The Struggle

In Oliver’s Hamlet film (1948), the “To be or not to be” soliloquy portrays Hamlet contemplating his own fate at the ocean’s edge. Hamlet speaks slowly, carefully to show how he is making one of the greatest decisions of his life and to make sure every word is with purpose and strong meaning. His voice makes every word thump in your mind like a heart, beating. Hamlet’s distant glare expresses himself deep in thought, deciding whether to sin, commit suicide, or to continue living his miserable life. Oliver mainly focused on the auditory portrayal of the speech while Kenneth Branagh focuses on the visual portrayal of the speech.

Kenneth Branagh portrays Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” soliloquy in King Claudius’ home. Hamlet, like Oliver’s Hamlet, speaks slowly to emphasize the importance of each word but also uses visual means to depict the soliloquy. The mirror Hamlet stares into during the speech shows his indecisiveness in deciding his own fate because he uses his reflection to watch himself and judge if he deserves to live or die. He later pulls out his dagger and taps the mirror as if wanting to strike himself down yet knowing he cannot. While Hamlet emphasizes his words with a slow, carefull tone, he still uses visuals to get his main interpretation across.

In my opinion, Branagh’s display of Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” soliloquy truly encapsulated Hamlet’s struggle to either kill himself or continue living his tortuous life. Branagh’s Hamlet not only convinced me Hamlet was making one of the biggest decisions of his life but also showed me the reasonability of Hamlet and his powerful words.