Ophelia's Eulogy

          We are gathered here today to honor Ophelia. A young woman who has spent her final days here on Earth in suffering. She was fair, beautiful and kind. I know that many argue her right to a Christian burial but I say enough! The only two that know for sure whether or not she chose to take her life are herself and God. God knows of her suffering here on Earth, and God knows of the unjust ways she may have been treated. Her fate is in God's hands, it is only our duty to honor her here on Earth.
            Ophelia, like any other human being could only take so much. We all are aware of the toll the tragic events of her life have taken on her on her final days. Ophelia's only fault was falling in love to a man that did not know how to treat her. Her final days on Earth were spent being humiliated with rude remarks by the man she loves. Making matters worse she was left alone when her father died. Perhaps she couldn't find the will to save herself in those final moments. Perhaps she cried as she slowly slipped away. I wish others had made it known that she was not alone. I wish others did not walk away when she began to lose her sanity. The human mind can be weak sometimes, but its not impossible to save.
            On her final days, Ophelia searched. She searched for someone to save her. It is such a shame that no one was there to show her she's not alone. Its as if all were rooting for her demise. The worst part is that nothing that has happened to her is even her fault. The man she loved had become bitter and cold through the fault of his own circumstances yet, he lashed out on her several times. Ophelia was constantly pushed around and told what to do. Its as if she had to battle with herself in order to figure out who to please. She left this world feeling hopeless and hurt. This is something no one should ever go through. She will be missed and remembered as a sweet, beautiful, young woman that unfortunately fell victim to misguidance.

Hamlet's Decision

       I think Hamlet decided to not kill Claudius because he is just beating around the bush. If he really wanted to kill Claudius he would have taken the opportunity regardless of what he was doing especially since Hamlet is a little compulsive. I guess because of the time period that Hamlet is in, his thoughts on religion are a little narrow minded. He believes that since Claudius is praying, he won't go to hell if he dies. I guess no one knows the outcome fore sure, but back then it was drilled into the minds of the people that repentance leads to the forgiveness of sins. Although there was the major factor of his beliefs of what happens after death stopping him, I still believe he's the kind of man that would have done it if he truly wanted to.
        Stepping aside from whether he wanted to do it or not, its best that he didn't. In my opinion it isn't worth the risk of him going to jail or going to hell for the sin he was about to commit. All this hate he is building up is just making him seem crazy and that's why everyone is watching out for him and talking about him. The hate is consuming him and if he had killed Claudius, it would have only made matters worse. In addition, if it was his religious beliefs about what happens after death stopping him from killing Claudius, then why would he want to spoil his own afterlife for such a foul man?
       Regarding Claudius' true feelings, I don't really think he was sorry. The fact that he prayed after he saw the mouse trap scene shows that maybe he's just praying because he suspects others know or because he is scared. He doesn't want to give up everything he has obtained because of the murder that's why in his prayer he questions if he would have to give everything up for forgiveness. He is just scared of hell and of people finding out.

To be or not to be

        The three different versions of hamlet's to be or not to be scene that I viewed, all had strengths and weaknesses except for zeffirelli's. After I watched Zeffirelli's, I had no criticism whatsoever. Let me begin with the setting, Zeffirelli could not have chosen a better setting. He has Hamlet in a dark, lonely place. This is exactly what Hamlet's mind looks like. He's alone, angry, and having dark thoughts about death. To top it all off there are skulls all around. This only puts emphasis on Hamlet's split decision between life and death. Moving on to music, there was none. It was perfect because all the viewer could hear was the actor's echo and his footsteps. This makes his emotions seem more raw and organic, all the focus is solely on how he delivers his soliloquy. Throughout the scene, there were also many different emotions. In the beginning of the scene, the actor walks in almost reluctantly as if he doesn't want to have these thoughts. He goes on to begin the soliloquy with fear, which I could distinguish from the look in his eyes. He's scared of his thoughts. As he continues, the look goes away until he becomes angry and almost crazy. We see him talk to the statues and pace around. This represents his mind and the fight he's having with his own thoughts.
         Both Oliver and Branaugh's versions are similar to me, except for their settings. In reference to the setting, Oliver's version was better. Before Hamlet appears in the scene, it begins with waves from the ocean. These waves almost look like a fog and it seems like it is representing Hamlet's conflicting thoughts. The setting of Hamlet standing and looking over the ocean was precise because the ocean represents mystery and endlessness. Hamlet is talking about the mystery after death. He doesn't know what happens, or how terrible things could be. Branaugh's version, on the other hand, has a much weaker setting. Hamlet is seen standing in front of a mirror simply talking to himself. Of course his reflection represents the inner battle he is having in his mind, but it didn't deliver as well as it could have. Perhaps the emotions were not enough and having a more symbolic setting might have helped deliver the thoughts inside Hamlet's mind better. It seemed as if he was reciting it, the only part that brought emotion was when he pulled out his knife. It showed anger and willingness. Besides the setting , although the viewer could see the various range of emotions in both Oliver and Branaugh's versions, the emotions weren't as strong or believable as those from Zeffirelli's version. Both versions begin weak, simply just talking out loud. I feel as though the music in the background helped showed the emotions more than the actor himself. For both versions the music begins once Hamlet begins speaking of the unknown after death. The ominous music shows the feelings of fear of the unknown.
         In Almereyda's version, the emotion that the actor deliver's is strong and distinguishable. He is just walking and not opening his mouth, this makes it more dramatic because its just him and his mind. The actor's emotion is most relatable mostly because once he begins to think out loud and of why anyone would bare to live if there wasn't anything to fear after death, he gives out a mocking tone. I liked this because it shows Hamlet's dislike towards the hardship that is life. Since the setting is obviously modern and doesn't really represent Hamlet's thoughts, Almereyda uses the tv screens to symbolize the destruction of his thoughts and death. The music in this version, isn't anything to dramatic or flashy it just allows the viewer to focus on Hamlet's revelation and thoughts. Its as if the viewer is thinking along with him, its kind of calm and though provoking music.