Imagery
that refers to the uncertainty of death:
“ay,
there’s the rub, For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have
shuffled off this mortal coil”(3.1.66-68).
“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”(3.1.84-86).
Imagery
that refers to the negative experiences of life:
Hamlet
says that some of the negative experiences in life consists of, ““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.”(3.1.72-75). In addition, I argue that an important negative
experience in life comes to light when Hamlet compares “something
after death” to “The undiscovered country from
whose bourn No traveler returns”(3.1.79-81). He is saying how the uncertainty
of life after death creates a sense of despair for people because they can
never be sure enough to make a decision whether to take their life or live
through life. I believe that this reflects that a negative experience from life
is the uncertainty of life after death.
Appeals
that Hamlet uses to convince and/or motivate his audience:
Logos
“Who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary
life, But that the dread of something after death.”(3.1.77-79). He is logically
asking a rhetorical question of why someone would want to suffer so much and
work so hard to make it through the problems in life if they did not believe
that some greater punishment or despair may be in store for them after life.
Significance
of Literary Devices:
Paradox
The main
point of this soliloquy revolves around discussing the difference between life
and death. A main paradox present in the soliloquy was the fact that there may
actually be a life after death in which the horrors of true life come back to
haunt you.
Parallelism
Hamlet
runs a parallel between things such as life after death and dreaming in order
to show the similarities and differences between them and how, especially the
similarities, are very important in the development of the human fear of death.
The Infinitive
This
made many of the themes that Hamlet was talking about more universal to
encompass each and every person and how they all face the question: To be or
not to be?
Synecdoche
This
helped to add a lot of imagery within the soliloquy which resulted in a greater
amount of intensity because of the detail that was being described.
Tone
Hamlet
created a very gloomy tone because as he was pondering the benefits of death,
he soon stumbles across the idea that even with Death, a stage of eternity that
is supposed to take you away from the hardships of life, you may still be
haunted by the problems of life. He goes through his inner debates, and each
conclusion to his debate adds to the gloomy tone.
Diction
The
vivid diction he uses helps to distinguish various tones he wants to generate.
For example, when he uses words such as “grunt” and “sweat”, the tone of the
piece intensifies because he isn’t saying to be merely “tired” but a more
descriptive and intense synonym to generate a slightly gloomy tone.
Metaphor
Hamlet
draws comparisons between two similar things to show the complex nature of
something that seems quite simple. It helps him to paint a much more defined
picture of what he is trying to express to the audience.
Two
primary metaphors Hamlet uses in speech:
The
comparison of Dying to Sleeping/ Dreaming to Life after Death
The
truth about an after-life to an undiscovered country
Evidence
of established comparisons:
Life on
earth
“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.”(3.1.71-75).
Afterlife
“something
after death, The undiscovered country from whose bourn No traveler returns”(3.1.79-81).
Death
“To
die, to sleep— No more—and by a sleep to say we end The heartache and the
thousand natural shocks flesh is heir to—’tis a consummation Devoutly to be
wished!”(3.1.61-65).
Humans
“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, And enterprises of great pith
and moment With this regard their currents turn awry, And lose the name of
action.”(3.1.84-89).
Thinking
“That
is the question— 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?”(3.1.57-61).
Three
oppositions present in the arguments Hamlet makes:
Life vs.
Death
Believing
vs. Non-believing
Thinking
less/Doing more vs. Thinking more/ Doing less
Eternal
Philosophical Questions that Hamlet Ponders:
Hamlet
asks the key question: “To be, or not to be?”(3.1.57). This question is
encompassing his inner conflict of deciding whether it is better to be alive
and face the horrors and struggles of life, or whether it is better to take
your life and accept death as a way to escape these problems with life. Hamlet
also wonders, “Who would fardels bear, To grunt and
sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, The undiscovered country from whose bourn No
traveler returns, puzzles the will And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than
fly to others that we know not of?”(3.1.77-83). He goes deeper into his
thinking to wonder why people who are not preoccupied by any situation after
death are afraid to die. This brings up the theme of religion because this
choice of wanting to die to escape troubles ultimately circles back to whether
you believe that there is some type of life after death that may be just as, if
not more, punishing as life.
Hamlet’s Conclusions:
Initially,
when Hamlet ponders the benefits of death, he says that with death, “we
end The heartache and the thousand natural shocks.”(3.1.62-63). His initial
thought process is more simplistic because he just takes into account the fact
that dying will result in being taken out of a world and life that has many
horrors. However, he goes on and adds complexity to his thought when he says,
“ay, there’s the rub, For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we
have shuffled off this mortal coil”(3.1.66-68). This clearly shows us that he
thinks that through an eternal sleep, one may dream, and there is a possibility
that these eternal dreams focus on the unresolved problems that were faced in
life. So, he realizes that death may not simply be an end to someone’s sorrows.
Then after he questions the possibility of some type of life after death, he
says that “conscience does make cowards of us all, And thus the native hue of
resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought.”(3.1.84-86). This
clearly shows us how he believes that no matter ones belief’s, no one can be
certain of the one’s situation after death because no one who has died has
returned to tell the tale. Therefore, due to this uncertainty, people overthink
the presence of life after death, and the small thought in their minds of this
possibility instills a fear in them that makes them too cowardice to take their
own lives.
Acting Analysis
Kenneth Branagh
For the entire scene, the camera is angled over Hamlet’s
shoulder and it is focused on a mirror that reflects Hamlet as he slowly walks
towards it. Although he is in a big hall, the camera angle consolidates the
space to focus on a single mirror in the room over Hamlet’s shoulder. This
consolidation of the surroundings shows the intensity of the speech. This
soliloquy revolves around Hamlet pondering the question of whether it is better
to live in a world with many horrors or die to escape from it. This camera
angle shows him looking him to his reflection which signifies how Hamlet is
delving into the depths of his soul in order to answer the question, “To be or
not to be?” Also, Hamlet is slowly walking towards the mirror and his
reflection slowly gets larger, this shows his growing intensity as he finds the
complex nature of his debate. The diegetic sound is the primary type of sound
used in this scene, and it consists of Hamlet’s voice as he is giving the
soliloquy as well as the moment he pulls his dagger out of his sheath and it
makes a grinding metallic noise that is associated with the wielding of a
weapon. This sound of his dagger emphasizes the part of the speech when he says
bodkin. The non-diegetic sound consists of quiet, but high pitched screeching.
This sound starts when he is talking about the hardships of life and is helps
to create a mood of despair. Also, the moment he pulls out his dagger, an
editing cut quickly shows a close up of Claudius’s surprised face. This edit is
very meaningful because as Hamlet unveils a tool of murder, it quickly shows Claudius
who is the man that Hamlets wants to kill for revenge. The fact that Claudius
jumps back a little bit when Hamlet brings out his sword shows the apprehension
that Claudius has over Hamlet’s actions. In addition, Hamlet is in all black
clothes to represent two things: his grievance over his father, as well as the
gloom revolving the subject matter of wanting to take one’s life to escape the
horrors of life. The make-up used was mainly for camera purposes to make sure
that sufficient light reflected off of his face so that the audience could
clearly see the Hamlet’s emotions.
Laurence Oliver
The scene begins at the bottom of a castle or dungeon. It is
very dark and gloomy, as the camera starts to spiral and move upwards the
spiral staircase. Soon, the camera sees daylight, and it shows Hamlet as he
walks to the edge of the cliff. The sound during this beginning part of the
scene is all non-diegetic. The sound for this portion consists of very loud and
assertive background music that generates a very intense atmosphere to serve as
a build up for when Hamlet begins his soliloquy. When Hamlet begins to speak,
the background music dissipates and the diegetic sounds of Hamlet’s voice and
the ocean waves breaking against the rocks take over. A very important editing
cut that was made was that when Hamlet began to talk about death, the camera
angle would change to a long distance, bird-eye view of the ocean. This use of
editing and camera angles established the connection between the setting of
crashing waves and death. Also a medium angle shot is used when Hamlet gives
his speech in order to encompass all of the intense emotion that he displays,
not only through facial expression, but also body language. In addition, he
never makes eye contact with the camera; rather, he is peering out into the sea
which signifies his peering out into an abyss that is strongly connected with
death. Also, Hamlet pulls out his dagger very early in the soliloquy and his
use of this prop was very important. As he would speak about how death is a way
to escape the horrors of life, he would point the dagger to his own throat in
order to symbolize the very realistic option of taking his own life. Also, when
he starts to talk about humans being cowards, the medium angle shot capture his
sudden shift in body language. All of a sudden, he closes his body off to the
audience and looks away from the ocean. This signifies how he is still a coward
and how he does not wish to be a part of the ocean abyss which represents
death. The costume just reinforces the overall setting of the play which
consists of a castle in Elsinore, with Hamlet being a prince. In addition, the
make-up reflects the sunlight which helps the audience to see Hamlet’s facial
expressions.
Mel Gibson
The scene begins by Hamlet walking down the stairs into a
dark cellar. When he reaches the bottom of the cellar, his face appears very
dark and serious. He is in a black costume which signifies the grievance over
his father as well as the gloomy mood surrounding the soliloquy. The darkness
of the setting signifies a very serious, and gloomy subject matter. The camera
angles were often times closed up on Hamlet’s face in order to show his dynamic
emotion throughout the scene. Also, all of the sound is diegetic because it all
comes from Hamlet’s voice as he speaks, as well as sounds from objects he
interacts around him. Lighting is very key in this scene because whenever he
talks about death, or any gloomy subject matter, he is in an area of the room
where is covered by darkness. However, when he starts to make realization and
connections, there is light that shines on his face. The seclusion of this
setting is very representative of the soliloquy because this soliloquy consists
of Hamlet entering into his own deep thoughts. Just as the actual speech
reveals Hamlet entering his inner dark thoughts, you see Hamlet entering a dark
room, contemplating the difference between life and death, and then leaving the
room after some general conclusion had been made. Make-up for this scene was
probably used to ensure that Hamlet’s face had a darker shade when the lighting
decreased.
Ethan Hawke
From the start of the scene, there is some non-diegetic
background music that is playing and it sound very somber and gloomy. In
addition, the diegetic sound consists of the narration and the actual voice of the main characters thoughts as he walks
through the movie store, it also consists of an action movie that is playing on
the wall in which it seems like people are dying. He is wearing a black suit
with black pants and a black shirt. This presence of black signifies that this
Hamlet may have gone through some grieving process or is very distraught. The
main camera angle consists of a close-up and moves with him as he is walking.
The setting is very important because he is walking through the Action aisle
which creates an intense mood for the viewer from the beginning. In addition,
based on his walk down the aisle, it becomes apparent that he is not really on
a hunt for a movie because he does not seem to be paying much attention to the
specific titles. It just seems as if he is strolling through, thinking to
himself. This reveals his contemplative nature. The setting is also interesting
because it is a modern-day setting or a video store. However, his dialogue
still consists of the dialogue within the actual Shakespearian play, so the dialogue
has not been interpreted to a modern time period. Close up camera angles are
also used to show the emotion on his face as he contemplates the nature of life
and death. In addition, he never makes direct eye contact with the camera
because he wants do develop a mood that shows him secluded in his own thoughts.
I believe that Kenneth Baranagh most skillfully depicts my
situation. The setting in which he said the soliloquy was crucial because it
reflected his contemplative nature. As I saw this actor Hamlet give his speech
into a mirror as he stared at his reflection, I could feel the true intense
inner contemplation that he was undergoing. Not only that, but the intensity in
his eyes and the expression of his face overwhelmed me with a sensation of
seriousness. His clothing was also very appropriate. The dark black clothing
showed the grievance that he had toward his father as well as the dark nature
of the revenge that he is seeking. In addition, his use of the bodkin was
astounding. When he pulled the dagger out of his sheath and he held it onto his
face, I could feel the intensity of the though-process that he was going
through as he debated life and death. In addition, the camera angles were very
effective because they showed him closing up on the mirror. He begins very far
away, which shows that he is just at the beginning of this contemplative
journey. However, as he approaches the mirror, his reflection get bigger, and
as the camera close up more, it becomes evident that he progressively is
delving farther in to the depths of his soul. Also, his speaking style blew me
away. What enthusiasm he had! This Hamlet would put the perfect amount of each
type of emotion into every word that he said. All in all, I believe that his
actor Hamlet was the best at representing the true, intense contemplative nature
of the debate between life and death.
In regards to the Ethan Hawke version, I would have adapted the
script more towards a modern speaking style while still maintain a comparable
level of sophistication and complexity in order to make sure that all areas of
mis en scene are consistent with each other. In addition, for the Kenneth
Baranagh, I believe that his use of the prop was good but it could have been
more powerful like the Laurence Oliver version. In the Laurence Oliver version,
the sharp point of the dagger is directly pointed towards him, which depicts
the contemplation of taking his own life with much more intensity. Also, in the
Laurence Oliver, I believe that there were positives and negatives to the
setting used. I believe that the use of the ocean as a symbol for death was
good, but I believe that it didn’t reflect his true inner contemplative nature
as much because he was out in the open. I believe that the perfect location
would be in a cave carved out in the middle of the cliff that still peers out
into the ocean, but also creates the sense of seclusion and inner thinking. Also,
I believe that the Laurence Oliver version needed more varied camera angles in
order to capture the dynamic emotion of Hamlet. The primary camera angle used
was a medium angle, so it was hard for the audience to connect with Hamlet at a
deeper emotional level since they were not able to witness the subtle changes
in facial expression and emotion.
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