Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Hamlet Soliloquy 1.2: Branagh, Gibson, Hawke, Tennant, Olivier




 
First clip: 1.2 soliloquy, directed by Kenneth Branagh, Hamlet played by Kenneth Branagh (1996)
Second clip: 1.2 soliloquy, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, Hamlet played by Mel Gibson (1990)
Third clip: 1.2 soliloquy, directed by Michael Almereyda, Hamlet played by Ethan Hawke (2000)
Fourth clip: 1.2 soliloquy, directed by Gregory Doran, Hamlet played by David Tennant (2009) [soliloquy ends at 3:32]
Fifth clip: 1.2 soliloquy, directed by Laurence Olivier, Hamlet played by Laurence Olivier (1948)

Make an argument: which performance of the 1.2 soliloquy best conveys the richness found the text (and context)? Be insightful. Be specific. Also, make sure that while supporting your position that you discuss all of the performances (by comparing superior acting and directing choices to inferior ones--or ones that are, perhaps, successful and interesting but simply not as rich). I'm looking forward to reading these because of how passionate and thoughtful you were in class about your preferences.

19 comments:

  1. Personally, I feel that the Tennant version of the soliloquy did a better job than any of the other adaptations. Tennant was able to successfully convey Hamlet’s feelings of grief over his father’s death by breaking down and crying at the beginning of the soliloquy. However, as the soliloquy progresses, Tennant was able to transition smoothly and subtly from feelings of grief and despair to emotions of rage due to his mother’s marriage to his uncle. Also, when he broke down the fourth wall by speaking directly to the camera, I could feel the intense emotions he felt in the soliloquy. Although some of the other adaptations of this soliloquy adequately expressed Hamlet’s emotions, I felt that they did not live up to Tennant’s performance. The Branagh version adequately conveyed Hamlet’s emotions of anger to his mother’s marriage, but lacked the grief and despair over his father’s death. The Gibson, Hawke, and Olivier versions lacked any emotion at all (although the Hawke version did a good job at depicting Hamlet’s life before those tragedies occurred and how Hamlet’s attitude towards his mother also affects his attitude towards Ophelia and women in general).

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  2. I believe that the Franco Zeffirelli scene with Mel Gibson as Hamlet depicted the Soliloquy the best. This scene is more powerful than the other ones because of thoughtful choices by both the director and actor. In my mind Tennant showed more emotion than any of the other actors but the overall scene could not compare to Zeffirelli’s. One important choice that was made was to have Gibson in his own room when performing this soliloquy, this is a more realistic scene than staying in the same room just waiting for everyone to leave. It is more believable that someone would contemplate the emotion and feeling present in the soliloquy while in the safety of their own room. Also when he looks out his window you can see that he is separate from the wedding and doesn’t want any part of it. This is a way of presenting emotion without acting. While comparing just the actors I believe Branagh showed the best anger, while Tennant was able to convey sadness, but Gibson made me feel the insecurity which is a major part of Hamlet’s character. By looking in the direction of the camera but looking through it makes you feel like he is actually alone. When Tennant speaks directly at the camera it is as if he is speaking to a person rather than himself. This is one of the aspects of Tennants acting that forces me to believe Gibson more.

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  3. I agree with Pauline when she says the Tennant video portrays more recognizable emotional changes. I feel that Tennants acting helps the audience to understand how exactly his emotions were affected. He starts off mourning his father, almost laying in fetal position as if the grief has pushed him so hard he collapsed; then he becomes enraged when he makes the connection from his old father, to his new uncle/father. The one small thing I personally did not like about this video was the fact that Tennant was looking to the camera. Although staring at a camera is a small stage direction, it caused me to question how a soliloquy should be shown. When I think of a soliloquy I think of someone talking to themselves, not to an audience; someone speaking their deepest inner thoughts out loud to themselves because only they need to know what they are feeling. Overall Tennants video caught my attention the most, his amazing portrayal of shifting emotions overpowered my dislike of him talking directly to the camera, and therefore Tennant gets my vote for best video.

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  4. I think the Branagh version did the best job of portraying a Shakespearian Hamlet. Mostly because he used the entire soliloquy unlike many of the other examples. The Olivier version also used the entire script, but there was such a lack of emotion it was near impossible to pay attention. Branagh was emotional, but not so much as to take away attention from the content of his words, the way the opening of Tennant’s version did. That version found a better medium toward the end of the soliloquy, but the opening part with him sobbing seemed to put in so much emotion that you were not paying attention to the words he was saying, which can not happen with Shakespeare. That’s why I think Branagh’s was the best; because he had a balance between emotion and emphasis on the script that the other versions simply did not attain. The one with Ethan Hawke was also good, even though he did not use all of the soliloquy. This version also did the soliloquy in Hamlet’s mind, such as the Olivier version, but unlike the Olivier version there was emotion to the character that was shown when Hawke watches all those home movies that show his father and mother and illustrate how much he still misses his father, something that was missing from Olivier’s Hamlet, who was just walking around and thinking about his father and mother and how bad life is.

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  5. I think that Kennith Branagh’s performance was the best portrayal of the soliloquy overall. I feel like his reaction was the most realistic when you consider the time frame of events. His father had died almost two months ago, and if it were me, I wouldn’t be crying anymore so much as feeling pretty furious with my uncle and mother, something I feel like Shakespeare was originally trying to get across. Branagh’s character for the most part fumed quietly over what Gertrude had done to him, occasionally lashing out in rage, or at some parts sounding like he was about to break down into tears. I agree with what Zoe said in class about how directors should never star in their own films. Personally, it makes me feel like the actor is self-centered and makes me tend to dislike the character, even though the actor might not be self-centered at all. Although I think Branagh was able to pull it off with his strong performance, Laurence Olivier was not. Olivier sounded more like he was quietly reading a depressing story about someone else in his mind than raging about the unfairness of his life, and then when he did speak, the tone of his voice didn’t match and it sounded strange. This may however be an unfair criticism, since movies from the 40’s and 50’s were similar in style to Olivier’s and he was using drama techniques of the time. This I feel disconnected him with his character.
    Michael Almereyda’s Hamlet, with Hamlet played by Ethan Hawke, was similar to Olivier’s in that they were both heard as a thought Hamlet was having. And like Olivier’s performance, I felt that Hawke was reading a story, although this time with a bit more enthusiasm. I liked this one better than the Olivier one though because you could see a range of emotions in Hawke’s face and eyes, whereas Olivier had little change in emotion. Franco Zeffirelli’s Hamlet was completely different however. Rather than being confined to one room as the other versions did during the soliloquy, Hamlet (played by Mel Gibson) glances outside to watch his mother pretty much betray him. The only flaw I found in this version was that Gibson seemed more depressed than angry, and then at the very last sentence his voice turns angry without any indication this was going to happen, so the anger feels isolated from the rest of the speech.
    If I hadn’t been shown Kennith Branagh’s performance, I would have chosen Gregory Doran’s version as the one that stood out to me the most. David Tennant, who plays Hamlet, plays a very convincing person in grief. I’d also like to add that I though the set was fantastic. The reflection of the pillars, chandelier, and throne on the black floor made Hamlet seem suspended in space. I do think though, that Hamlet would be more angry than upset seeing as it had been two months. It looked as if, judging by the way Tennant played him, Hamlet had just heard of his father’s death.

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  6. I believe that Hawke’s version best conveyed the different levels of emotion Hamlet was feeling more clearly than the other depictions of the soliloquy. This is more so because of Almereyda‘s directing decisions rather than Hawke’s performance. While Hawkes performance was very emotional and clearly grasped viewer’s attention with the intensity he brought to it, I will agree that it did not quite match up to the ferocity in some of the other actor’s performances such as the way Tennant was nearly in fetal position on the floor at one point. However, the underlying aspects in Almereyda’s version I believe provide a more significant meaning and stronger ability in portraying all of what Hamlet may have been meaning to say. The messy desk he sits at while preforming the soliloquy I thought already foreshadowed the mixed emotions of confusion and anger he has built up before viewers are even able to understand the full meaning of what he is saying. The video he is watching of his mother and father being happy together displays how much he truly misses his father but also more of how he cannot understand how she is already married to another man, let alone his uncle. In Gibson’s version it shows Hamlet’s mother after she has already been married to Claudius which is also an interesting way to view the frustration and sorrow Hamlet is feeling about his current situation but I think that by getting to see how things already were and being able to compare that to what he was currently facing was more effective. This was the only version that gave any reference to Ophelia which I thought was very important especially after he stated, “to frailty thy name is woman” because it displays how he is beginning to see all women in the same light as his mother and the direct effect it may have in how he sees her. The different levels Almereyda was able to bring to Hamlet’s soliloquy I believe made it most effective in conveying the feeling brought on when reading it in the text.

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  7. I think that Kennith Branagh's version was best all around. Like Elizabeth said, it really did portray Hamlet's emotions best. You can really feel how powerful the piece should be. While being sad about his father’s death, he was more frustrated and hurt that his mother remarried his uncle within the month of his father’s death. I could tell that easily just from watching his face, and then hearing his voice. The way the actor moved and sounded made it easy to what was going on. The other versions didn't do as good a job showing such dramatic emotions. The Mel Gibson version was one of my least favorites because he sat watching his mother after the wedding from a window. His voice stayed the same level the whole time. The emotion was hard to read. I felt that way with Laurence Olivier's performance. The emotion was not there. Personally I feel that is the most important part, emotion. If a version doesn't have that, the whole play is ruined. Plays and movies are all based around emotion and good acting. Without it, the play is not as good. If I had to pick my second favorite, it would be Gregory Doran’s version. Like Elizabeth said, the set was nice; the actor who played Hamlet did a good job of giving the lines and showing emotion at the same time. Those two were my favorites. Either way, all versions of Hamlet were significant in their own way. It was very interesting to see how the directors viewed the book and brought it to life.

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  8. I think that the tone of voice and the emotion that the actor portrays helps me better understand what Hamlet is saying. When the actor is lively and full of emotion, I can’t understand what is going on in the play. When the actor’s voice is flat, I become lost in the arrangement of Shakespeare’s and I don’t know what he is trying to say. I also think the setting is really important. It draws in the audience and I think it can make the difference of liking the movie or not. Franco Zeferelli did a good job with the setting. I liked how there were two different scenes at once. As Hamlet gives his soliloquy from the window, the mother and the king kiss on the stairs below and then they ride off together. The image of the mother and the king actually show the audience why Hamlet is mad rather than just telling them. Michael Almereyda did a good job with the setting too. I liked how it was set in modern times. The setting helped me relate to the story more because it is happening in present day. Although Ethan Hawk shed no tears, you can tell that his emotions are coming from deep within. He is revealing his hidden anger during the soliloquy. His tone is almost creepy and definitely full of resentment. I think the home video clips were creative it shows the audience why Hamlet is so upset, much like Zefferelli showed the audience, just in a different way. It portrays his father which is important because it is the father’s death that has upset Hamlet in the first place. My favorite would have to be the one done by Gregory Doran. The emotions are extreme and his body movements are violent. It really portrays the pain that Hamlet is feeling. I like how Hamlet was weeping throughout the soliloquy it gives a better idea of how upset Hamlet really is. In the book, it is clear that Hamlet is deeply disturbed, but a lot of the other clips didn’t portray his feelings as strong as they actually are. I have mixed feelings about when Hamlet turns and talks at the camera. I think it was a good choice that the director made, because it makes Hamlet’s speech more personal. He is talking directly to you and revealing his inner feelings. He is letting the audience know how truly disturbed he is. But then again, I don’t like how he turns towards the camera. I feel like when Hamlet is crouching and weeping on the floor it creates a rhythm and his emotions flow. When he turns towards the camera, that rhythm is broken and the audience is taken aback. It doesn’t feel like Hamlet is alone anymore trying to work out his feelings. He is talking to someone and it changes the scene. My least favorite film clips are by Kenneth Branagh and Laurence Oliver. I dislike how Branagh chose such an old actor to portray Hamlet; I couldn’t help but be distracted by how strange he looked. Although he conveyed his emotions, I didn’t think it was as powerful as the other ones mentioned above. He more so said how he was feeling rather than showing it. As for Laurence Oliver, I think this was the worst one. I agree with Zoe when she said that it is never good when the director is also the actor. They should be kept separate because if the actor is doing something wrong and isn’t portraying something as he should, it is unable to be fixed since he is the director and he thinks everything is going great. I also didn’t like how Oliver wasn’t talking and there was a background voice almost the entire time. I wasn’t very fond of the scene either; I thought it was boring. Oliver awkwardly walked around and leaned against the prop chairs. The big table with open books portrays that Hamlet is a scholar but it doesn’t give much insight into what he is actually talking about, which is the hurt he his feeling due to his fathers death and the resentment towards his mother and his uncle. I think it’s really interesting to see how the different directors interpret the book.

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  9. Danielle P

    I have recently learned that there are many different views on how the drama, Hamlet, should be portrayed, and how it should be acted out. We have watched five different versions of the play, and I personally enjoyed the Ethan Hawke version the best. First of all, I think the video added something that was unable to be portrayed in any of the other videos. It allowed the viewer to see into how Hamlet viewed his father, and even gave us a glimpse on how his feelings were suddenly changing for Ophelia. I also feel like the voice over gave the soliloquy an interesting effect, as it did in some parts of Olivier's. I find Hawke's version the most entertaining, but the least similar to Shakespeare's original Hamlet. I believe Branagh's version was the most similar to what Shakespeare's would've been like. The acting was well played out, as was Tennant's, and the actor playing Hamlet put a lot of emotion into his acting. He had a good stage presence, and was frequently seen pacing, rubbing his ace in agitation, and even looked as if he was talking to an invisible person. Personally, I was not a fan of the Gibson or Olivier versions of the play. I did enjoy how in Gibson's version you got to see hamlet's mother and father-uncle walk out from their wedding, but I do not believe the actor put enough emotion into the soliloquy Hamlet is enraged during this time, and deeply frustrated. Mel Gibson did not seem to show either of these emotions, and a lot of the soliloquy was changed about. For instance, he ended it with the line, "frailty thy name is woman!" It was shortened due to time, and I feel like this took a lot away from the speech. In my eyes, Olivier's version was the worst. The stage presence was not there at all. There was little emotion, and Hamlet without emotion is like Romeo and Juliet without their kiss. I found it boring, and an inaccurate depiction of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Tennant's version was full of life. He did a wonderful job of showing emotion, and starting off by sobbing really let the viewer get the gist of Hamlet's true frustration. It kind of freaked me out when e looked directly into the camera, though, and I would've preferred it if his attire looked more like it would've in the Middle Ages, unless his version is suppose to be futuristic like Hawke's, but I am unsure if it is meant to be like that. All in all, I believe Ethan Hawke's version is the most entertaining, but Branagh did the most accurate portrayal of Hamlet.

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  10. Zoe P


    David Tennant portrays a believable, human, and highly honest Hamlet in the 2009 version, directed by Gregory Doran. The soliloquy starts with his breakdown on the floor of the ballroom, mourning the loss of his father. To begin with, this is what most of the other clips lack—the agonizing sadness of a son who has lost a father he admired immensely. Branagh, while showing extreme emotion later in the soliloquy doesn’t show much sadness over his father, Gibson, Hawking, and Oliver show a low level of emotion throughout. Perhaps this is a character choice, showing Hamlet’s detachment from the chaos around him, but I feel that Tennant’s raw emotion creates a far more believable character, as well as being someone the viewer can sympathize with. Beyond the opening, Tennant continues to be the easiest to connect with, especially in his direct address of the camera; I feel that this is key in a soliloquy. Tennant also has a grasp of the sentence structure that allows the listener to really understand what he is saying. Hawking also possesses this talent, but in narrating with his thoughts rather than directly with his voice he loses connection with the audience, the same way Olivier does. Tennant transitions gracefully from his grief over his father, to his anger at his mother. This clear cut, yet easily followed movement of emotion is easy to makes sense of, and once again, makes it easier for the viewer to sympathize with Hamlet. His performance connects the audience completely, using Shakespearean language in a way that makes it both beautiful and understandable.

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  11. I have to agree with my classmates that had chosen the fourth clip, where David Tennant portrayed Hamlet. After watching all the clips in class, I had known from the beginning that this clip for me was the most effective. Gregory Doran directed this scene in such a way that allowed the audience to see clearly Hamlets emotion. His transitions between emotions were extremely smooth, and powerful. You could see clearly his emotionally side when Hamlet broke down and sobbed in the middle of the floor, while others showed his sadness, this clip made it more severe. A great transition was when Hamlet began to pace, I thought this was an amazing way to show the build of anger towards his mother and uncle. A lot of the clips failed to capture both emotions, most focused on just one. One thing I was unsure of at first was his eye connection into the camera. I was definitely freaked out at first, but it wasn’t until after that I realized I was supposed to feel this way. I came to see that I too was feeling the emotions that Hamlet was feeling, and the eye contact made me feel like I was part of Shakespeare’s story, while in the other clips, I just remained an outsider looking in. Overall, both the director and actor did an amazing job carrying out Hamlet’s soliloquy and after acceptance of the direct contact with the camera I was able to appreciate the power of it all. Out of all performances, this one was the most effective, and for me, this clip was the one who completely captured Hamlet’s emotions.

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  12. Tennanat posesses two essential aspects: he seems actually to understand the words he utters and his understanding, mood, and perspective change from \beginning to end. Tennant also captures vital aspects of Hamlet's character. while Hawke understands the words and performs it fantastically, and seems to understand his char4acter, his attitude is reminiscent, not fresh nor does he process through his solo's content. tennant acts painfully unresolved to begin, with simply his experience and raw emotion, clasping his thigh when he speaks of his father as though trying to make something be solid and real beside his own acute existence, grasping at something that's gone, trying to make something out of it. he closes with the conclusion of his his scorn and distrust for women and the truth the "this is not, nor cannot come to good."

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  13. Branagh's version of the 2.2 soliloquy best matches my interpretation of how Hamlet would act. When he enters the room to be alone he starts off with a low tone indicating the disappointment in himself. As Hamlet starts to get angry, Branagh starts to raise his voice and begins scolding himself. This version of the soliloquy reveals Hamlet's emotion try powerfully; physically and orally. Gibson did a good job showing Hamlet's anger orally but lacked it physically. I like how Zeffirelli has Gibson looking out the window at his mother with his uncle.

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  14. This second soliloquy starts off by revealing how much of a coward Hamlet sees himself as, referring to himself as a "peasant slave" and "pigeon-liver'd" and "lack gall". He compares the way his mother is dealing with the death of her husband to Hecuba, who appropriately mourned and grieved the death of her husband, and becomes angry at his mother for marrying his uncle, within a month of the King's death. Yet, he starts to ask himself "Am I a coward? Who calls me villain? breaks my pate across? Plucks off my beard, and blows it in my face? Tweaks me by the nose? gives me the lie i' the throat, As deep as to the lungs? who does me this?" becoming angry at himself, once again, for being a coward and not taking action; then transitions to being angry at Claudius. Again he becomes angry at himself by saying "Why, what an ass am I! This is most brave, That I, the son of a dear father murder'd, Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words, And fall a-cursing, like a very drab”, comparing himself to a whore for not doing what he should be doing, planning revenge on Claudius. Hamlet is still not yet sure whether the spirit that appeared to him was the devil, using the shape of his father, or his actual father; using it as an excuse for not having planned revenge.

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  15. Zoe P

    David Tennant portrays a believable, human, and highly honest Hamlet in the 2009 version, directed by Gregory Doran. The soliloquy starts with his breakdown on the floor of the ballroom, mourning the loss of his father. To begin with, this is what most of the other clips lack—the agonizing sadness of a son who has lost a father he admired immensely. Branagh, while showing extreme emotion later in the soliloquy doesn’t show much sadness over his father, Gibson, Hawking, and Oliver show a low level of emotion throughout. Perhaps this is a character choice, showing Hamlet’s detachment from the chaos around him, but I feel that Tennant’s raw emotion creates a far more believable character, as well as being someone the viewer can sympathize with. Beyond the opening, Tennant continues to be the easiest to connect with, especially in his direct address of the camera; I feel that this is key in a soliloquy. Tennant also has a grasp of the sentence structure that allows the listener to really understand what he is saying. Hawking also possesses this talent, but in narrating with his thoughts rather than directly with his voice he loses connection with the audience, the same way Olivier does. Tennant transitions gracefully from his grief over his father, to his anger at his mother. This clear cut, yet easily followed movement of emotion is easy to makes sense of, and once again, makes it easier for the viewer to sympathize with Hamlet. His performance connects the audience completely, using Shakespearean language in a way that makes it both beautiful and understandable.

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  18. Jessie C

    1. If I were hired as the editor of a new edition of Hamlet, i would choose sullied. Flesh is solid, there is no point in saying that it is solid. Sullied would be more effective to use because it suggests "contamination," as Jenkins said. Sullied also contrasts "self-slaughter," making it clear to the audience that Hamlet is contemplating suicide.

    2. Hamlet does not care about his life. His father, King Hamlet, is dead; murdered by his own brother. His mother, Queen Gertrude, has married her husband's murderer; within a month of the death. Hamlet has the motive to be upset with his life, but he shouldn't be blaming or punishing himself for something he had no control over. His attitude is justified because he is angry for the right reasons. The way he reacted was natural based upon his personality. Being put in Hamlet's situation, I probably would've reacted the same as he did, only i'd be more upset than angry.

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  19. Jessie C

    4. Hamlet's overall feelings towards his mother are angry. The main reason why Hamlet is angry with his mother is because "a beast that wants discourse of reason Would have mourned longer!" Here, Hamlet is compares the way Niobe, a creature, would have mourned longer for the lost of their mate than Gertrude did for King Hamlet. Hamlet is also angry the fact that "Within a month, ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears, had left the flushing in her gallèd eyes, She married." Hamlet says that is less then a month, she married, even before the tears on her cheeks dried. What also makes his angry is the fact that she married his uncle with "O most wicked speed, to post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets!"

    5. Hamlet describes his father to have been "So excellent a king, that was to this hyperion to satyr," implying that King Hamlet was a better King than Claudius could ever be. He also contrasts his father's love for Queen Gertrude, describing it to be "So loving to my mother that he might not be teem the winds of heaven visit her face too roughly," saying that Claudius' love for the Queen does not compare to the way King Hamlet loved her. Hamlet contrasts his relationship with Claudius, "My father's brother, but no more like my father than I to Hercules," expressing his feelings of inadequacy.

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