Hamlet's Dilemma

Hamlet's decision to kill Claudius had to be a hard one for him. Even though Claudius killed his father, that is still his uncle and he is family no matter what. I agree with Hamlet's decision to wait until Claudius is in a sinful moment to then kill him. Claudius does not deserve to get the easy way out and go straight to heaven when he dies. If King Hamlet did not get time to pray before he was killed, then Claudius should not have that benefit either. If Claudius can be disloyal to his own family then I think that Hamlet has the right too, he should just give it more time.  

This scene shows that Claudius does feel guilty about killing his brother. Even though he did not have the courage to tell Gertrude about the murder, he still was able to open up to God and ask for forgiveness. Maybe he was going to eventually tell Gertrude the truth? Maybe he went to God so that he finally got it off his chest to someone? Maybe he thinks that he will actually be forgiven for his murder. It also shows that Hamlet is the type of person to think something through before he takes action. Rethinking something before you act upon it can save you from a lot of regret. Since so many people think that Hamlet is going mad, I can only imagine what they would think about him if they found out he had killed his uncle. That would be two kings dead and Hamlet is the only one left to blame. The people may even think that he is after the throne and that he is responsible for his fathers and uncles murders. They will all go against Hamlet.

To Be Or Not To Be

Olivier's Version-  

 As I was watching this version I picked up on some of the symbols that were placed in it. As Hamlet says the line "Or to take the arms against a sea of troubles" he is actually laying on a cliff that is by the sea. When hamlet realized that he was not going to kill himself he ended up dropping the dagger off the cliff into the water. As Hamlet was describing that he was emotionally on the edge, he also was physically on the edge. The setting is very foggy and makes you mysterious about if he is going to kill himself or not. The way he presents his words in this version also adds up to the mystery. He would talk and then it would switch to internal talking. It seemed as though he was talking to himself at points.  

Zeffirelli's Version- 

Hamlet was wondering around a catacomb while presenting this speech. In his speech he realizes that he does not know what happens after death and as he realized that he happened to be looking at the dead bodies around him. He was looking at them and wondered what they felt like and what happened to them now. Hamlet was also talking up to the light as if he was talking to god to answer his prayers and help him. He would speak with anger in his words then switch to a very low tone when his emotions would change. They were back and fourth with anger and sadness. 

Branagh's Version- 

Branagh had Hamlet looking at himself in the mirror with the dagger in his hand at a castle. It showed that Hamlet was literally talking to himself. As he would walk towards the mirror the music came to be more noticeable. He holds the dagger to his face and then touches the mirror, he then pulls away when he notices that he is not the only one there. This version shows Polonios and Claudius hiding behind the mirror spying on Hamlet just like they were told in the actual play.  

Almereyda's Version- 

This version is very modern, Hamlet is speaking while he is in a DVD store. He happens to be walking up the aisle for action and does not take a movie. Hamlet is only thinking and fails to take action Which means that he has failed to take action which relates to what has been going on, He has not done anything that he wanted to after speaking to the ghost yet. In the back of Hamlet walking there is a movie playing that is about someone coming back from the dead for revenge. It is just like what the Ghost did, he came back to tell Hamlet so he can do something about it.  

I believe that there are so many versions of this play because people see the play differently. Everyone has their own opinion and we view things differently. Zeffirelli's version is still the best in my opinion. The way the characters present their lines in this play pulls me closer and gets me more interested.