Imagery referring to the uncertainty of death:
Lines 67-69- "For in that sleep of death what dreams may come/ when we have shuffled off this mortal coil,/ must give us pause."
Lines 80-81- "The undiscovered country from whose bourn/ no traveler returns,"
Imagery referring to the negative experiences of life:
Line 59-60- "The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune/ or to take arms against a sea of troubles"
Lines 62-63- "And by a sleep to say we end/ the heartache and the thousand natural shocks/ that flesh is heir to"
Lines 71-75- "For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,/ th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,/ the pangs of despised love, the law's delay,/ the insolence of office, and the spurns/ that patient merit of th' unworthy takes"
Appeals:
Ethos: He appeals to ethos by addressing the audience as "we" which helps Hamlet to identify with the audience, allowing them to build connections and relations with him. He also mentions a wide variety of situations such as "the insolence of office" and "the spurns that the patient merit of th' unworthy takes".
Pathos: Through strong, emotional diction like "whips and scorns" and "pangs of despised love", Shakespeare emphasizes the emotions expressed by Hamlet. These words carry so much meaning and imagery behind them that it draws the audience in and allows them to feel the same emotions as Hamlet in this moment.
Logos: Shakespeare uses numerous rhetorical questions throughout the soliloquy one of those being the opening line, "To be, or not to be?", where Hamlet questions whether it is better to be dead or alive. By using rhetorical questions, Shakespeare addresses the logic behind Hamlet's thinking and/ or actions and expresses what is going through Hamlet's mind in this moment. It also makes the audience question these same things and leads them to then consider the logic behind life and death.
Literary Devices:
Shakespeare utilizes paradox, parallelism, the infinitive, synecdoche, tone, diction, and metaphor in order to further enhance the complex emotions expressed by Hamlet in this soliloquy as he struggles to make a decision on what to do in response to the many trials and tribulations he is facing. At this part of the play, Hamlet is not only dealing with feelings of sorrow and anger in response to both his father's death and his mother's marriage, but he is also carrying with him the knowledge that his uncle murdered his father. This knowledge is driving Hamlet crazy in that he doesn't know how to react and properly seek revenge for his father. All these literary devices work together to create the strong sense of emotion and effectively depict what is going through Hamlet's mind.
Metaphors:
Metaphor number one- Comparing slings and arrows to his own troubles
Lines 58-61- "Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer/ The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,/ Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,/ And, by opposing, end them?"
Metaphor number two- Comparing death to sleep
Lines 61-64- "To die, to sleep—/No more—and by a sleep to say we end/ The heartache and the thousand natural shocks/ That flesh is heir to."
Comparisons:
Life on earth- "The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" and "To grunt and sweat under a weary life"
Afterlife-"ay, there’s the rub,/ For in that sleep of death what dreams may come/ When we have shuffled off/ this mortal coil" and "The undiscovered country from whose bourn/ No traveler returns"
Death- "To die, to sleep—/ No more—"
Humans- "For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,/ Th' oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,/ The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay,/ The insolence of office, and the spurns/ That patient merit of th' unworthy takes,/ When he himself might his quietus make/ With a bare bodkin?"
Thinking- "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,/ And thus the native hue of resolution/ Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought"
Oppositions:
Through this soliloquy, Hamlet questions whether or not it is worth it to live out the rest of his life and whether committing suicide in order to escape his problems is an acceptable choice. Ultimately, he decides against committing suicide, deeming it unacceptable.
Mise En Scene Analysis:
In the Kenneth Branagh version, the soliloquy begins with an over the shoulder camera angle that looks over Hamlet's shoulder into his reflection in the mirror. This angle creates a sort of dominance between the mirror and Hamlet as it captures only his reflection speaking, emphasizing that Hamlet is losing control of himself and his emotions and is at a loss for what to do. Up until Hamlet says "this mortal coil", the scene contains only the voice of Hamlet as he speaks to himself in the mirror. At about one minute, however, non diegetic sound is used as a medieval-type song begins to play in the background. By opening with just Hamlet's voice, Branagh draws emphasis solely to Hamlet and the words he is saying. The music that is brought in then serves to add drama to the scene and highlight the depth of the soliloquy. In this version Hamlet is dressed in a black suit which signifies that he is still mourning his father's death and is in a state of darkness. He is captured in a fancy room that is appears to be well lit and decorated to represent the home of royalty and the main props used are the mirror, which serves to emphasize his lack of power, and the knife, which serves to showcase that he is truly contemplating whether to kill himself or not.
In the Laurence Olivier version, the scene opens in black and white with the camera following the path of a long, curvy staircase leading to the top of what appears to be the castle which overlooks an ocean. When the camera reaches the ocean, Hamlet suddenly appears in the shot and the audience sees him watching the ocean, looking as if he is debating whether or not to jump. The camera then focuses in on Hamlet's head and images of the ocean waves rolling in are played. Up until this point, only non diegetic sound has been used including both orchestral music and a voice over of Hamlet saying "to be, or not to be". After Hamlet's voice over, Hamlet is captured sitting on a rock in costume that resembles what a pirate might wear. Here, Hamlet starts off by speaking and then the scene cuts to another voice over as Hamlet pulls out his dagger and the camera moves in closer to his face. After about a minute, Hamlet drops his dagger and the camera switches to show the dagger as it falls into the ocean, gone forever. This serves to represent Hamlet's ultimate decision to not commit suicide and instead try to fight his problems.
In Mel Gibson's version, Hamlet is captured walking down a large set of stairs into a very dark, dungeon-y room. The camera follows him all the way down and then pans the room, showing the audience what the room looks like from Hamlet's perspective. The camera then focuses back on Hamlet with a close up shot where he begins rehearsing the soliloquy. As the angle pans out, Hamlet enters the room which happens to actually be some kind of chamber holding what appears to be mummies. The rest of the scene switches between close up shots of Hamlet and medium shots as he walks around the room and then exits. In this version, he is dressed in dark clothing and only diegetic sound (his voice) is used.
In Ethan Hawke's version, the scene opens with Hamlet standing in a store that looks to be similar to a Blockbuster. He is dressed in a suit and winter hat and only non diegetic sound is used including a voice over of Hamlet speaking, intense background music, and sound effects of guns, whips, chains, etc. Hawke uses medium shots, long shots, and close up shots throughout the scene to capture Hamlet's emotion, which in this version comes off as very dazed and confused. The camera follows Hamlet as he travels through the movie store, walking in a very zombie-like manner (slow and heavy). At about one minute, the sound switches from non diegetic to diegetic and Hamlet is captured speaking. He continues to speak throughout the rest of the scene and at the very end of the scene, a TV screen with a man burning in fire is captured.
Knowing my good friend Hamlet, I personally think that Kenneth Branagh's version was the best interpretation of his soliloquy. He effectively captured the essence of Hamlet's confusion and complications by filming him in the mirror through his own perspective. By doing this, Branagh really conveyed the emotions going through Hamlet's mind and the struggles he is having with even knowing how to control himself. I mean, being his friend, I can tell you that this man is losing it. He doesn't know how to handle everything that is being thrown at him. From his father, to his mother, to his uncle- the poor lord has just gone through so, so much. Thank goodness, though, that through this conversation with himself he was able to realize that suicide is not an acceptable option. The way Branagh captured Hamlet pointing his dagger at himself and then putting it down really emphasized this and showed that, perhaps, Hamlet does still stand a chance at conquering his problems.
If I were to change any of the approaches, I think I would change the Ethan Hawke version. I, personally, did not understand the point in having Hamlet wander around a movie store dressed in a winter hat and suit. To me, it just didn't make sense. It did not have the same emotional effect as the other versions did in that it did not capture the emotion felt by Hamlet in this moment of the play. If I wasn't aware that this scene was from Hamlet, I would have thought that it was simply a lost man discovering Blockbuster for the first time. The setting, props, and costumes were not relevant to the original play at all and the delivery of the soliloquy was far too "chill". It did not portray Hamlet as torn and confused as in the other versions which I feel is an important thing to include when interpreting this scene.
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