Zeffirelli And Branagh Hamlet Comparison

To be noble is a quality that many strive to achieve. Nobility earns not only respect but also gratitude. In William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, the protagonist, wrestles with whether it is nobler to continue living in his suffering or to die by his own hand in his soliloquy “To be or not to be” (3.1.57). A variety of interpretations of the speech have been presented by different directors; Some who miss the mark entirely others who accurately depict the intent through their choice of expression, their choice of actions as well as their choice of setting. Directors Kenneth Branagh and Franco Zeffirelli present an acute delineation of the original work; however Zeffirelli stays more true to Shakespeare's intent for the scene. Both directors capture the complexity of Hamlet’s character. He is an overly emotional character who constantly struggles with his overwhelming and often conflicting emotion. The setting of Branagh's piece was very true to the play as it was set in the hall of mirrors. This setting was most parallel to the original play because Shakespeare intended it to be in a lobby. Branagh’s version was filmed in …show more content…
Conversely Branagh missed the mark by starting Hamlet off with a smug tone and ending off with an intense whisper. Zeffirelli on the other hand went in the direction of a longing tone for Hamlet. The entire soliloquy consists of Hamlet talking about how he longs to die but can’t turn the knife on himself due to fear of what come next. As the intensity of his words build up as the the intensity in his voice. The building starts at “To sleep: perchance to dream” (3.1.66) and forms into a tone of fierce loathing and disgust on line 73 where he says “The pang of despised love” (3.1.73). All the emotions coming out at once and conflicting with one another is true to Hamlet’s character making the speech coincide with the play thus