Hamlet And Zeffirelli's Speech Comparison

Catacombs versus Blockbusters “To be or not to be: that is the question.” Is it better to be alive or dead? Is it better to put up with all the nastiness that luck throws your way, or to fight against all those troubles by simply putting an end to them once and for all? These are the famous words spoken by Hamlet in his most famous soliloquy. This soliloquy has been performed in multiple movies, in many different ways, with very different features. The Zeffirelli version of the famous “to be or not to be” speech is the most effective because of the expression, action, and setting. Expression is essential for a play because it is the key element of characterization. The Olivier version of “to be or not to be” has a very unique, but poor way …show more content…
Hamlet’s expression in the Almereyda version of the speech was also poorly done because it was spoken too fast with not enough emotion. In this version, Hamlet does not seem the slightest bit upset about how his life is going. He does not seem like he is deciding if he should commit suicide or if he should stay alive and fight back. He has no facial expression, no turn of emotion; the whole speech was very monotone and bland. In the Zeffirelli version of the play, Hamlet has very intense facial expressions. His face is full of emotion throughout the whole speech. At the beginning of the speech, he looks as if he is about to cry; he looks unsure of what to do. He says the speech slowly and there is also a large number of pauses throughout the entire speech, which makes both his words and his message more dramatic. There are also a lot of emotional changes throughout the speech in this version. One of the emotional changes occurs close to the beginning of the speech; he goes from being calm and dramatic to being intense while speaking quicker and angrier as he says: “For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, the oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely, the pangs of despised love…That …show more content…
In the Doran version, Hamlet is leaning against a wall for the entire speech. It is believed that with minimal action and movement, it is easier to understand a speech and what is truly being said. But in reality, it is very hard to focus on the meaning of a speech when the performance is bland. Overall, this version was very hard to follow due to the boring performance and insignificant, minimal movement. In the Almereyda version of the scene, Hamlet is walking around a Blockbuster store. The action in this version was very repetitive; it was as if Hamlet was just an ordinary man walking around trying to decide which movie to pick out to watch for the evening. The action in this science is saying that the choice to live or not to live is as insignificant as picking out a movie to watch. The action in the Almereyda version was too ordinary, and Hamlet seems like he is making an unimportant choice, rather than one that is realistically life changing. In the Zeffirelli version, Hamlet is walking through and around a catacomb. The reason the action in this version is the best out of all the versions is due to the dramatic irony. Hamlet is talking about if he should be alive or dead, while in an underground cemetery full of dead bodies. He is also talking to coffins, which is ironic