Soliloquy In Zeffirelli's To Be Or Not To Be

The speech “To be or not to be”, it’s Hamlet’s most important soliloquy found in act III scene I. It is a hard job to reenact it and be able to illustrate each emotion and metaphor but it is not impossible. Zeffirelli’s and Gibson’s version of the to be or not to be soliloquy was the best because it perfectly captured Hamlet’s feeling and the true meaning of his words using effective setting, tone and body language. The setting of the speech plays an important role in Zeffirelli’s version. Hamlet is found to enter what looks like a small unfìderground cemetery in the palace. This was a good decision on Zeffirelli's part because it will be a great indicator of death for Hamlet. The scene starts with Hamlet blankly staring at the graves. This setting might be the incentive of his his reflection on death. In Olivier’s version however, the symbol of death is only quickly shown at the beginning by capturing the image of a cliff, and the image is quickly shifted at a close …show more content…
When he says “Thus conscience does make cowards / And thus the native hue of resolution/ Is o’er with the pale cast of thought,”. He looks up at the sky almost as if he’s addressing the higher power as he thinks about how the action of suicide is unholy. As well as when he slowly drops to the floor when he lists the many life’s obstacles that men have to deal with. Not only does he sound dramatic but he also shakes his head to enhance the deep meaning of is words. In Olivier’s clip, Hamlet is sitting down throughout the speech and the one time he gets up he gives hi back to the audience making it unappealing. Branagh is also very dull when it comes to using his body as a way to portray the mood in the speech. He just stands there and looks in the mirror. Body language is an important factor because it is a great tool to show emotions that words cannot, and Gibson surely used it