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I think the reason people find Branagh's rendition of this soliloquy so refreshing is that he delivers it from a standpoint of power. It seems like everyone else's 'To be, or not to be' is projected from this place of defeat and anguish. I think K. Branagh played Hamlet most like the text intended; a man with the newfound power of having a distinct mission of revenge and nothing to lose. Beautiful stuff
@pseudodeduction I agree, but it also merges the two viewpoints of a. insanity and b. knowledge of Claudius' presence. since we are never told what hamlet is doing in this scene, I like how Branagh leaves it still ambiguous but also makes us think about it. does he know they're there? or is it by chance he is saying this in this particular part of the room ?
I like this play, this act, these sentiments; but who doesn't? One can amuse oneself by counting all the phrases is this speech alone that've made it into our modern lexicon. I won't bore you by listing them. I mean I remembered from 2ndary school the 2B part, but then heard the "slings/arrows" in a Byrds song yrs later; more + more w/ ea. year. BUT: MY POINT HERE: NO ONE SPEAKS OUT LOUD SOLILOQUY STYLE IRL ! If one does, it's insane gibberish, ALWAYS! Not philos. profound Sheakespearean prose!
I don't know what they taught you in that English class, but it obviously was biased. Please, PLEASE think of Shakespeare as a great playwright, I don't care if you believe the stupid theories of people who can't believe that someone without a university education could ever write (because they probably couldn't), but please don't go on spreading lies to other people about his identity. Does it REALLY matter who he was? (haha I guess it does cause or else I wouldn't be writing t
@aseeb36 Hamlet fears death. He fears the "undiscovered country that no traveler returns from" He believes is the very real possibly and probability of hell and the possibilty to heaven. But why dead if when you do you might go to hell?
@aseeb36 Hamlet fears death. He fears the "undiscovered country that no traveler returns from" He believes is the very real possibly and probability of hell and the possibilty to heaven. But why dead if when you do you might go to hell?
@aseeb36 Hamlet fears death. He fears the "undiscovered country that no traveler returns from" He believes is the very real possibly and probability of hell and the possibilty to heaven. But why dead if when you do you might go to hell?
I HAVE AN ENGLISH ASSIGNMENT ON THIS. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME. OK, SO BASICALLY FIND TWO CHARACTER TRAITS FROM THIS SCENE AND EXPLAIN HOW THESE TRAITS ARE ILLUSTRATED THROUGH MEDIA TECHNIQUES AND MEDIA DEVICES.
PLEASE, I NEED A GOOD MARK IN THIS CLASS SO I CAN GET INTO UNIVERSITY :'(
@Aseeb36 ultimately the "to be or not to be" is asking whether to live or not to live. life is so full of pain and struggles that one must ask why not end all of it and commit suicide. the only thing that is stopping him however is the fear of the unknown, whether or not there is a hell and eternal damnation. i suppose one character trait could be depression and the other one being mentally ill. i say that because considering suicide usually stems from severe depression and the fact that he
@cyberwaffles is talking to himself in the mirror (and also pulling out a blade) shows that the cheese might've slid of his cracker, so to speak. i don't know if that's a good answer, i honestly don't know what you mean by media techniques and media devices. i think it would be better to dissect the literature instead of the movie since movie's have their own spin and ways of dramatizing it.
@Aseeb36 also something that i read in the comments that makes sense is that Hamlet is nothing but doubt. i guess that could be another character trait: doubtfulness
This part always gives me chills. I love the way he recites this. KB is absolutely an amazing Shakespearean actor. He puts spirit and personality into every character he plays.
why do we have to read this in high school, it's a nice story and all but as a MUST in schools is a little naive. i'm guessing whoever mandatory has never read it themselves!!
@peacelovr234 I didn't like Shakespeare much when I first read his work but it grew on me exponentially the more I read. You just need to be patient. I know it can be a challenge but it's well worth it. Perhaps you just have a lame teacher but Hamlet is fascinating.
@peacelovr234 A better teacher would teach you this so that you would most likely love it & other Shakespeare plays. I hated them before I took a class in Engl. lit...almost dropped the class bcuz I saw we had to read a Shakespeare play. We got cued in on the Oxfordian theory...you might check into the authorship question. Any of the plays make much more sense ( I never understood nor liked them b4) once you know all about Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (the REAL Shakespeare). :)
@peacelovr234 Plus, Shakespeare (Edward de Vere) actually gave us thousands upon thousands of words that we use today. Again, the right teacher MAKES the play. Shakespeare in h.s. is not naive...it's smart, but if not taught right, the teacher needs many more lit. classes (on her/his part!) ;)
Comparing the different Hamlets is like comparing the different Jokers of Batman. Each of them brought something to the role and you can't deny them than. I honestly couldn't tell you if I liked Branagh or Tennant better. They are both awesome in their own way.
People complaining about Branagh's speed in this delivery clearly don't take the time to actually think about anything for long. One's thoughts appear with exceeding celerity when they are allowed to flow, though utterance must, by the mechanics of speech, slow them down somewhat. Still, to take a bloody age over this soliloquy is to miss the point of it.
For the record, he's moving steadily closer to his Father's murderer with that drawn dagger; that "mirror" is one-way glass. Context etc.
@ExNihilMetal That must have sounded very intelligent in your mind. Your thoughts must be moving with such an "exceeding celerity" that you don't even have time to edit them.
@ExNihilMetal Agreed! Shakespeare's words have a certain rhythm, you can't just pause anywhere you like. And you can't really do anything about the actor's age. Only an older/middle-aged man with experience can understand this role as opposed to a modern teenager.
Hello everybody, I have produced a student film version of this speech and any feedback anybody thdy can offer would be most appreciated. Its on my channel.
If my two cents is worth anything (which it's not, really), I like David Tennant's version better. Of course, I'm just a biased fangirl, but this version is fast and it's like Kenneth isn't really thinking it through.
David seems so very emotional, even though he doesn't cry or freak out, you can tell he's scared and sad and thinking it all through. Plus, he's staring right at you and there is no music, just the sound of a desperate, conflicted voice. But like I said, I might be totally biased.
I haven't seen this film, but he is not doubting! Hamlet is nothing BUT doubt! David Tennant hesitates, stops now and then and....hence it depicts the scene a little closer...
I feel like David Tennant's version was more expressive. all he does in this scene is get closer and closer to a mirror and says everything in the same tone and voice
@pinkmonkeyification We actually watched this today in English, and someone in my class exclaimed: "Isn't that Professor Lockhart?" xD That was soo funny. xD
To see this is to see sheer talent shining forth. The way his voice caresses and wraps itself around those words, how still he is. He needs no hysterics, he is all mad within himself. This left me chilled.
Can someone PLEASE explain why Kenneth Branagh is supposed to be the best actor for Hamlet????
My favorite actor for this soliloquy and for the whole play in general is Mel Gibson. When he speaks it really seems like he´s pondering. Maybe David Tennant is the best actor for this scene, but the best camera work combined with the acting makes me like the movie with Mel Gibson the most =)
we can memorize like all our favorite songs word by word and this little speech is so hard to memorize! I love the speech though, its has a lot of meaning to it:)
This is utter crap. There's no evidence that he even knows what the soliloquy is about and plenty that he doesn't. Why does he look so decisive in a speech that's all about indecision? Who contemplates suicide through gritted teeth? Where does he even think the bit about the "mortal coil" fits in grammatically? At "Must give us pause" why doesn't he? He's just rumbling away in a husky monotone and everybody thinks it's great cos he's KB. At least David Tennant parsed the sentences correctly.
To be, or not to be? That is the question— 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— No more—and by a sleep to say we end The heartache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to—’tis a consummation Devoutly to be wished! To die, to sleep. To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there’s the rub, For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
Stupendous performance by Branagh aside, I LOVE the way he shot this film. The vibrant colors and beautifully lit sets were a wonderful departure from the usual dark look of other Hamlet films/productions. I don't like squinting through movies...
The beauty of this, to me, is that we mostly see Hamlet's reflection rather than Hamlet himself. It does a beautiful job of highlighting the fact that Hamlet (in Brannaugh's interpretation and my own as well) is not really as mad or as unsure as he would have Claudius, Ophelia, and Polonius believe and that they see only his projection of himself.
I just realized that Claudius and Polonius were behind the mirror where Hamlet is giving the 'to be or not to be...' This is by far the best adaptation of this Play...at least in my opinion.
I love Kenneth-- his Benedick, and particularly his Iago are spectacular-- but I can't bring myself to like his interpretation of Hamlet. It's too evil, too adult. He completely ignores just how childish Hamlet is, and it's painfully obvious in this speech. He shows no frailty, no weakness. It's frustrating to me that he ignores such a huge and, to me, vital aspect of the character.
Whether or not Hamlet is confronting Polonius and Claudius is arguable. Does he know they are there? but, I think Hamlet is definately confronting himself in this scene. That is why he speaks into a mirror, he is directly speaking to his feelings, and perhaps convincing claudius that he is insane as he does throughout the play.
He does a great job on the soliloquy. The only thing that i wasnt a big fan of is, isnt he a little old for the role of Hamlet? i mean, Hamlet is about the age of 18-21. He looks like hes 30
Branagh is truly genius. I have seen several Hamlet's and none of them get the true message and meaning behind the piece as Branagh does. Branagh is a truly genius actor and director, being able to understand, interpret and deliver "Hamlet" as Shakespeare would want it done.
I have seen a rendition with a more calm Hamlet (overall, not necessarily in this scene) and I think Branagh finds an excellent balance between being an absolutely insane, enraged, man and being a completely melancholy depressed man. It is clear from his Hamlet that Hamlet is not totally insane, and more rational, but might be teetering on the edge. I like it. =D
Personally i think it takes Branagh far too long to get into this speech. the first 30seconds of the speech is almost thrown away! overall its not bad tho! definately picks up towards the end!
Branagh directed Hamlet, I believe, with the over-the-top quality in which it was truly written. Other film versions are just too stale. If only that they would melt, thaw and resolve themselves into a dew. Branagh is the best.
This is the scene that changed my mind about this movie! I was so curious about how Kenneth would choose to deliver this soliloquy and, it turns out, wonderfully!
I really don't feel anything when whatching this interpretation...which i think is the point of theatre, isn't it? To inspire some emotion in your audience? Hard to do that when you don't express any emotion yourself. In my own humble opinion, this scene should be thick with indicision and pain, but Branagh seems so calm; not at all like one who wants to die but fears the reprecussions.
@TooMuchCrimeDrama I agree. The second half of the speech takes on a different tone if you examine it that way. I think he catches on that Claudius is after him, and does seriously contemplate suicide for a moment, but he realizes that's what Claudius wants and backs out of it more determined than ever.
I'm hard on Branagh's Hamlet, but this is the best interpretation of this scene I've seen. This is Hamlet -- the theatre-lover and consummate player -- sowing confusion for a faceless spy whose presence he senses. The slow stride toward the mirror is perfect. What's wrong here is he's too calm, too rational and self-possessed. The speech is really part of Hamlet's "antic disposition," faking uncertainty about questions of the afterlife about which he -- bitterly -- knows all too well.
@mistabobdobolina he's not faking anything. i'm sorry that this is sai 8 months after the fact, but he is not acting here. he is truly debating with himself suicide, because he cannot bear his life. he's not using this to make anyone believe his madness, but instead to quite literally weigh the pro's and con's of living
@acolytetojippity "he is truly debating with himself suicide, because he cannot bear his life. "
That's a common interpretation, but it actually doesn't fit the character or the dramatic structure of the play. Hamlet is tormented but not bipolar; the scene before this one sees him formulating his plan to catch out Claudius, there would be no reason for him to be genuinely contemplating suicide one scene later. I think Branagh knows this, which is why he's not playing it that way.
@mistabobdobolina but he's alone here. alone with no-one but his own thoughts. as far as he knows (the audience knows differently) he is the only one who can hear him. it's more of an inner monologue. "weather 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" the entire scene is him basically saying that his life sucks, but he cannot kill himself for fear of the eternal dreams he would face
Is he? He has no reason to believe this. Hamlet is well aware that Elsinore is honeycombed with spy-holes and secret passages. He also knows he's an object of Claudius' suspicions; hence the "antic disposition" in the first place. And also, this scene isn't written as Hamlet just wandering around talking to himself. He is SUMMONED to this room, and finds it suspiciously empty when he arrives. (Modern staging often omits this important detail.)
@mistabobdobolina I always interpreted his calmness as being sinister, not exactly calm. Hamlet is giving a sort of performance of his own throughout the play in feigning madness, this scene is more of a reveal that even Hamlet doesnt know if he's gone insane or not. I assumed it is him going off the deep end, and the reaction Claudius has toward it.
@TheCryoScales: "this scene is more of a reveal that even Hamlet doesnt know if he's gone insane or not."
Could be read that way, true. I've always thought that reveal comes right after this soliloquy. When Ophelia comes along and behaves bizarrely enough to alert Hamlet to her part in helping her father spy on him, Hamlet really *does* lose it.
I appreciate your interpretation of this particular scene... but I rather like Mr. Branagh's interpt. of this scene. Where as Sr. Olivier's Hamlet is much more brooding and unstable, Mr. Branagh's scene is of a much more calculating, yet no less unstable, Hamlet. This along with the multiple mirrors lends a cinematic interpt. of a Hamlet with multiple "personalities."
@mistabobdobolina I dont think one can for sure say that Hamlet knows he is being listned to. I've read a few interpertations and most say no one can be certain. I dont know, maybe you have read more than I.
@mistabobdobolina That makes him more mad in my mind. If I was as mad and depressed as he was, I wouldn't be calm or "rational," I would be hysterical.
@mistabobdobolina I think you're reading too much into it. Shakespearean tragedies generally deal with mental illness and H shows suicidal tendencies throughout the play. There's no evidence in the text that he knows about the spies, and no reason he'd put on this particular ruse if he did. If he really is contemplating suicide here, then KB's rendition through gritted teeth is absurd.
Had to watch this for English, and I didn't expect to love this movie so much x3
It's so brilliantly made, despite the four hour length. Such a different feel from other Hamlet versions I've seen [Like the Olivier, Gibson, and Hawke adaptations]
in my top ten movies this 4 hours spectacle!
bladerunner533331 1 day ago
I enjoy Branagh's version of the speech. The way he interprets it is interesting.
MegaloThunder 2 days ago
blenheim palace is such a gorgeous set wow
boyeatworld 1 week ago
I'm engaged in watching this.
Takingbackmylove1 2 weeks ago
scary guy
Takingbackmylove1 2 weeks ago
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every fing time! i think of hamlet. and the undiscoverd country.
QBlackDeathQ 2 weeks ago
Yeah! I know he is playing Hamlet. I was just making a joke.
pinkmonkeyification 2 weeks ago
this is one of the few things that can bring tears to my eyes and give me goose bumps.
leveractionlover93 3 weeks ago
@leveractionlover93 I certainly agree with you..that's what I'm feeling right now.
renzoorquin 1 week ago
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Hey guys and girls. I'm a poet from Chicago. I have started a YouTube Channel to help get my work out there. Please take 5 minutes out of your day to check my stuff out. Like. Subscribe. Tweet. Your support is greatly appreciated!
YouTube Search: James Zapfel Poetry.
JamesZapfelPoetry 4 weeks ago
Still prefer David Tennant's version... But this is incredible. Kenneth Branagh is an acting genius.
thatwhichisgiven 4 weeks ago
It helped that Kenneth Branagh met William Shakespeare...
thickbro522 4 weeks ago
I think the reason people find Branagh's rendition of this soliloquy so refreshing is that he delivers it from a standpoint of power. It seems like everyone else's 'To be, or not to be' is projected from this place of defeat and anguish. I think K. Branagh played Hamlet most like the text intended; a man with the newfound power of having a distinct mission of revenge and nothing to lose. Beautiful stuff
pseudodeduction 1 month ago 8
@pseudodeduction I agree, but it also merges the two viewpoints of a. insanity and b. knowledge of Claudius' presence. since we are never told what hamlet is doing in this scene, I like how Branagh leaves it still ambiguous but also makes us think about it. does he know they're there? or is it by chance he is saying this in this particular part of the room ?
NHLman27 2 days ago
I like this play, this act, these sentiments; but who doesn't? One can amuse oneself by counting all the phrases is this speech alone that've made it into our modern lexicon. I won't bore you by listing them. I mean I remembered from 2ndary school the 2B part, but then heard the "slings/arrows" in a Byrds song yrs later; more + more w/ ea. year. BUT: MY POINT HERE: NO ONE SPEAKS OUT LOUD SOLILOQUY STYLE IRL ! If one does, it's insane gibberish, ALWAYS! Not philos. profound Sheakespearean prose!
dkomjath 1 month ago
@dkomjath Good thing this isn't real life, then...
thatwhichisgiven 4 weeks ago
@dkomjath : You propose that as an... insight?
JoseAngelGL 2 weeks ago
I got to know this by thursday probable listened to it a billion times
BunnyKillerSgt 1 month ago
i have so much love for this.. so. much. love.
lisarnoldMusic 1 month ago
@knightbook1003
I don't know what they taught you in that English class, but it obviously was biased. Please, PLEASE think of Shakespeare as a great playwright, I don't care if you believe the stupid theories of people who can't believe that someone without a university education could ever write (because they probably couldn't), but please don't go on spreading lies to other people about his identity. Does it REALLY matter who he was? (haha I guess it does cause or else I wouldn't be writing t
MrMichelleMoonlight 1 month ago
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@aseeb36 Hamlet fears death. He fears the "undiscovered country that no traveler returns from" He believes is the very real possibly and probability of hell and the possibilty to heaven. But why dead if when you do you might go to hell?
joezjoez06 1 month ago
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@aseeb36 Hamlet fears death. He fears the "undiscovered country that no traveler returns from" He believes is the very real possibly and probability of hell and the possibilty to heaven. But why dead if when you do you might go to hell?
joezjoez06 1 month ago
@aseeb36 Hamlet fears death. He fears the "undiscovered country that no traveler returns from" He believes is the very real possibly and probability of hell and the possibilty to heaven. But why dead if when you do you might go to hell?
joezjoez06 1 month ago
I HAVE AN ENGLISH ASSIGNMENT ON THIS. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME. OK, SO BASICALLY FIND TWO CHARACTER TRAITS FROM THIS SCENE AND EXPLAIN HOW THESE TRAITS ARE ILLUSTRATED THROUGH MEDIA TECHNIQUES AND MEDIA DEVICES.
PLEASE, I NEED A GOOD MARK IN THIS CLASS SO I CAN GET INTO UNIVERSITY :'(
Aseeb36 1 month ago
@Aseeb36 ultimately the "to be or not to be" is asking whether to live or not to live. life is so full of pain and struggles that one must ask why not end all of it and commit suicide. the only thing that is stopping him however is the fear of the unknown, whether or not there is a hell and eternal damnation. i suppose one character trait could be depression and the other one being mentally ill. i say that because considering suicide usually stems from severe depression and the fact that he
cyberwaffles 1 month ago
@cyberwaffles is talking to himself in the mirror (and also pulling out a blade) shows that the cheese might've slid of his cracker, so to speak. i don't know if that's a good answer, i honestly don't know what you mean by media techniques and media devices. i think it would be better to dissect the literature instead of the movie since movie's have their own spin and ways of dramatizing it.
cyberwaffles 1 month ago
@Aseeb36 also something that i read in the comments that makes sense is that Hamlet is nothing but doubt. i guess that could be another character trait: doubtfulness
cyberwaffles 1 month ago
10 points to Gryffindor.
bykarti 1 month ago
112102 ! just 1 and 2s !
liwainstitut 1 month ago
I get 10 extra credit points if i memorize the most in my class
XGONEWBSLAYER 1 month ago
by the way... this guy is not draco malfoy IT'S GILDEROY LOCKHART!!!!
Fouge18 1 month ago 6
@Fouge18 funny how i went to imdb and noticed this to be true :p
annaifos 1 month ago
wooow how hot looks kate in this movie...
Fouge18 1 month ago
This guy doesn't even blink at all! Holy crap!
HandBanana06 1 month ago
darn gotta act this one out tomorrow ...
BUGBUSTERss 1 month ago
@BUGBUSTERss Me, on Monday. LOL Wish us luck xD
boeyAiza 1 month ago
@boeyAiza i screwed it up ... you?
BUGBUSTERss 1 month ago
@BUGBUSTERss Not yet. The performance day is until tomorrow. xD
boeyAiza 1 month ago
it's not Draco Malfoy its Gilderoy Lockhart
ExileUnlimited 2 months ago 2
@ExileUnlimited yes but can't you see a Draco Malfoy at forty? I mean.
Same blond hair.
mustache.
swirlofcolor 1 month ago
@ExileUnlimited i'm sure it was a joke.
cyberwaffles 1 month ago
mel gibson was SOooooo much better than this, Kenneth was a little boring as opposed to Mel
Clubpenguin771 2 months ago
This part always gives me chills. I love the way he recites this. KB is absolutely an amazing Shakespearean actor. He puts spirit and personality into every character he plays.
knightbook1003 2 months ago
Kenneth B is the best Hamlet - yes better then Laurence Oliver (a very close second).
2write2sing2dance 2 months ago
why do we have to read this in high school, it's a nice story and all but as a MUST in schools is a little naive. i'm guessing whoever mandatory has never read it themselves!!
peacelovr234 2 months ago
@peacelovr234 I didn't like Shakespeare much when I first read his work but it grew on me exponentially the more I read. You just need to be patient. I know it can be a challenge but it's well worth it. Perhaps you just have a lame teacher but Hamlet is fascinating.
MrFareru4 2 months ago
@peacelovr234 A better teacher would teach you this so that you would most likely love it & other Shakespeare plays. I hated them before I took a class in Engl. lit...almost dropped the class bcuz I saw we had to read a Shakespeare play. We got cued in on the Oxfordian theory...you might check into the authorship question. Any of the plays make much more sense ( I never understood nor liked them b4) once you know all about Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (the REAL Shakespeare). :)
knightbook1003 2 months ago
@peacelovr234 Plus, Shakespeare (Edward de Vere) actually gave us thousands upon thousands of words that we use today. Again, the right teacher MAKES the play. Shakespeare in h.s. is not naive...it's smart, but if not taught right, the teacher needs many more lit. classes (on her/his part!) ;)
knightbook1003 2 months ago
Professor lockhart!
ZahraLovesVFC 2 months ago
Comparing the different Hamlets is like comparing the different Jokers of Batman. Each of them brought something to the role and you can't deny them than. I honestly couldn't tell you if I liked Branagh or Tennant better. They are both awesome in their own way.
RavnMTM 2 months ago 2
People complaining about Branagh's speed in this delivery clearly don't take the time to actually think about anything for long. One's thoughts appear with exceeding celerity when they are allowed to flow, though utterance must, by the mechanics of speech, slow them down somewhat. Still, to take a bloody age over this soliloquy is to miss the point of it.
For the record, he's moving steadily closer to his Father's murderer with that drawn dagger; that "mirror" is one-way glass. Context etc.
ExNihilMetal 2 months ago 18
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jagotiberan211 2 months ago
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@ExNihilMetal That must have sounded very intelligent in your mind. Your thoughts must be moving with such an "exceeding celerity" that you don't even have time to edit them.
jagotiberan211 2 months ago
@ExNihilMetal Agreed! Shakespeare's words have a certain rhythm, you can't just pause anywhere you like. And you can't really do anything about the actor's age. Only an older/middle-aged man with experience can understand this role as opposed to a modern teenager.
darkendivide 2 weeks ago
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Hello everybody, I have produced a student film version of this speech and any feedback anybody thdy can offer would be most appreciated. Its on my channel.
johncswheatley 2 months ago
If my two cents is worth anything (which it's not, really), I like David Tennant's version better. Of course, I'm just a biased fangirl, but this version is fast and it's like Kenneth isn't really thinking it through.
David seems so very emotional, even though he doesn't cry or freak out, you can tell he's scared and sad and thinking it all through. Plus, he's staring right at you and there is no music, just the sound of a desperate, conflicted voice. But like I said, I might be totally biased.
PhoenixWormwood137 3 months ago
I haven't seen this film, but he is not doubting! Hamlet is nothing BUT doubt! David Tennant hesitates, stops now and then and....hence it depicts the scene a little closer...
mimjack 3 months ago
I feel like David Tennant's version was more expressive. all he does in this scene is get closer and closer to a mirror and says everything in the same tone and voice
jjrsj8110 3 months ago 3
Close, Hamlet is actually Lockhart in the Harry Potter series
flipflopgirl2012 3 months ago
damn....this is so good....like actually feel what he speaks, i love his voice in this and how he says it...
chicharitohernandez8 3 months ago 2
HARRY POTTER
SavageSasuke888 3 months ago
have to memorize this in a few hours. dammit.
victoriaaa1093 3 months ago
Best Hamlet film ever
casemanprice 3 months ago 2
this is my favorite hamlet production ever, with david tennants hamlet on the second place
this is just too good to believe; thank you, oh great kenneth
littlemissmello 3 months ago
No its actually Glideroy Lockhart
pinkmonkeyification 3 months ago 38
@pinkmonkeyification We actually watched this today in English, and someone in my class exclaimed: "Isn't that Professor Lockhart?" xD That was soo funny. xD
maaneblomme 3 weeks ago
@pinkmonkeyification : It's Gilderoy. Obviously you can't read your own classics.
JoseAngelGL 2 weeks ago
@JoseAngelGL I don't get your point?
pinkmonkeyification 2 weeks ago
Anyone else doing this monologue for their Drama A-level?
kinglorimer 3 months ago
To see this is to see sheer talent shining forth. The way his voice caresses and wraps itself around those words, how still he is. He needs no hysterics, he is all mad within himself. This left me chilled.
thesunwasrising 3 months ago
Sorry Mr. Branagh,,,Unsatisfactory
enagyb 3 months ago
its not draco it's gilderoy lockheart
keyaro123 3 months ago 5
...be all my sins remembered
TheMisterLube 3 months ago
@WellItsSimplyMe aka Draco Malfoy???????????
gingachick14 3 months ago
Best Hamlet version ever.
breakyoselfvq35 3 months ago
Can someone PLEASE explain why Kenneth Branagh is supposed to be the best actor for Hamlet????
My favorite actor for this soliloquy and for the whole play in general is Mel Gibson. When he speaks it really seems like he´s pondering. Maybe David Tennant is the best actor for this scene, but the best camera work combined with the acting makes me like the movie with Mel Gibson the most =)
So why Kenneth Branagh? aka Draco Malfoy =)
WellItsSimplyMe 3 months ago
by far the best actor for hamlet
XeroChoice600 3 months ago
People complain about memorizing one soliloquy. I was Macbeth this year and I had to memorize the whole damn play.
RoadToDawnZ 3 months ago 20
I have to memorize this whole soliloquy. Damn.
coolbrandon92 4 months ago
I didn't need to memorize this in high school.
But I still did because it's amazing.
maximumpwnage 4 months ago
i am going to print out the "to be or not to be script"
and like highlight the frick outta that thing
and i still wont know what it means
Brookie3001 4 months ago
we can memorize like all our favorite songs word by word and this little speech is so hard to memorize! I love the speech though, its has a lot of meaning to it:)
leafspie2020 4 months ago
I need to memeorize this for to get into a High School FUUUUUU....
LegendofNintendo17 4 months ago
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MaxisickProductions 4 months ago
This is utter crap. There's no evidence that he even knows what the soliloquy is about and plenty that he doesn't. Why does he look so decisive in a speech that's all about indecision? Who contemplates suicide through gritted teeth? Where does he even think the bit about the "mortal coil" fits in grammatically? At "Must give us pause" why doesn't he? He's just rumbling away in a husky monotone and everybody thinks it's great cos he's KB. At least David Tennant parsed the sentences correctly.
angthuonimo 4 months ago
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angthuonimo 4 months ago
It's Draco Malfoy.
mcconnelljw 4 months ago 42
@mcconnelljw
Its actually Professor Lockhart ;)
xoxrachiee 4 months ago 2
@mcconnelljw Gilderoy Lockhart.
zman1795 3 months ago
@mcconnelljw Technically it's Professor Lockhart.
PinkCarnationProDux 3 months ago 4
@mcconnelljw Tom Felton would've been 9 when this came out XP
kzaciswan 3 months ago
@mcconnelljw Gilderoy Lockhart, actually.
Sorgutentarer 2 months ago
@mcconnelljw it's actually Gilderoy Lockheart; don't believe me? Search it!
karwin64 1 month ago
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. There’s the respect
That makes calamity of so long life.
Jwingfield1588 4 months ago
Jwingfield1588 4 months ago
I just sit here... entranced... playing with my throwing knife and my bodkins and farldes...
JeffreyWerewindle 4 months ago
I NEED TO FUKN MEMORIZE THIS DAMN!
Roghi3 4 months ago 140
@Roghi3 so do i
aoboegirl 4 months ago
@Roghi3 good luck bro GOOD LUCK....
Scorinitron 3 months ago
@Roghi3 DUDE ME TOO
alexdostaler 3 months ago
@Roghi3 me to... :(
3BALL4 3 months ago
@Roghi3 oo do you have it for a school project?
dinushka97 3 months ago
@dinushka97 well a test
Roghi3 3 months ago
@Roghi3 Me to!!!! LOL
NonSufficientFunds 2 months ago
@Roghi3 Same :-/
321bornthisway 2 months ago
@Roghi3 same
waynewittjrmsncom 2 months ago
kate winslet is so fucking sexy.
vincentprice121 5 months ago
una grande interpretazione per un grande film. Hamlet è un trattato di filosofia oltre che un'opera di teatro....Branagh commuove! Grazie
TheDinmartin 5 months ago
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500 years later and still a MASTERPIECE
outsmartold9 5 months ago
500 years later and still a MASTERPIECE
outsmartold9 5 months ago 4
Stupendous performance by Branagh aside, I LOVE the way he shot this film. The vibrant colors and beautifully lit sets were a wonderful departure from the usual dark look of other Hamlet films/productions. I don't like squinting through movies...
jg2904 5 months ago
Brilliant far better than Burton
texasteejay 5 months ago
PROFESSOR LOCKEHARTE
milkinme 5 months ago
Genius or ingenious. That is the question.
ThePremiumGoods 6 months ago
i sleep
varilla111 6 months ago
The beauty of this, to me, is that we mostly see Hamlet's reflection rather than Hamlet himself. It does a beautiful job of highlighting the fact that Hamlet (in Brannaugh's interpretation and my own as well) is not really as mad or as unsure as he would have Claudius, Ophelia, and Polonius believe and that they see only his projection of himself.
NumbFlynn 7 months ago
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angthuonimo 4 months ago
i feel its between kenneth and David tennant
GuitarRocker2008 7 months ago
I wonder if Hamlet realised that Polonius and Claudius were behind the mirror and just went along with it, I mean there was a door handle.
DarKnightofCydonia 8 months ago
@DarKnightofCydonia Act I scene IV would suggest he was quite aware and was feigning a descent into madness.
NumbFlynn 7 months ago
The best year EVERRR =)
jtmeee 8 months ago
i'm working on memorizing this. it's so beautiful
knightsintodreams 9 months ago
SPOILER ALERT
The Uncle Done it.
MichealPrendergast 9 months ago 4
@MichealPrendergast No way!
thereesak 9 months ago
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@MichealPrendergast No way!
:)
thereesak 9 months ago
anyone know where I can watch Brannaghs film version free online theres no full english one on you tube
stumby12 9 months ago
@stumby12 nah but netflix has it. you can get a free trial for a month i think. it'sa worth it dude
knightsintodreams 9 months ago
It's gilderoy lockhart!
mattwypacostacos 9 months ago 3
I just realized that Claudius and Polonius were behind the mirror where Hamlet is giving the 'to be or not to be...' This is by far the best adaptation of this Play...at least in my opinion.
jjbb81 10 months ago
how did they film this scene with all the mirrors?
OARfanatic 11 months ago 2
@OARfanatic Editing. Edit out all the crew in post production.
ShadowNeverDies 10 months ago
he is a god
gh777gh 11 months ago 6
This is pretty difficult to memorize, which i have to do for a assignment, and say it from memory in front of my class X_x
oaio62 1 year ago
I love Kenneth-- his Benedick, and particularly his Iago are spectacular-- but I can't bring myself to like his interpretation of Hamlet. It's too evil, too adult. He completely ignores just how childish Hamlet is, and it's painfully obvious in this speech. He shows no frailty, no weakness. It's frustrating to me that he ignores such a huge and, to me, vital aspect of the character.
misinmyname 1 year ago
Whether or not Hamlet is confronting Polonius and Claudius is arguable. Does he know they are there? but, I think Hamlet is definately confronting himself in this scene. That is why he speaks into a mirror, he is directly speaking to his feelings, and perhaps convincing claudius that he is insane as he does throughout the play.
xMrDavid2112x 1 year ago
i like kenneth better as Iago in Othello unstead of him playing hamlet no dount that he was go playing Hamlet but it is my opinion though...
SportsGirl3456 1 year ago
i like kenneth better as Iago in Othello unstead of him playing hamlet no dount that he was go playing Hamlet but it is my opinion though...
SportsGirl3456 1 year ago
He does a great job on the soliloquy. The only thing that i wasnt a big fan of is, isnt he a little old for the role of Hamlet? i mean, Hamlet is about the age of 18-21. He looks like hes 30
TwoTekah 1 year ago
he is a god.
mattscalloper 1 year ago
Branagh is truly genius. I have seen several Hamlet's and none of them get the true message and meaning behind the piece as Branagh does. Branagh is a truly genius actor and director, being able to understand, interpret and deliver "Hamlet" as Shakespeare would want it done.
Grahammpatton 1 year ago
its amazing how you can't see the camera
XbobXhefferX89X 1 year ago
@XbobXhefferX89X you're not directly behind him. the camera is farther back, zooming in, and the mirror is tilted
acolytetojippity 1 year ago
I have seen a rendition with a more calm Hamlet (overall, not necessarily in this scene) and I think Branagh finds an excellent balance between being an absolutely insane, enraged, man and being a completely melancholy depressed man. It is clear from his Hamlet that Hamlet is not totally insane, and more rational, but might be teetering on the edge. I like it. =D
oneofakind93 1 year ago
Personally i think it takes Branagh far too long to get into this speech. the first 30seconds of the speech is almost thrown away! overall its not bad tho! definately picks up towards the end!
joshspriggs 1 year ago
Branagh directed Hamlet, I believe, with the over-the-top quality in which it was truly written. Other film versions are just too stale. If only that they would melt, thaw and resolve themselves into a dew. Branagh is the best.
TenderTrap86 1 year ago
My English teacher is making us right a essay about this. awesome.
alphacatreplyer 1 year ago
@alphacatreplyer if your english teacher would make you right, he would make you write right as write.
Tryclyde 1 year ago
This is the scene that changed my mind about this movie! I was so curious about how Kenneth would choose to deliver this soliloquy and, it turns out, wonderfully!
MissPixieFan 1 year ago
I really don't feel anything when whatching this interpretation...which i think is the point of theatre, isn't it? To inspire some emotion in your audience? Hard to do that when you don't express any emotion yourself. In my own humble opinion, this scene should be thick with indicision and pain, but Branagh seems so calm; not at all like one who wants to die but fears the reprecussions.
GirlVash 1 year ago
I love how this is the only interpretation that I've seen that actually notices that he is being watched and knows it. Well done.
TooMuchCrimeDrama 1 year ago
@TooMuchCrimeDrama I agree. The second half of the speech takes on a different tone if you examine it that way. I think he catches on that Claudius is after him, and does seriously contemplate suicide for a moment, but he realizes that's what Claudius wants and backs out of it more determined than ever.
JamesOhGoodie 8 months ago
im blind what colour is he
edwards21416 1 year ago
This is perhaps the best-filmed version of this moment.
11strelokfan1000 1 year ago
Kate Winslet's in this movie...? This is automatically the best filmic adaptation of Hamlet ever!
HenryKrinkle666 1 year ago 2
I'm hard on Branagh's Hamlet, but this is the best interpretation of this scene I've seen. This is Hamlet -- the theatre-lover and consummate player -- sowing confusion for a faceless spy whose presence he senses. The slow stride toward the mirror is perfect. What's wrong here is he's too calm, too rational and self-possessed. The speech is really part of Hamlet's "antic disposition," faking uncertainty about questions of the afterlife about which he -- bitterly -- knows all too well.
mistabobdobolina 1 year ago 36
@mistabobdobolina You're quite the intellect, eh? Seriously, respect. This is the smartest comment I have ever seen on youtube. :)
SpiderXxPirate 1 year ago
@mistabobdobolina calm down buddy we all like him but keep those special feelings to yourself
FOZproductionz 1 year ago
@mistabobdobolina he's not faking anything. i'm sorry that this is sai 8 months after the fact, but he is not acting here. he is truly debating with himself suicide, because he cannot bear his life. he's not using this to make anyone believe his madness, but instead to quite literally weigh the pro's and con's of living
acolytetojippity 1 year ago
@acolytetojippity "he is truly debating with himself suicide, because he cannot bear his life. "
That's a common interpretation, but it actually doesn't fit the character or the dramatic structure of the play. Hamlet is tormented but not bipolar; the scene before this one sees him formulating his plan to catch out Claudius, there would be no reason for him to be genuinely contemplating suicide one scene later. I think Branagh knows this, which is why he's not playing it that way.
mistabobdobolina 1 year ago
@mistabobdobolina but he's alone here. alone with no-one but his own thoughts. as far as he knows (the audience knows differently) he is the only one who can hear him. it's more of an inner monologue. "weather 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" the entire scene is him basically saying that his life sucks, but he cannot kill himself for fear of the eternal dreams he would face
acolytetojippity 1 year ago
@acolytetojippity "but he's alone here"
Is he? He has no reason to believe this. Hamlet is well aware that Elsinore is honeycombed with spy-holes and secret passages. He also knows he's an object of Claudius' suspicions; hence the "antic disposition" in the first place. And also, this scene isn't written as Hamlet just wandering around talking to himself. He is SUMMONED to this room, and finds it suspiciously empty when he arrives. (Modern staging often omits this important detail.)
mistabobdobolina 1 year ago
@mistabobdobolina I always interpreted his calmness as being sinister, not exactly calm. Hamlet is giving a sort of performance of his own throughout the play in feigning madness, this scene is more of a reveal that even Hamlet doesnt know if he's gone insane or not. I assumed it is him going off the deep end, and the reaction Claudius has toward it.
TheCryoScales 1 year ago
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@TheCryoScales: "this scene is more of a reveal that even Hamlet doesnt know if he's gone insane or not."
Could be read that way, true. I've always thought that reveal comes right after this soliloquy. When Ophelia comes along and behaves bizarrely enough to alert Hamlet to her part in helping her father spy on him, Hamlet really *does* lose it.
mistabobdobolina 1 year ago
@mistabobdobolina,
I appreciate your interpretation of this particular scene... but I rather like Mr. Branagh's interpt. of this scene. Where as Sr. Olivier's Hamlet is much more brooding and unstable, Mr. Branagh's scene is of a much more calculating, yet no less unstable, Hamlet. This along with the multiple mirrors lends a cinematic interpt. of a Hamlet with multiple "personalities."
jfmart73 11 months ago
@mistabobdobolina I dont think one can for sure say that Hamlet knows he is being listned to. I've read a few interpertations and most say no one can be certain. I dont know, maybe you have read more than I.
bfoaliali 6 months ago
@mistabobdobolina That makes him more mad in my mind. If I was as mad and depressed as he was, I wouldn't be calm or "rational," I would be hysterical.
itachideidara4eva 5 months ago
@mistabobdobolina I think you're reading too much into it. Shakespearean tragedies generally deal with mental illness and H shows suicidal tendencies throughout the play. There's no evidence in the text that he knows about the spies, and no reason he'd put on this particular ruse if he did. If he really is contemplating suicide here, then KB's rendition through gritted teeth is absurd.
angthuonimo 4 months ago 3
Had to watch this for English, and I didn't expect to love this movie so much x3
It's so brilliantly made, despite the four hour length. Such a different feel from other Hamlet versions I've seen [Like the Olivier, Gibson, and Hawke adaptations]
CrazyPerson508 1 year ago 3
Soliloquies are the very essence of most of Shakespeare's plays. Shakespeare was a genus. No doubt about it!
omidrs2005 1 year ago