For this week's post, I'll be comparing and contrasting these two interpretations of Hamlet's famous soliloquy "To be or not to be."In the first video, Hamlet was alone and he seemed very depressed and down. He looked and sounded as if he had nothing to live for and was questioning why he is even still living. This is how I imagined the scene the way Hamlet acted when I read it because he talks as if he has nothing to live for and questions if his life is even worth living. I thought of this scene as Hamlet's suicide scene because he contemplates taking his life. In this first video, all the colors are very dark as well. This adds to the depression and sad mood. He wears very casual clothing showing me that he has no reason to look nice and wear fancy clothing because he has nothing to live for. Lastly, in the video, I noticed that the room he was in did not seem too fancy or interesting. It looked bland.
In the second video, there was definitely a different feel and perspective about the soliloquy. He seemed upset, but not as upset as I imagined or as in the first video. To me, just from the look in his eye and the way he acted, it seemed like he was more focused on revenge than actually being depressed and truly not having a reason to live. I agreed with this setting and the clothes he was wearing than the other video. He was wearing a fancy suit, which I would imagine a prince would wear. He was in a fancy, vibrant, and rich house/ room, and the overall lighting of the room was light and not as dark as the other video. To me, I don't know why, but I kept thinking that he was thinking more of using the knife for revenge as opposed to for himself.
Overall, I preferred Hamlet's actions and the way he was portrayed in the first video better. However, I preferred the setting in the second video better because it seemed more realistic to what I expected. In the first video, the fact that he seemed SO depressed like he just had nothing to live for was what made me prefer the first one. In the book, "To be or not to be" (3.1.64) translates to is it better to be alive than dead. To me, the first video captures that better.
Jacob, I think this is a very good piece of analysis and that you really pinned down some important points. Specifically, I like that you were open to both portrayals of Hamlet and you expressed both likes and dislikes for both of them. I have to say I do agree with you that the first video did a better job at displaying his depression and more importantly that he was thinking about killing himself. Although before I did not agree with the clothing choice in the second portrayal of Hamlet, I think you brought up a good point that Hamlet is royalty and those are clothes he should be wearing. Overall, there is some great stuff here, so keep up the good work.
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