but notice how creepy or almost unsettling the entire energy of the soliloquy was. It reminded me a lot of the ending of the original 'Psycho'. The unerving lack of emotion or reaction behind Hamlet's worth can be described as psychopathic. But this was to be expected right? I mean, Hamlet did imply that he may begin to act strangely. But what would he need to act so differently for if he was alone? He doesn't need to put on an act if he's the only audience. The only explanation is that he wasn't acting. As Mrs. Stawicki stated, whether or not Hamlet has actually gone mad is up for interpretation. Olivier's Hamlet reveals that the director believes Hamlet is truly mad, and this soliloquy only highlights this belief.

A similar interpretation is reflected through Branagh's recreation of this famous scene. As he is in all four of the versions of this scene, Hamlet is still alone with know one to act out for. Now I don't mean to abuse movie references but this version reminded my of Norman Osborne in the first Spider-Man. Hamlet's speech was inflicted with diabolical tones, with the dramatic intentions of the scene being amplified by his conversation between himself in the mirror. To put it simply, he came across as an evil villain. The mirror also led me to the assumption that the director tried to display an internal conflict. Perhaps Hamlet was dealing with demons and the mirror  represented him fighting his deepest darkest thoughts. This sort of behavior is also typical of someone who may have gone insane. So I suspect that Branagh's Hamlet was also influenced by the directors interpretation that Hamlet has gone mad. 

On the other side of the spectrum there lies Zeffirelli's Hamlet, which happens to be my favorite. In Zeffirelli's version, Hamlet seems more reflective than mad or insane. The mood is a lot more mellow than the first two. Hamlet didn't seem angry, or revenge stricken in my opinion. Maybe I'm reaching here, but I felt as if Hamlet walking down the stairs at the opening of the play was very symbolic toward the fact that he is at a low point in his life. He begins talking has he proceeds to descend down the stairs slowly and it's these movements that really compliment the down-in-the-dumps mood that I envisioned when I first read this scene. The combination of tone, mood, and even actor facial expressions is what leads me to believe that Zeffirelli did not believe that Hamlet had truly gone mad and therefore did not protest him to be so when he was alone. 

 Along with Zeffirelli's Hamlet, Almereyda's Hamlet does not show evidence that Hamlet is truly mad. However, with Almereyda's version I can see how one could disagree with me. Truthfully I'm not a fan of this recreation, in fact, it's my least favorite. It lacks passion and Hamlet is played too simply by Ethan Hawke. The director did however present this particular scene in a calm, sane light; similar to how I imagined it being. I was also a fan of the background music which I felt complimented the tone and paired with the mood nicely. The very distinct differences between each of the 4 version really brought to my attention how much a play that only exists in writing and through recreations can be changed so drastically based on one's individual understanding of the words put before them.