Ms. A's Advanced English Book Discussions discussion

Which version of the soliloquy best represents the meaning and tone of the soliloquy and the message Hamlet was trying to get across? Why?

I like the Mel Gibson version better. I envisioned it at the grave site and being pretty much exactly like what it was. It was emotional and amazing! I loved that version

I think that the Mel Gibson version represents the meaning and tone that Shakespeare was going for. When I thought of it I picture the dark room with him shouting at himself. I think that the other versions don't work because in is light our in both and they are both whispering. I don't really think that they get into the part, it is like they are just saying word on a paper. They are monotone and sound like they could care less. I also think that he tomb helps to set the mood that he is trying to speak in, depressed and close to killing himself. In the others even thought they both have knifes its just not the same when they are in a nice setting by the sea or in a nice building dressed in a suit.

I think that the version that best represented it was the 1990's version. I think that this best showed it because where it took place. The atmosphere set a dramatic type of mood for what he was talking about. I think that the other two didn't really show it very well just because where they took place and how they were acted out. I thought the way that the 1990's version was acted out it seemed more professional and just easier to fall into the story. So, overall the 1990's version just showed it more like I thought it would be and how it should be shown.

Cassidy wrote: "Which version of the soliloquy best represents the meaning and tone of the soliloquy and the message Hamlet was trying to get across? Why?"
I think the Mel Gibson version best represented the soliloquy because it was how i imagined it to go. I thought he would be in a different room, not with his dads body. Other than that it was how I thought he would act and speak. He had a lot of emotions that helped him fuel his soliliquy. Hamlet just didn't know how to deal with every thing, and wasn't sure if he should kill his uncle or not.
I think the Mel Gibson version best represented the soliloquy because it had all the right emotions and really portrayed a hurting kid. Hamlet just wanted to avenge his dad and make things right in his family again. I mean his dad just died and his mom remarried like the day after. How would you feel about that happening to you?

I really liked the Braveheart (Mel Gibson) version way better. It was more how I envisioned it than the other two. I figured that he would be alone and in a dark room and that's pretty much what's happening. He's in the tomb room, and that really set the tone. The other two videos were boring and they didn't show that much emotion. Braveheart really set the tone of exactly what I thought it would be. He was talking to himself, but he raised his voice when he needed to get his point across. He really didn't know what to do, and that seems more like how Hamlet was in the play.

I think that the last version of the Hamlet soliloquy best represents the meaning of the message. The setting I think best fits what they are trying to say. Having them in a burial place shows helps show that they are talking about death. He is talking to the dead people in a way and it makes the audience know more about what he's trying to get across.
The other two versions I felt like didn't portray the way it was supposed to be acted out. The Mel Gibson verson acted it out how I thought it should be. The setting wasn't what I thought it would be, but I think that it was a great choice. Also it had more emotions in it when he was saying the soliloquy. The other two versions were just whispering and didn't show to much emotion.

Cassidy wrote: "Which version of the soliloquy best represents the meaning and tone of the soliloquy and the message Hamlet was trying to get across? Why?"

When I imagined the soliloquy, I imagined the Hamlet with Mel Gibson. Before watching the three different scenes, I imagined a dark haired guy in a dark room. He would be talking to himself and staring off into the distance. He would be dramatically talking about how bad his life is and he doesn't know if he should continue to live or just kill himself. I imagined the guy to have "worry wrinkles" from thinking too much.

I think the Mel Gibson's version if Hamlet was closest to what I was imagining. The guy that played Hamlet had dark hair and the soliloquy was in a dark room. He had a very depressed yet angry and confused tone. It fit the soliloquy well because it revolved around death and whether or not dying was the answer to his problems. Mel did the best job of showing true emotion. The 1940's one had a very monotone feel. It was boring to watch. The Branagh clip was at a much different location that what I imagined and the appearance of Hamlet was a little off. The tone, appearance, and looks of Hamlet in the Mel Gibson clip was all pretty close to what I imagined. The acting was much better too.

Cassidy wrote: "Which version of the soliloquy best represents the meaning and tone of the soliloquy and the message Hamlet was trying to get across? Why?"

When I imagined this, I was thinking more along the lines of Mel Gibson's version of Hamlet compared to the others. In this one he seemed to actually have emotions instead of being monotone. I imagined him being alone in a dark area because he was questioning if he should continue to live or just kill himself and I think the tomb that he was in helped set the mood. The other two videos just didn't give us a very good understanding as to how the actors were feeling. The actors didn't get into the part as much as they should have and that kind of ruined it for them. Although he was debating life or death, I think Mel Gibson was passionate about his lines. He seemed angry yet confused at the same time. So overall this version is the one that really gave the scene much justice.

Cassidy wrote: "Which version of the soliloquy best represents the meaning and tone of the soliloquy and the message Hamlet was trying to get across? Why?"
I liked the Mel Gibson version the best. He portrayed the feeling of the soliloquy completely throughout. He did a very good job at setting the mood. When I thought of this in my head I saw Hamlet standing in a darker room talking to himself. When Mel Gibson was speaking it was basically what I had envisioned. I think that Mel Gibson was the best at playing the role of Hamlet in this scene.

I envisioned this speech in a dark creepy room. I expected it to be very dramatic and creepy. I expected Hamlet to be alone and deeply pondering life. I also thought there would either be a sense of defeat or a sense of a fight to live, depending on which way he was leaning. I think the 1990 version, the one we've been watching, represented my vision the best. It was dark and creepy and Hamlet was alone. I thought the bones and dark, dirty room set a very dramatic mood, which I expected. The other versions were either outside, too light, or the weren't alone. I thought our version was the most accurate.

I imagined Hamlet alone in a dark, secluded room. Somewhere that would give his speech an edge. He would be pacing back and forth with actions of the hand and his voice differing in octanes from word to word. He would have this sense of self defeat like he had truly given up on life but then come back in the end with a desire to live and breathe. The 1990 version with Mel Gibson represents not only my vision the best, but what "Shakespeare" was truly trying to get across.

I envisioned the speech in a dark room. I thought it was going to be dramatic, but not too dramatic, just to get his point across. I also believed that he was going to by himself. I believe that the Hamlet we are watching best fit the mood of the soliloquy. The first one was very monotone and was too bright. The second one was just weird and had the dramatic effect, but it didn't fit the soliloquy at all.

I think the Mel Gibson version was better. I pictured it in a dark set. I expected it to be really dramatic and dark. I pictured him being mad at himself and changing tones throughout the soliloquy and in this version he did just that. The two other versions were really lit up and I didn't expect. The Mel Gibson version had almost everything I expected when I thought of it.

Cassidy wrote: "Which version of the soliloquy best represents the meaning and tone of the soliloquy and the message Hamlet was trying to get across? Why?"
I think the best representation of the soliloquy meaning and the message Hamlet was trying to get across was Mel Gibson's also. When I envisioned the speech, I thought the surroundings would be very dark and mischievous. I expected the speech to be dramatic and into depth. And the Mel Gibson version fit all of those. The other two versions were just not as dramatic and they did not seem too into the speech as the 1990 one.

Cassidy wrote: "Which version of the soliloquy best represents the meaning and tone of the soliloquy and the message Hamlet was trying to get across? Why?"
I think the most accurate representation of the soliloquy was the Mel Gibson version of Hamlet. In my head, I had pictured a dark and lonely setting based on how the text felt while reading along. In Gibson's version, this setting and feel was carried throughout the entire scene. I think Mel Gibson's version was able to portray it best since he really emphasized the emotions around choosing life or death. That is what I believe Shakespeare was also originally trying to do in his original story.

I think that the most accurate representation of the soliloquy was the one performed by Mel Gibson. This version did the best job of capturing the theme and the mood that Shakespeare intended for it. Mel Gibson did a great job of portraying the attitude of a heartbroken man who had just lost his father and found out his uncle wasn't a very good brother. You could see real emotion and real angst, and for these reasons and many more Mel Gibson did the best job of portraying Hamlet.