Ophelia's Eulogy

   Tonight, we have all gathered to honor our dearly beloved, Ophelia. The cause of my good friend's passing remains unknown so I beg of you, leave all judgments aside for this fragile moment. I admired Ophelia like an alcoholic exalts a beer. She was a strange lad and a hopeless romantic. Her beauty was so magical that she can seduce any man with just a smile. To be frank, I had to start taking notes I mean c'mon! Unfortunately, she fell in love with a f-k boy... my apologies, I'm working on my emotions. 

   Ophelia ended up were no one would expect from a beautiful soul like hers. Honestly, we weren't there for her at her worst, which is a burden I will carry for the rest of my existence. She first lost her father, Polonius, by some self-absorbed lunatic whom she had relations with. Sounds crazy right? It's so ludicrous that it almost sounds fabricated! After his death, that's when Ophelia started acting out. Who can blame her though? You all are probably thinking your hands are washed clean from this catastrophe but nope, YOU ALL ARE GUILTY! Pardon me, still working on my emotions. Anyway, we all saw her derived and depressed but no one found it necessary to reach out and help her. What were we thinking? I am highly ashamed to say she was my friend because I too did not play my role when she needed me to the most. As she humiliated herself, we just stood back, watched, and judged.

   Before I leave, I want to readdress a topic that I am certain many people here are questioning. Did Ophelia commit suicide or did she die at an unfortunate time? The answer to that is who flipping cares, honestly. She should not be defined by the way she died but by the way she lived. We all can admit that she touched each and every one of us and that is something we should not throw away due to silly little rumors. Yes, rumors because at the end of the day, that is what it will ever be. 

   Please I beg of you, do not take my speech as a grain of salt. My intention is not to just throw out a bunch of words that sounds fairly acceptable for Ophelia's eulogy and call it a day. Take it to heart, reflect on it, and understand it because at the end of the day you can not take back the time that I wasted so might as well do something with it. Goodnight and thank you.   

   

Hamlet's Dilemma

   Hamlet made a crucial mistake in not killing Claudius when he had the perfect opportunity. However, Hamlet's decision was clouded because when he heard Claudius "repenting", he thought his prayer was pure. He balked because if he acted immediately, Claudius would go to heaven instead of burn in hell. Appropriately, Hamlet concluded to wait until he witnesses Claudius in a sinful act so that when he died, he would receive the same fate he placed upon his brother. 

   Although Claudius was confessing, he was not truly repenting. He pleaded, "May one be pardon'd and retain the offence?" Claudius is asking for forgiveness but is not willing to abandon what he obtained from his evil doing. What an idiotic question! That is in fact equivalent to someone robbing a bank, getting caught, and then asking, "hey, um I apologize for robbing your bank and hope you forgive me but can I keep the money?" Even a fool wouldn't categorize this as an apology. Therefore, Claudius repentance speech was bologna and God would not have accepted that crap. If Hamlet had just murdered Claudius right then and there, he might have still been sane and Polonius would still be alive. But hey, the playwright wouldn't be so great if Shakespeare decided to end it there. 

   Anyway, Hamlet's hesitation may have also caused him his life. Claudius obviously still wants to keep his crown but he knows that Hamlet is aware of what he has done . Now tell me, if Claudius was able to kill his own blood, why would he flinch to kill Hamlet? To make matters worse, Hamlet has completely lost his mind. He believes he knows what he is doing but I highly doubt that is so. Someone that is sane would totally lose it if they killed the wrong person and since Hamlet was supposedly sane, he has now gone mad! What is humorous about the matter is that he is so sure that he has it all together. Hamlet has lost his mind and Claudius is now gunning for him. If Hamlet had a glimpse into the future, he would have probably killed Claudius when he had the chance.

To be or not to be?

Oliver's Hamlet

This was my least favorite version of Hamlet's To be or not to be soliloquy. Although I am aware of how long ago this film was produced, watching a black and white flick is not my cup of tea. However, I do believe it forces the viewer to concentrate on the material of the movie rather than being engrossed in art of color. Nevertheless, the acting was over dramatic and lacked zest. The tone of his voice was not that of someone who was contemplating death. Overall, the actor did an awful job. On a brighter note, I applaud the use of setting in this scene. Hamlet was standing on top of the castle, gazing down at the sea as if he wanted to jump. This played along with his battle with death. Also, the presence of the clouds symbolized his internal struggle and clouded mind.

Zeffirelli's Hamlet

Yet again, this was my favorite version of the soliloquy. The scene is set in a crypt, which speaks volumes pertaining to Hamlet's mindset at that moment. Mel Gibson, the actor, did an outstanding job reenacting one of the most acclaimed piece of Shakespeare's playwright. When Hamlet first walks down the stairs and sputters, "to be or not to be that is the question", Gibson shows a shot of the coffin infused death chamber which sets a negative mood for the rest of the speech. The use of props helped accentuate his monologue. His tone of voice differed from the rest because he was more enraged by his suicidal afflictions as opposed to be saddened or confused by it.

Branagh's Hamlet

After re-watching this take on the soliloquy, I am just as pleased with this version in comparison with Zeffirelli's, but at first I was on the edge. It is strange because they both have completely different adaptations to the playwright. Anyway, I fell in love with the affection Branagh demonstrated. Although he displayed little to no motion, the message came across clearly. During his monologue, he was looking at himself in the mirror. All expressed emotions were directed towards him. As the dialect escalated, he got heated, took out a dagger and pointed it at himself. The use of mirrors was an excellent contribution to this scene especially because it showed that despite the fact that the cause of Hamlet's misery was external, the root of the problem was within.

Almereyda's Hamlet

When I stated that Oliver's version was my least favorite, I lied. This rendition is my most disliked. I respect Almereyda for trying to be disparate from the other interpretations of Hamlet. However, I do not believe a modernized translation correlates. Disregarding my opinion, the director still conveyed the importance of the monologue. As Hamlet nonchalantly strolled down the action aisle in Blockbuster, he could not decide what DVD to get. Just like he was contemplating whether he should be or not be. The director also allowed part of the speech to be unspoken, coming from his mind; which is similar to Oliver's version. Hamlet also looked massively drunk. Usually, one will drink heavily when they're at their lowest. Probably, that was the concept that Almereyda wanted the viewer to regard.