Analysis of a Scene: Hamlet-The Soliloquy in Three Minds

 Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them: to die, to sleep.

Arguably some of the most profound and stirring words to ever grace the written theatrical page. And words that no doubt if life provided insight into the mind of man, would find them swirling throughout each lifetime of those plagued by the dilemma of facing the unknown over the troubles of this worlds sin and sorrows. 

  I have decided to take the road most traveled perhaps in this assignment by indeed highlighting the most notable of lines within the masterpiece of Hamlet.  The intricacies of this soliloquy giving us a sacred look into the mind of the main character as he contemplates his existence and perhaps his death in one powerful yet all so delicate of scenes.

As a humble pretender myself, as an actor, there is nothing loftier a theatrical endeavor than to offer one's talent to the master of dialogue, Shakespeare himself.  And no more a lofty goal of a male lead than to dare to become the suffering soul of Hamlet himself.  

I thought it a unique perspective to contemplate not one Hamlet mind but rather three.  Three separate but in their own right equal deliveries of this famous scene. 

One performance by one who has been called the greatest of actors, Sir Laurence Olivier in 1948's Hamlet.  

The second offering that of whom has been called one of the greatest classical actors of modern times, Sir Kenneth Branagh in his 1996 version. 

And a final consideration by actor and director Mel Gibson in 1990.  

I found upon analyzing each portrayal that each powerful delivery gave me a completely different take on the dialogue of the same piece. 

Sir Olivier gave the audience a dreamy Hamlet, almost a classical painting version of the protagonist.  As he sits serenely upon the cliffside dazed and glassy-eyed, he gives us an emotional experience of what seems like utter hopelessness,  an almost weakness over the contemplation of what his choices are.  One feels almost a feeling of resigned peace as if you know that this Hamlet is not afraid of death. But rather welcomes it.  He seems to have lost his will but his ultimate resignment is in the fact that he continues on, yet longing for that mysterious sleep.

Sir Branagh has a much different approach to the dilemma of whether "to be or not to be."  He is laser-focused. This is an ambitious Hamlet.  He embodies stealthy control just teetering on the precipice of rageful insanity.  And as if daring himself to step over the edge of where slings and arrows meet sleep and surrender,  he stares death in the face. This Hamlet is indeed the

great analyzer.  This mind is far from desiring the surrender of fortune but sees the irony of indecision in it all.  He dares himself to strike against the throws of mortality in order to possess that which he can never return from.  

Finally, we are presented with the modern celebrity attempt at the classical theatre.  Highly acclaimed as a refreshing take on the often melancholy approach to Hamlet.   Gibson gives us the physical, youthful and dazzling Hamlet.  The sexually charged visually appealing version.  We are drawn to Hamlet because we are drawn to the beautiful face that plays him.  But even in the visually stunning,  Gibson is able to give the viewer an emotional glimpse of what is in the mind of the suffering protagonist.  He is falling apart. He is tearing himself apart. He is not in control but rather recognizes his futility. His mortality. 

 And he is disgusted by it.  Gibson also draws out of the audience an enormous amount of sympathy.  We join in his sorrow as he walks the catacombs of death's sleep that he is longing more and more for. He is envious of them.  And in this delivery, we see the spark of life's urging.  The fire of motivation to remain within that which we only can conceive and have only known.  Mel Gibson's Hamlet shows us the will and the conflict of whether "to be or not to be". 

Each performance holds true to the complexity that is Hamlet. That is Shakespeare.   From an actor's observation, one would look at timing, pace, consistency of thought, and focus.  Does this actor remain Hamlet throughout? Or do we see the jester, even if only for a moment?  From my perspective,  each conquered their Hamlet in all its inegmatic forms.  I believe this is the essence of a masterpiece. The perfection that is Shakespeare itself.