Hamlet Film Comparison Hamlet ponders “To be, or not to be” when contemplating life and death. This soliloquy reinvents Hamlet as a thinker and philosopher. His words show the audience that Hamlet is not just one who acts and reacts, but also has the ability to question his morals and actions. David Tenant portrays Hamlet in Doran’s adaptation, and Branagh himself in his version of the film. These questions are answered in the film adaptations of Hamlet by Kenneth Branagh, and Gregory Doran, released in 1996 and 2009 respectively. Branagh uses lighting and the actor’s facial expressions to create a vengeful mood in Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” soliloquy. Doran uses these techniques as well, however, they create a more dreary and melancholic
