Nicole C. Ophelia Eulogy

Today we are here to say our final good byes to Ophelia. Ophelia was a nice young girl who never tried to hurt anyone, yet she was continuously hurt by others. Poor Ophelia was used and ridiculed time and time again by the people she loved the most. Whether it be her father, her brother, or Hamlet, she was constantly being taken advantage of. In her final moments, we all witnessed her strange behavior and could not understand what caused her to behave that way. Well let me be the first to say that heartbreak will make anyone do crazy things. Which simply means that sudden changes can lead awful actions. Yes, I am implying that she killed herself, but I don't think it was intentional. I believe once the branch broke, she gave up and died slowly without protest. However, she still deserves a Christian burial. Why? Because in many ways her death was not her fault. We as Christians believe in forgiveness. She forgave everyone who hurt her, so we should forgive her for taking her life. If we deny her a proper burial, then Prince Hamlet, King Claudius, and Laertes should all be denied it as well. (Regardless of their title.)

Realistically speaking, Ophelia was not left with much of a choice. If her life was not taken at that time it would have slowly been taken due to the overwhelming amount of stress placed on her.  Therefore I feel sorry for her as the rest of you should too. Those of you that think she was of no importance or served no purpose should be ashamed of yourselves. She was the light of many people's lives, and a beautiful girl that did not receive the credit she deserves. Not to mention, not once has she hurt anyone (even after being used several times).

Ophelia wanted one thing in life. Love. Love that she was so close to but could never grab hold of. Why? Because she was constantly placed on the back burner in people's lives. With the death of her father; abandonment of Laertes; neglect of Hamlet, Ophelia's hope for love slowly but surely disintegrated. What was left for her to do other than take her life? Without the three most important men no longer present in her life she did the only thing she saw fit to do, and for that, we cannot be upset with her. So poor Ophelia, today [without question] we give you the burial you deserve. The burial we know you are entitled to. May your soul rest in peace. 

Nicole C. Hamlet's Dilemma

I think Hamlet's hesitation to kill Claudius was a good thing. As bad as it may sound, I think Hamlet should wait and kill Claudius when he is sinning. That way, he'll be sent to hell the same way King Hamlet was said to have been. King Hamlet did not see his death coming and was not able to ask for forgiveness so it's only fair that the same is done for Claudius. Patience is key and without it only bad things will happen. [Good things always come to those who wait.] If he kills Claudius while he is praying he'll be doing him a favor and won't be getting the revenge that he rightfully deserves. With this scene taking place, I can tell that Hamlet thinks everything through and doesn't seem to make any mistakes with his actions. If I was Hamlet I probably would not have given it as much thought and simply would've acted out on my anger. So I applaud him for being wise and patient.

I think Claudius is beyond guilty. Therefore his greediness needs to be acknowledged. Rather than accepting his life the way it was, Claudius went out and committed a crime that changed the lives of an entire Kingdom for his own benefit. By killing Claudius,  there will be a lot at stake for Hamlet. He could be thrown in jail, killed or let off the hook. After killing Polonius Hamlet is most likely seen as a madman, but regardless of whether Hamlet is seen as a madman or not he would still be sentenced to a harsh death because he doesn't really have anyone on his side. (Which we know because everyone got over King Hamlet's death very quickly.) I think it's pretty obvious that Hamlet has thought this through so if he decides to kill Claudius it will be because he doesn't care about the consequences. I support him 100%.

Nicole C. To Be/Not Be

Olivier’s Version: In this version Hamlet sat on a rock along side of a shore. The scene was atmospheric which in my opinion was a good thing. The sound of the ocean and wind blowing made the scene mysterious. There is depressing music playing, which sets a gloomy mood. It’s black and white but the lighting is good. As a prop he used a small dagger which he implied he would use to kill himself. I think they both worked well with the theme. I don’t recall him using any literal figurative aspects. He starts off very calm, just talking. He then talks a bit faster and slightly louder. It caused me to know what was important compared to what was somewhat unimportant.

Zeffirelli’s Version: In this version the scene is located in a catacomb of Hamlet’s family. This showed that Hamlet was seriously considering the idea of death. It showed how he was contemplating whether he was ready to be buried there with his deceased father and relatives or not. He is conveying how close Hamlet is to death; how easy it would be to be with the dead if that was the path he chose to go down. I don’t recall music being played. Therefore music didn’t have much of an effect. Aside from the coffins (I’m not sure if thats the correct term for what royal people were put in) there were no other significant objects used. However, throughout the scene Hamlet is constantly walking around the catacomb and is gently touching the coffins. The lighting is somewhat bad but it works with the scene because it’s a dark depressing time so bright happy lights wouldn’t work well with the scene. He gets very emotional at some parts. He’s also loud, and then whispering. This gives the scene a mysterious and suspenseful mood. 

Branagh’s Version: In this version the scene is located in a large room with many mirrors along the walls. The room is very well lit and spacious. He walks from one end to another and then stops to admire himself in a mirror. While looking into the mirror he pulls out a dagger and touches it his face and to the mirror. Just like Olivier’s version. I think it worked well with the scene however because it made it more believable. As if he was truly considering to kill himself. He is a very angry man, which is displayed constantly through out the speech. Not that he yells, but because he talks aggressively. For the most part he whispers giving off a creepy vibe. 

Almereyda’s Version: (I disliked this version the most.) The scene took place in a block buster. Around the room there were many tv’s displaying destruction, volcanic eruptions, explosions, etc. Hamlet looked very depressed and sleep deprived. He slowly walked through the aisles and ended up in the action movie section towards the end of the speech. By it taking place in such a public place I could only think he did it to show the cowardliness of Hamlet. Showing how he wouldn’t actually act out on his suicidal thoughts. 

I think there are so many versions of the play because everyone has a different perspective on literature. With Hamlet being so unique it could easily be interpreted in numerous ways. My favorite make of the scene was Zeffirelli’s version. I love the setting for the scene and the way the actor for the most part stayed the same through out the speech. 

Nicole C. - The Ghost Scene

Personally, I think Zeffirelli's version [the first version] was the most realistic. The costumes, the setting, the language, the characters behavior all worked well with the story to me. The only problem I had with it was the lighting. The ghost scene could've been much better if I was able to see what was actually happening. There was music but at times it was too faint. There weren't any special effects, which I thought was a good thing. Adding special effects would've made it unrealistic and tacky. (Same for flashbacks.) A prop used was a sword. It symbolized the act of killing (soon to be revenge). Overall, Zeffirelli did a great job with his movie. 

I did not like the Branagh's version [the second version]. The characters were too dramatic, and the special effects were overwhelming. I did not enjoy anything about the ghost scene except for the flashbacks. The flashbacks were nice and simple. (It made understanding and visualizing the ghost's description of his death much easier.) However, the way the ghost spoke (in a whisper like tone) made it unbearable. I found myself becoming very annoyed rather than entertained. The lighting was very good in the flashbacks, but I think it was unrealistically bright in the woods during the ghost scene. Usually you need a source of light to see in the woods at night yet it was very easy to see in the movie.... I think he could've went without making it so bright. There were a lot of sound effects and [very] audible music which once again made it overwhelming. I don't recall there being any significant props used for this version. In my opinion the director was on the right path but did too much. 

Almereyda's version [third version] was not that bad. I only had a problem with the language. The entire movie was modernized except for the language. In my opinion that caused the movie to not be as great as it could've been. Instead of a palace they were in a hotel/apartment. Instead of armor and old clothing, they wore suits and dressed casually. Instead of being a creepy mysterious ghost, it was a human like ghost who not only touched objects but also affectionately caressed Hamlet. Rather than having ancient artifacts and a very clean room there were TV's, polaroid pictures, maps, VCR's, sketches, and a messy desk. Yet the language was practically the same as the older versions. Music occasionally played which made the scene more sad than scary. There were no special effects or flashbacks which I think was a good thing. Adding either of them wouldn't have fit in. It probably would've taken away from the dialogue. (I say that because the tv's graphics got my attention more than anything else did. Whenever the tv was shown I became very distracted.) The ghost held onto a handkerchief throughout most of the scene. He would occasionally damp his ear which symbolized his wounded ear that caused his death. Other than the language, the director did a good job.