To be or not to be

In Olivier's Version, Hamlet is at the top of the castle in black and white. The roaring sea can be heard in the background and shows how much he's really wanting to die. He pulls out a dagger and puts it close to his neck but stops himself and drops it over and into the sea. His monotone voice and internal monologue show how Hamlet is very hurt and mentally unstable. He keeps his voice with the same speed and tone throughout his whole soliloquy. As the scene is about to end, you can see thick fog starting to creep up upon him. There's no music in the background, only the sound of the sea.

However in the Mel Gibson version, he is in the catacombs and it's dark and damp looking. It portrays death around him; there are skeletons in hollow looking chambers and there's one big tomb in the middle with light showing upon it. Hamlet, in this version, is moving around and has different levels of tone. At one point, he looks like he's praying when he's on top of the tomb in the middle with the light shining on it. The music in this part is ominous sounding.


In Branagh's version, Hamlet is in a hall of mirrors and is speaking his speech to his reflection while Polonius and Claudius are behind the two-way mirror. The scene is brighter than the other versions. As Hamlet speaks he pulls out the "bodkin" and Claudius then becomes afraid. Later, Ophelia shows up. The music during this scene is very light but then starts to build up just as he hoes when he pulls out the dagger.


In the final version as Ethan Hawke plays Hamlet, it approaches a more modern setting as he is in Blockbuster. He is walking in the action section of the movies when he sees in the TV, The Crow with Brandon Lee. In the movie, Brandon is killed but is later reincarnated as a crow. The scene playing in The Crow is someone getting shot. As Hamlet continues walking and talking, the music is subtle. As he is walking back and looks at the TV again, someone in The Crow is being engulfed in flames. I feel like there were 4 different versions of this play to show how it can be adapted into different settings and time periods. I like this modern version better since its more entertaining and understandable, for me at least. This version has better symbolism and shows Hamlet's struggles in a modern standpoint.