Hamlet’s second soliloquy (2.2)
Now I am alone. O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I! (555)
Is it not monstrous that this player here,
But in a fiction, in a dream of passion,
Could force his soul so to his own conceit
That from her working all his visage wann'd,
Tears in his eyes, distraction in's aspect, (560)
A broken voice, and his whole function suiting
With forms to his conceit? and all for nothing!
For Hecuba!
What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba,
That he should weep for her? What would he do, (565)
Had he the motive and the cue for passion
That I have? He would drown the stage with tears
And cleave the general ear with horrid speech,
Make mad the guilty and appall the free,
Confound the ignorant, and amaze indeed (570)
The very faculties of eyes and ears. Yet I,
A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak,
Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause,
And can say nothing; no, not for a king,
Upon whose property and most dear life (575)
A damn'd defeat was made. Am I a coward?
Who calls me villain? breaks my pate across?
Plucks off my beard, and blows it in my face?
Tweaks me by the nose? gives me the lie i' the throat,
As deep as to the lungs? who does me this? (580)
Ha!
'Swounds, I should take it: for it cannot be
But I am pigeon-liver'd and lack gall
To make oppression bitter, or ere this
I should have fatted all the region kites (585)
With this slave's offal: bloody, bawdy villain!
Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!
O, vengeance!
Why, what an ass am I! This is most brave,
That I, the son of a dear father murder'd, (590)
Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell,
Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words,
And fall a-cursing, like a very drab,
A scullion!
Fie upon't! foh! About, my brain! I have heard (595)
That guilty creatures sitting at a play
Have by the very cunning of the scene
Been struck so to the soul that presently
They have proclaim'd their malefactions;
For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak (600)
With most miraculous organ. I'll have these players
Play something like the murder of my father
Before mine uncle: I'll observe his looks;
I'll tent him to the quick: if he but blench,
I know my course. The spirit that I have seen (605)
May be the devil: and the devil hath power
To assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps
Out of my weakness and my melancholy,
As he is very potent with such spirits,
Abuses me to damn me: I'll have grounds (610)
More relative than this: the play 's the thing
Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.
Is it not monstrous that this player here,
But in a fiction, in a dream of passion,
Could force his soul so to his own conceit
That from her working all his visage wann'd,
Tears in his eyes, distraction in's aspect, (560)
A broken voice, and his whole function suiting
With forms to his conceit? and all for nothing!
For Hecuba!
What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba,
That he should weep for her? What would he do, (565)
Had he the motive and the cue for passion
That I have? He would drown the stage with tears
And cleave the general ear with horrid speech,
Make mad the guilty and appall the free,
Confound the ignorant, and amaze indeed (570)
The very faculties of eyes and ears. Yet I,
A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak,
Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause,
And can say nothing; no, not for a king,
Upon whose property and most dear life (575)
A damn'd defeat was made. Am I a coward?
Who calls me villain? breaks my pate across?
Plucks off my beard, and blows it in my face?
Tweaks me by the nose? gives me the lie i' the throat,
As deep as to the lungs? who does me this? (580)
Ha!
'Swounds, I should take it: for it cannot be
But I am pigeon-liver'd and lack gall
To make oppression bitter, or ere this
I should have fatted all the region kites (585)
With this slave's offal: bloody, bawdy villain!
Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!
O, vengeance!
Why, what an ass am I! This is most brave,
That I, the son of a dear father murder'd, (590)
Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell,
Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words,
And fall a-cursing, like a very drab,
A scullion!
Fie upon't! foh! About, my brain! I have heard (595)
That guilty creatures sitting at a play
Have by the very cunning of the scene
Been struck so to the soul that presently
They have proclaim'd their malefactions;
For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak (600)
With most miraculous organ. I'll have these players
Play something like the murder of my father
Before mine uncle: I'll observe his looks;
I'll tent him to the quick: if he but blench,
I know my course. The spirit that I have seen (605)
May be the devil: and the devil hath power
To assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps
Out of my weakness and my melancholy,
As he is very potent with such spirits,
Abuses me to damn me: I'll have grounds (610)
More relative than this: the play 's the thing
Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.
rogue ] Useless vagrant.
peasant ] A person of little integrity (see The Taming of the Shrew 4.1.113).
player...Hecuba ] This passage is often very difficult for
students, and standard annotations leave them wanting. So it is best
paraphrased:
Is it not horribly unfair
that this actor, pretending to feel great passion, could, based on what he has
conceived in his own mind, force his own soul to believe the part that he is
playing, so much so that all the powers of his body adapt themselves to suit
his acting needs, so that he grows agitated ("distraction in's
aspect"), weeps, and turns pale ("wann'd")? And why does he
carry on so? Why does he pretend until he truly makes himself weep? For Hecuba! But why? What
are they to each other?
Hamlet wishes he could arouse his passions so.
Hecuba ] Trojan queen and heroine of classical mythology.
Earlier in 2.2 Hamlet asks the First Player to recite a monologue retelling
Hecuba's response to the death of her husband, King Priam. The Player tells us
that Hecuba's grief was profound and "Would have made milch the burning
eyes of heaven/And passion in the gods" (505-6). The contrast between
Gertrude and Hecuba should be noted. To Hamlet, Hecuba has responded
appropriately to her husband's death, while Gertrude has not.
cue for passion ] The reason for strong feelings.
Make mad the guilty ] "By his description of the crime he
would drive those spectators mad who had any such sin on their conscience, and
would horrify even the innocent" (Kittredge 68),
amaze ] Plunge into confusion.
muddy-mettled ] Dull-spirited.
peak ] Moping about; languishing, unable to act.
John-a-dreams ] A nickname for a dreamer.
unpregnant ] "Pregnant" here does not mean "with
child", but rather, quick or ready. Thus to be "unpregnant" is
to be unable to act quickly.
pate ] Head.
swounds ] God's wounds.
pigeon-liver'd ] In the Renaissance, the gentle disposition of
the Dove was explained by the argument that it had no gall and thus no capacity
to feel resentment or to seek revenge. The liver also was seen as the body's
storehouse for courage.
region kites ] The birds of prey in the region, circling in the
sky, waiting to feed. If Hamlet were not "pigeon-liver'd" (583) he
would have long ago fed Claudius to the hawks.
kindless ] Unnatural.
drab ] A whore.
scullion ] A kitchen helper, either man or woman but usually a
woman. It was a term used to show contempt. One should note that in the second
quarto, scullion was actually "stallyon", which means a male whore.
Scholars are still undecided on the matter, but scullion is the more generally
accepted of the two.
proclaim'd their malefactions ] Announced their evil deeds.
blench ] Flinch.
Source: http://shakespeare.about.com/library/weekly/aa061500b.htm
2.2 Soliloquy Explication
In the comment box write an explication
(one page, 300 words) of this soliloquy. An explications is not a paraphrase or
a summary, but explains and explores a text thoroughly. You will explain what
Hamlet is saying and how he says it. (What the text says and what it does.)
When explaining “what Hamlet is saying,” remember that
the soliloquy is a tool that Shakespeare uses to show Hamlet’s mind at work.
Ask yourself “what does this reveal about Hamlet?” and “how does what he says
fit into the work as a whole?” Deal with the surface and the depths.)
When explaining “how he says it,” pay close attention to
the language (particular word choices, sentence structure, etc.) and imagery
(including figurative language, such as metaphors). Ask yourself “what does how
he speaks and the language that he uses reveal about Hamlet?
At the beginning of your comment write your first name and the first initial of your last name. Then write "2.2 Soliloquy Explication"
At the beginning of your comment write your first name and the first initial of your last name. Then write "2.2 Soliloquy Explication"
2.2 Soliloquy Performance Comparison
In the comment box address the following prompt: compare and contrast how two versions of the soliloquy use different strategies to convey the meaning of the soliloquy. Pay close attention to choices made the actors and directors. Interpret the significance of those choices. I'm looking forward to reading these because
of how passionate and thoughtful you were about your act one
scene two preferences.
At the beginning of your comment write your first name and the first initial of your last name. Then write "2.2 Soliloquy Performance Comparison"
At the beginning of your comment write your first name and the first initial of your last name. Then write "2.2 Soliloquy Performance Comparison"
First clip: 2.2 soliloquy, directed by Kenneth Branagh, Hamlet played by Kenneth Branagh (1996)
Second clip: 2.2 soliloquy, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, Hamlet played by Mel Gibson (1990)
Third clip: 2.2 soliloquy, directed by Michael Almereyda, Hamlet played by Ethan Hawke (2000)
Fourth clip: 2.2 soliloquy, directed by Gregory Doran, Hamlet played by David Tennant (2009)
Fifth clip: 2.2 soliloquy, directed by Laurence Olivier, Hamlet played by Laurence Olivier (1948)
Logan Hughes 2.2 soliloquy explication
ReplyDeleteIn the Act two scene two soliloquy in Hamlet, the basis of his rant is that he is ashamed of himself. He feels that it isn’t right for the actor to have such deep physical emotion during the monologue of Hecuba’s response to her husband’s death, and he in comparison doesn’t show any emotion showing the mourning of his father, though he has a much more legitimate reason to be sad. He is disgusted with himself and reprimands himself for his lack of action towards avenging his father’s death, even though he said that that was the only thing on his mind. Basically, he was upset that the actor did such a good job of portraying false sadness, when Hamlet couldn’t even conjure up his own sadness and make it open for the public to see (that and his blatant inaction towards doing something about his father’s death.) He says that if someone were to insult him by calling him a villain or a coward, and physically abuses him, he wouldn’t even gat mad because it would be true. He also compares himself to a whore, saying that he said he gave his heart to his father one minute, and the next minute he put it completely out of his mind. Hamlet proceeds to call himself many offensive names, such as a “Bloody, bawdy villain! Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!” He than comes up with a seemingly brilliant plan to find out for sure if his uncle is really the culprit of his father’s demise. He decides to make the actors perform a skit that is similar to what the ghost claimed happened between him and his uncle to cause his death. He would then pay careful attention to his uncle’s reaction, seeing if he fidgets, and plans to “catch the conscience of the king”. Because this is a Shakespearean tragedy, this plan is foreshadowing the tragedy that is about to occur. This realization about Hamlet and his conflict between trusting the ghost and killing his uncle, versus not believing that the ghost is anything more than the devil and going on with his life is the basic conflict throughout the entire work of literature.
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ReplyDeleteArly M.
ReplyDelete“2.2 Soliloquy Explication”
Hamlet begins the soliloquy with; “O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I.” That is to say, he uses offensive terms in order to depict himself as a useless vagrant of little integrity. Hamlet starts to insult himself. Subsequently, Hamlet begins to portray the actor, “Tears in his eyes, distraction in’s aspect, A broken voice…and all for nothing!” Hamlet views the actor’s strong acting abilities as shocking due to the fact that he has no real drive nor cause to feel so strongly for something, or as Hamlet puts it, for nothing. Let alone, the actor has no familiarity with Hecuba to feel in such a way nor does he have a “motive and the cue for passion.” Not to mention, Hamlet compares the actor’s reactions to his own personal feelings. In fact, he believes that the audience would react very differently if they truly recognized the actual agony it is to feel a loss like Hamlet. Nonetheless, with the use of contrasting imagery, Hamlet begins to illustrate the audience’s potential reactions, “he would drown the stage with tears And cleave the general ear with horrid speech, Make mad the guilty and appall the free...” Notably, the audience would be strongly affected if they were aware of Hamlet’s challenging dilemmas.
Moreover, Hamlet makes the transition from how he analyses the actor’s reflection to his own individual image. Hamlet mainly distinguishes the actor’s emotions to his own. Throughout, the soliloquy, Hamlet is repeatedly comparing himself to this actor. Further on, Hamlet continues to offend himself by referring his individuality as, “A dull and muddy-melted rascal, peak, Like John’s-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause, And can say nothing.” Through questioning, Hamlet considers himself a coward for concealing the information he attains. For one thing, he believes that Claudius should have been killed a while ago and he is concerned for others’ responses regarding his position. Hamlet is afraid to be called a liar or a “villain,” if people were truly aware of his stance. Yet again, he feels guilty and believes that he deserves to be treated this way. Ironically he eventually calls himself brave for withstanding it all after calling himself, “Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindles villain!” As a result, he constructs a plan in order to test Claudius’s conscience by having the actors perform a script that resembles his father’s murder.
Hamlet is very insecure of himself, he feels very confident at some points, yet brings his self-esteem down at others. Due to his father’s murder and the ghost’s message, he feels as though he is able to and will be able to avenge his father’s murder. It fits to the work as a whole because it shows the reader what Hamlet’s inner reflections and uncertainties are. This demonstrates how Hamlet identifies himself and others throughout the play.
Arly M.
ReplyDelete"2.2 Soliloquy Performance Comparison"
The Mel Gibson and the David Tennant clips are two versions of the soliloquy that use different strategies to convey the meaning of the soliloquy. The Mel Gibson clip begins from line 582 “Swounds..” and the David Tennant clip is the complete soliloquy. Both of the clips demonstrate anger and frustration. However, Mel Gibson expresses this differently. He begins by speaking softly and all of the sudden starts to yell and changes his voice to describe the desperation and the extreme rage Hamlet is feeling. He bolts and waves his arms out and looks naturally all around. The director’s choice in the background music contributes to the soliloquy because it adds to the tension. The fact that he looks outside shows how he came up with the plan to trap the conscience of the king. Mel Gibson’s actions and words are all organized to demonstrate how the transitions change.
The David Tennant clip is more modern. The director here made sure to have Tennant make eye contact with the audience in order to show the anger in his eyes. Tennant began differently by breaking the camera and sat on the ground. He similarly began by speaking softly and gradually got up and started waving his arms. He questions to the audience, whether he is coward, which is how Shakespeare puts in the soliloquy because Hamlet is worried about other’s responses. Tennant and Gibson both yell at “O vengeance!” considering, this is the part Hamlet feels most frustrated. The director here adds the music of the tension in the end, while Tennant fiercely looks at the camera.
Hope W.
ReplyDeleteSoliloquy explication 2.2
In this soliloquy Hamlet explores many levels of emotion and as he continues to talk, he makes more and more connections between the actors in the play and how they mourn and how his own family has mourned for his father’s death. When Hamlet says “A broken voice, and his whole function suiting With forms to his conceit? And all for nothing? For Hecuba!” he is analyzing how the actor acted in response to the death of Hecuba, he sees this reaction as an overreaction. As Hamlet realizes this he seems to be very angry that people mourn on such a high level for someone who died, while it seems that in his own life no one has mourned for his father, a King and a murder victim. After Hamlet has made this realization, he seems to be furious with Claudius and wishes that the actors would have depicted his current situation for all to see, “I’ll have these players Play something like the murder of my father Before my uncle” When Hamlet states this he wishes that Claudius be called out on his actions and forced to face the reality of what he has done and how it affects other people. The anger that is building up inside of him makes the revenge he has been told to take that much sweeter and he is anxious to begin.
The way that Hamlet is able to bring all of these different levels of feelings across is in the most compelling way. The reader is immediately intrigued when Hamlet begins be saying “O, what a rogue and pleasant slave I am” this first line makes readers ask questions like why does Hamlet feel this way? What is happening inside his head? And what is really happening here? Making the reader continues to read with all of these questions in mind, and as you read on the questions become clearer and clearer. Also Hamlet uses intense imagery like when he says “Plucks off my beard and blows it in my face?” however strange this imagery may be it makes the first statement in this series (“Who calls me a villain?”) very clear, Hamlet is drawing the audience a picture of his thoughts which improves everything about the soliloquy and improves it, clarifying the purpose.
Hope W.
ReplyDelete2.2 Soliloquy performance Comparison
In the Branagh soliloquy Hamlet is frustrated angry and violent, as he performs that soliloquy he seems to become increasingly more violent as the scene continues. In the beginning of the scene Hamlet is just using hand gestures but by the end he in screaming, yelling, throwing, and breaking things all because of his fury towards that actors and the play. While in Tennant’s version he is in a crazied state, he is equally frustrated but seems to be completely paranoid. At the beginning of his soliloquy he rips a camera out of the wall and talks to himself, but not in the a way where he is pondering his thoughts he seems to believe that he is talking to someone else and that they are listening and observing his craziness. Tennant is also wearing no shoes and his hair is sticking up, and he looks genuinely crazy in Branagh’s soliloquy he is in more formal attire and seems to be in a sane state of mind and no one can question his sanity. Both in Tennant and Branaghs versions the actors seemed overwhelmed with anger and frustration with the way the actors portrayed there loss, which set the same mood of horror for the audience watching them.
Kacie Quinn
ReplyDelete2.2 Soliloquy Explication
1) In this soliloquy Hamlet reveals just how unaware he actually is. He uses a comparison between himself and one of the actors who was able to make others believe that he was truly passionate about the matter he was reciting. At this point, he shows that he may not be as crazy as he appears to be. He shows that, like the actor, he may be able to manipulate others into believing that he feels something that he does not. He also contrasts himself from the actor, though, by stating that the actor has much less motivation for his deceit. He states that, had the actor had the same motivation, he would be able to fool everyone on the stage. These comparisons and contrast shine much more light on Hamlet's character than the actor that he's comparing himself to. Further on, Hamlet questions himself, wondering if he is a “coward.” Again, he uses a comparison to actors on the stage, with their costumes, seeming positive that there is no one who would believe that he wasn't, in fact, crazy. Unlike the actors, no one else knows that he is actually acting. Throughout the passage, it's clear that Hamlet thinks very lowly of himself. He compares himself to a “whore” and a “scullion” (which the the notes reveal means a kitchen servant). He states that the actors will perform a play that is similar to his father's murder. He hopes to reveal things through the similarities, that Claudius won't be able to disguise his guilt. It's also an interesting pattern that, while Hamlet believes himself to be an actor and able to hide his true feelings, he doesn't believe that Claudius himself can do so. This creates a big contrast between Hamlet and his Uncle.Throughout this soliloquy, Hamlet uses comparisons and contrasts as well as similarities and differences to reveal truths to readers and to also get the truth for himself.
Throughout the soliloquy, Hamlet's anger becomes more and more apparent. At first, he seems to self-loathing, considering from the comparisons he uses. Further on, though, Hamlet's language falls more into what it seems would be “taboo” language in the time period that this was written. He says things like “'Swounds” and “bloody.” His language becomes much less refined the further the soliloquy progresses, and it reveals that Hamlet is likely losing control of himself. I feel that this is Shakespeare's intention for this soliloquy: to show that, while Hamlet is losing control of his emotions, he seems unaware of the fact, since he compares himself to an actor.
2) Out of the five videos, I found Tennant's portrayal to be the strongest. He was very believably crazy from the get-go, and made it seem as if Hamlet's “act” wasn't really an act at all. It brought a whole new depth to the character that I hadn't seen while reading the play. The backdrop also gave viewers a lot to look at and was an interesting contrast to his own attire.
ReplyDeleteMy second favorite was Branagh's potrayal. As in the first Act, I liked how what Branagh was wearing contrasted with the white of the scene behind him. He also used the props within the room, so people watching didn't have to focus just on him for the entire time. I also liked how he slowly built up his craziness. By the end, I was convinced that Hamlet was truly insane.
While Gibson's potrayal was very believable, I didn't think that the scene itself was very good visually. It was kind of bleak and made me very bored. The boring background didn't fit well with Gibson's well-acted portrayal.
The Hawke clip was a bit unsettling. I didn't like how he wasn't actually speaking the words, and the fact that it was the original dialogue but in modern times didn't fit very well.
The last clip, the Oliver one, was extremely short. I found it odd that the director would choose to cut such a seemingly important part for his film. He only keeps the last two lines of the soliloquy, and it really doesn't portray Hamlet's feelings at all.
Carren J
ReplyDelete“ O, what a rogue and peasant slave I am!”, shows Hamlets frustration with himself not being able to be as passionate about what he has to do. He calls himself “a rouge” and “a peasant”, shows how Hamlet feels about himself. Hamlet also point out how the actors can basically force themselves to believe the part they are playing, pointing out how the actors pretend and weep for Hecuba, who they have no relation with, yet he can’t do so with his father who he is related to and knows very well. By pointing out the strategy of passion in acting, he wishes he could be as passionate as the actors as he performs his task that has been laid on him by the ghost. “What would he do, had he the motive and the cue of passion that I have? He would drown the stage with tears and cleave the general ear with horrid speech...” Hamlet is implying that he has so much that he is holding in and if he was to let it out it would be some nasty staff. Hamlet continues to express himself through others. He does not step out to say “this is how I feel and this is what I want to do about it” but instead uses actors to explain himself. When Hamlet decides that he will use the actors to get to his uncle, it shows the how subtle and sneaky he is, thus revealing that Hamlet is a little crazy as he wants to live his life the way an actor lives through a character. He wants to express himself the way an actor would portray him. The soliloquy shows the two sides of Hamlet; the desire to revenge but also the fear that he won’t be able to perform his crazy personality. Hamlet use of metaphors to express disappointment in himself; using words like ‘pigeon- livered’ and ‘john a dreamer’ and throughout the play, metaphors seem to be a powerful tool. Use of metaphors connects to the work as whole because the work itself is a series of metaphors.
Scene by Olivier was nowhere close to what I had in mind. It was random; it left me with a question mark, not appreciation. I don’t understand why the director would cut out such an important part of the work, especially where the viewers can finally meet hamlet. This hamlet seems more like an alternate Hamlet, a happy Hamlet, maybe that what the director’s goal was…?
ReplyDeleteBranagh I think does a very good job in portraying Hamlet, by showing ups and downs of emotion; which is how I see Hamlet. One second he is calm then crazy the next. This was a good direction by the director because it makes the viewer be aware of him, subtly hinting that this is not yet Hamlet’s worst.
Gibson’s acting was not effective in expressing the soliloquy. It sounded as though it moved parts of the soliloquy around, so the end was at the beginning. I think it sounded better the way it was originally written. The background was so dull, I found myself thinking of other things while watching it; it did not grasp my attention.
The director of the scene by Hawke RUINED this soliloquy. Hamlet is supposed to be angry and a little less depressed at this point. The modernization of Hamlet doesn’t work because the Hamlet I know does not have a computer or a TV... just to point that out.
Does anyone know how Hamlet played by Tennant knew there was a camera? O yeah by the way Hamlet u r not alone, I can still see you… He sounds like he is preaching.
The anger in the end made the work scene and the soliloquy strong and the excitement about his idea to know if Claudius was the murderer adds to the acting. Though I must say the beginning was very weak, the pulling out of the camera might have been a way for the director to show that Hamlet is crazy and/or angry
Alan D
ReplyDeleteThis soliloquy in the act 2 scene 1 done by Hamlet shows how he laments over what had happened to his father and for what he was failing to do. He says about how he is alone in his struggles. He speaks about how the actors played the role with so much enthusiasm and that he was so depressed that he was not doing anything to change what had happened and that he was struggling to get the strength to come up with a plan or to bring himself to do anything. He gets angry that people can mourn for the king with more emotion than he could or the fact that he wouldn't do anything. Hamlet calls himself a "scullion" because he is so ashamed of himself for being hesitant. He talks about how this murder can't go uncharged but as he reflects about himself he cannot think of any way to get rid of any suspicions that he had. Hamlet had to find out whether or not the king had actually committed the crime or had the ghost been lying to Hamlet. To fix any doubt Hamlet had, he had formulated a plan to have some actors perform a play that would be similar to the murder the new king had committed. Hamlet decided that if that the King reacted to the play then he would know whether or not Claudius did it or not. The problem then is that the King would most likely react anyway to the play because he is king and the play is a king being killed. So even though Hamlet has a planned to figure out what happened there are many ways that his plan can back fire and that he may end up assuming that the king did something happened that didn't.
With the different actors there were many things that I didn't like about them. With Branagh, I couldn't understand what he was saying because of his pronunciation. With Gibson he acted so angry that he talked so fast that it seemed as if he was skipping lines. The part in the 3rd video was inefective was that it was showing TV and that he just droned on and on. Tennant unlike last time had less actions then it did before and so it showed less emotion. Oliver's part only had a few words so you don't get the whole meaning of the soliloquy. Looking at all of the scenes it was Tennant that was the most effective. This is because he was the only one who you could follow what he was saying.
Diana D.
ReplyDelete2.2 Soliloquy Explication
Hamlet began the soliloquy by saying “O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!” to express how useless he felt. He then goes on to lament on how horrible it is that an actor can easily feign such passionate emotions while he cannot. It upsets him that the actor would so easily be able to “make mad the guilty” while he can only mope and “say nothing… for a king”. In the next several lines Hamlet goes on to describe all the things he would allow to be done to him because of his cowardice. He used bird metaphors to describe his inability to avenge his father’s death. By comparing himself to such a meek bird and the fate he wished upon his uncle to threatening birds, Hamlet conveyed his anger at his fear of his own plan. This anger at himself is continued by Hamlet comparing his actions to “a scullion” going about screaming out their emotions. The rest of the soliloquy is used to further explain Hamlet’s plan to subtly determine whether or not Claudius murdered his father. Hamlet believes that if Claudius had murdered the old king then he would show discomfort at the actor’s performance. While there were hints of Hamlet’s plan previously, it is not until this point that we see why he needs to view his uncle’s guilt. For the first time we see Hamlet doubt his actions, admitting that the spirit he saw “may be the devil” and that “the devil hath power to assume a pleasing shape”. This ending the soliloquy with his resolve to get rid of self-doubt was used to highlight just how important this need to justify his actions was. This also adds leads the audience to question whether or not Hamlet is fully prepared for his task.
Katie M.
ReplyDeleteIn Hamlet's second soliloquy he basically reveals what he wishes to be. The play he had the actors put on concealed the truth but then again revealed the truth through emotion. Hamlet sat there and saw the audience shred into tears. The tears were a form of a manipulative trick. The actors got so into character they convinced the viewers to also feel the same as they did. The actors went above and beyond and added the emotion that was needed in the beginning. These traits the actors were displaying were something Hamlet could never see himself doing. Hamlet wants to take revenge out on the King, but is afraid he doesn't have the power to do it. The power, as in the will and courage as those the actors showed. His ability to express his true feeling about everything going on is more about will than the actual capability. "A damn'd defeat was made. Am I a coward?" The actors said what was needed to say, when he had the chance all along. Everyone is starting to think Hamlet has gone crazy, and the question is, has he really? The fact is, he can be looked upon as crazy. Hamlet is "using" the actors to live and tell the truth. Instead of coming out and saying what is need to be done and what life really is, he hides. The distance shown might not be certainly fear, but discouragement in himself. The disappointment revealed throughout this soliloquy is expressed through description and name calling of himself, coming from Hamlet himself. “Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words, And fall a-cursing, like a very drab, A scullion!” in this particular statement he compares himself to a whore and scullion. This just reveals how low he thinks of himself. He goes from whore, to being compared to as a kitchen servant. It is one thing if another person is making these calls, but it is Hamlet.
Olivia P.
ReplyDelete2.2 Soliloquy Explication
The soliloquy that Hamlet takes on in the closing of Act 2 Scene 2 shows a numerous set of mixed emotions when speaking about his father’s murder, his own actions, and how he’s dealt with himself for the time being. One of his first lines starts off with, “Oh, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!” discussing his anger, but self-pity towards himself and the young actor. But then he transitions his words, and questions the play. How does it have such an effect on himself and the made-up audience? And all for Hecuba? What good is she? And he questions how the young actor, can cry over a few verses in a play, when he can’t bring himself to feel the exact sadness for his own blood-related father.
As the soliloquy pushes further, Hamlet begins to question himself about his actions, and what he’s done as far as what the ghost last told him. “Yet I, A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause, and can say nothing—no, not for a king, upon whose property and most dear life, a damned defeat was made.” Here, Hamlet uses different types of literary devices to convey his point. In this quote, Hamlet uses a simile, when comparing a muddy-mettled rascal to a John-a-dreams.
Hamlet then once again refers back to doubting himself, questioning if he was a coward, and that by God, anyone that called him “the worst liar,” he would take it. Yet Hamlet’s attitude begins to alter as he goes into depth about himself and his father. “That I, the son of a dear father murdered, prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words and fall a-cursing like a very drab.”
Hamlet’s soliloquy reveals the lack of self-esteem Hamlet has, and the cowardness that he let’s take over his actions. He is extremely indecisive, but knows what to do about the king. He knows that he feels such sorrow for his father’s death, but doesn't act upon it, and in the soliloquy it’s almost as if Hamlet’s angel side is talking to his devil side. One side of him is reminding him that he’s a loser, while the other one is telling him how to handle the king, and how to move past such a traumatizing event.
The soliloquy in Act 2 Scene 2 gives insight into Hamlet’s inner workings. He berates himself for his foolhardy ways. When he states “monstrous that this player here, But in a fiction, in a dream of passion, Could force his soul so to his own conceit That from her working all his visage wann'd, Tears in his eyes, distraction in's aspect, A broken voice, and his whole function suiting With forms to his conceit? and all for nothing! For Hecuba! What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba, That he should weep for her?” he wishes to convey his self-contempt and his wish to be more expressive instead of less, as Claudius wants. Hamlet wishes to draw out the truth about his father’s death from the snake that sits on the throne that should be his. “Make mad the guilty and appall the free,” remarks Hamlet, stating his need to unmask his uncle for who he really is. But not only that, he wishes to inflict pain, mental mostly, to his uncle to make him pay for what he has done. This line of the soliloquy also expresses the wish for those who are free under the rule of Claudius will not enjoy the world where Hamlet is in control. “Play something like the murder of my father Before mine uncle: I'll observe his looks; I'll tent him to the quick: if he but blench, I know my course. The spirit that I have seen May be the devil: and the devil hath power To assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps Out of my weakness and my melancholy, As he is very potent with such spirits, Abuses me to damn me: I'll have grounds More relative than this: the play 's the thing Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.” And so the plot thickens, and Hamlet explains the way he can reveal his uncle’s true self. The inner workings of Hamlet’s mind are devious and dark, something that can change a reader’s point of view.
ReplyDeleteCorinne D Explication:
ReplyDeleteFor me, this was the fist time in the play that Hamlet appears to be conceivably insane. Previously it had always seemed like he was fairly in control, but this scene in combination with this soliloquy causes me to seriously doubt Hamlet's stability. Right off the bat his reasoning seems, to me, that of a mad man. Upon seeing the actor's short performance, he spirals into self criticism that an actor can act with more passion and remorse on a fictional subject than he, who has true cause for action, does in real life. However, it is silly for him to compare his actions to those of a character's. Real life is very often terribly different from fictional stories, no matter how real they may seem, and for Hamlet to compare the decisions that he has made to those of a character is sheer madness. Rules of logic and reason do not apply in the play world like they do in real life. One can not base their actions off the actions of a character that does not exist in the same situation as themselves, which is exactly what Hamlet tries to do. The actions of fictional characters tend to be more drastic and bold than would be advisable to any real person. For this reason, I suspect Hamlet of crossing into madness during this soliloquy. At one point during his speech, it also appears as if Hamlet is trying to accuse a nonexistent being of doing him wrong. “Who calls me 'villain'? Breaks my plate across? Plucks off my beard and blows it in my face? Tweaks me by the nose? Gives me the lie i' th' throat as deep as to the lungs? Who does me this?” It would appear as though Hamlet is yelling at another person or persons, but we know that he is alone, so this argument would seem to be going on inside his head only. Hamlet then suddenly and unexpectedly says he deserves such things, calling himself a “bloody, bawdy villain.” This sudden and violent turn against himself exemplifies Hamlet’s unstable mental state. There is very little valid reason going through Hamlet’s head during this speech. The only scrap of logic that runs through his mind is that the ghost of his father may, in fact, be the devil's attempt at deceit. His plan to determine the ghost's validity, however, is not so flawless. Hamlet thinks that he will be able to figure if the King is guilty or not based on his reaction to a performance. While it is possible that this plan will work, it also possible that Hamlet will misread the king's response. Throughout this soliloquy, Hamlet's deteriorating sanity is illustrated for the reader, inciting the audience's mistrust of his character.
Anna G.
ReplyDelete2.2 Soliloquy Explication
Hamlet throughout the second soliloquy is degrading and calling himself a coward. He wants to be able to avenge his father but he does not have the courage to take action. By coming up with every possible phrase, he destructs his faith in himself. “That I, the son of a dear father murder’d, prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words, and fall a-cursing, like a very drab, a scullion!” Hamlet describes that he’s heard that a very cunning scene of a play can touch a murderer and that he will confess what he has done. “I’ll have theses players play something like the murder of my father before mine uncle: I’ll observe his looks; I’ll tent him to the quick: if he but blench, I know my course.” He is hoping that if his father’s killers will reenact the situation they will subtly show signs and admit to killing his father. His uncle Claudius will be very uncomfortable during the performance. He is devising a somewhat logical plan that will help him catch and avenge the murderers.
Hamlet in my opinion is not actually acting that he is weak and incompetent; he is starting to believe himself that he really is this way. He seems to be developing more and more of a mental problem as the scenes progress. He is succumbing to his own convincing thoughts. Hamlet only thinks about taking action, but never starts to do anything about it. He may think that by acting a certain way, eventually it will become real and a part of him. He questions himself until it is too overwhelming for him to handle. By the end of soliloquy he is content and confident with his scheme for cornering his enemies.
Metaphors and word play are incorporated in the entire play. Many of his lines and words have multiple meanings and can be interpreted in different ways. His imagery is detailed and extremely descriptive like in lines 575-580. By reading what Hamlet says, it appears that he is very intelligent.
Katie M.
ReplyDelete2.2 Soliloquy Performance Comparison
In the performance of the second soliloquy, Mel Gibson expresses feeling with the carrying of his voice. In the starting of the video he begins not at the beginning of the soliloquy, but more towards the middle. Not even 10 seconds into it, his voice builds up to a very stern loud voice, and then gradually calms down. Throughout his whole speech he is of course talking to himself because no one else is around, but near the end it is as if he is holding a conversation with himself. The facial expressions he puts on derive up a question as if he is actually talking to someone. In the performance, starring David Tennant, I started to see major difference from the first performance I watched. The film was made 19 years later, so of course it looked more modern. The scene opened up with Hamlet shutting off and breaking a camera; which draws into the fact he is now alone. The clothes her wore were much different; jeans and a t-shirt. The surroundings where they stood were around the same, but when I noticed he had no shoes or socks on. That detail stood out to me, for some reason. Tennant’s voice was less varied than Gibson’s. Each of their expressions of the voice worked for me. One was calmer, so he seemed more serious, and on the other hand Gibson was all over the place which drew my attention. In the end I personally thought each performance was great, and both derived to the same feeling by using different strategies.
Of all performances of the Act 2 Scene 2, Ethan Hawke did the best. His tone suggested self-loathing, something that Hamlet expresses in the beginning of this segment. There was also a clarity in his voice that was not there with other actors, who tended to shrilly yell more than half the time, losing the lines and the message. There was something about the performance that also felt better, presenting a feel about our protagonist that he had motivation and the skills necessary to do it. Ethan Hawke is the strongest Hamlet when comparing the four soliloquys.
ReplyDeleteCorinne D. 2.2 Performance Comparison
ReplyDeleteI felt that, for this scene, the film with David Tennant best illustrated Hamlet’s deteriorating sanity and mental turmoil. In this version, Tennant varies his volume from just barely a whisper to a raging shout, which not only accentuates the emotions that Hamlet is experiencing in this scene, but also illustrates a certain madness that is creeping into Hamlet's character. There are several time throughout the clip that Tennant looks directly into the character. This effectively draws the audience in, making it hard for them to look away, but also making the viewers slightly uncomfortable. I think this uneasiness is good, because Hamlet is in by no means a comfortable position, and I think it is important that the audience be able to relate to that. As Tennant finishes up his performance, I couldn't help but be reminded of a scene from the Lord of the Rings, in which the character of Gollum struggles with his two identities of good and evil. During this scene in LOTR, Gollum becomes crazed, talking quickly and not making very much logical sense. Gollum makes sense to himself, though, because his reasoning benefits his true desires, aka the ring. Hamlet is very much like this other character. To the average person, his reasoning does not seem exactly sane, but since Hamlet has a somewhat subconscious desire, certain ideas suddenly seem more logical. The directing and acting in the David Tennant clip does a wonderful job of portraying this growing madness, and making the audience feel for Hamlet.
One of the other version I watched was the one with Mel Gibson. From the very beginning I noticed that the soliloquy had been cut short, and, I infer that certain scenes were switched around/ cut to make this work. This particular choice I thought was straying a bit too far from Shakespeare's original intentions, but while I am not a fan of deviations from original scripts, I did think that they managed to mend pieces of the speech together quite well. Instead of running into the players and having them recite a scene, the Hamlet in this story is already lamenting his cowardice when he sees the circus drive into town. It is then, upon seeing the performer u load their caravan, that he formulates this plan. I thought Mel Gibson did a great job acting out the facial expression of a character who is suddenly struck with an idea. I also understand that in a movie, cuts are needed, and I have to agree with the director that the performer's speech was not an essential part of the play on a whole. However, in this version, I feel that Hamlet is portrayed as considerably more sane. He is undoubtably angry, but he is not dangling on that edge of reason like Tennant was. I think this makes his performance less intense, and also takes away a certain depth from the character of Hamlet.
Good or bad, though, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the many different interpretations of this scene. My own understanding of the speech was made much clearer by doing so, and also helped me more vividly visualize the character of Hamlet.
Bethany G.
ReplyDelete2.2 Soliloquy Explication
In the middle of the soliloquy, one of the lines Hamlet says is, “Am I a coward? Who calls me villain? Breaks my pate across?…” He’s saying that he doesn’t have the courage to avenge his father. He talks about this for a couple paragraphs; he’s disgusted that he doesn’t have the capacity to murder someone, no matter what that person did to his father. Hamlet goes through a whole phase, in the middle of the soliloquy, criticizing himself. “…Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell…” He says that he is obligated to take his revenge, but he can’t bring himself to do it.
Towards the end of the soliloquy, Hamlet starts to devise a plan. He thinks that the people who could probably be suspect of killing his father, are hiding from the truth of what they did. He starts to think that if he reenacts what happened, he’ll be able to tell the murderer from the others there. In the line, “I’ll have these players play something like the murder of my father before mine uncle: I’ll observe his looks; I’ll tent him to the quick: if he but blench, I know my course.”
What Hamlet is saying in this line is, the actors will play out the scene, and he’ll be able to see who killed his father, by the looks and actions that suspect makes. It’s a very clever plan, because it is subtle and doesn’t physically harm anyone; which is exactly what Hamlet wants – he doesn’t want to kill anyone. By making this plan up, he can get what he needs, accomplished. “I’ll have grounds More relative than this: the play’s the thing Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king.” At the end of the soliloquy, Hamlet is ready to show the king who killed his father.
Bethany G.
ReplyDelete2.2 Soliloquy Performance Comparisons
D. Tennant’s adaptation of the 2.2 soliloquy was, in my opinion the strongest and most believable. I liked how, in the beginning he started off breaking the camera. It portrayed the anger Hamlet was feeling. Tennant also, actually looks like he’s loosing his mind. You can see it in his eyes, when he looks right at the camera – which I thought was a creepy but creative way to get his point across. As the video progresses, the camera moves with Tennant or Hamlet, as he goes about the room. I liked how the motion became faster and more frantic as the speech reached the end.
K. Branagh’s video was my second top choice. I think he captured Hamlet’s feelings really well. He was angry when the words called for it, and sad and confused when the lines deepened. M. Gibson’s version did this as well, although, it did cut some lines; I thought this soliloquy needed all of its words.
The other videos captured Hamlet’s soliloquy, as well, but each of them had a piece in it that I personally thought didn’t fit the speech. For example, in E. Hawke’s version, I thought it was short and wasn’t as angry as I imagined the soliloquy to be. it was quite monotone, but perhaps that was the subtle anger was the direction the director wanted to go in. Another example was in L. Olivier’s variation of the soliloquy. The entire scene seemed flamboyant and not to mention much too short to capture any of the emotion. I was kind of confused by the spinning around, and the flourish of music; it threw me off. The version didn’t show any anger, sadness, or confusion that Hamlet was feeling.
HannahEllis: 2.2 Soliloquy Explication
ReplyDeleteIn his soliloquy Hamlet firstly calls himself a “rogue and a peasant slave” because the actors were acting so well in the scenes he imagined how he should be acting trying to get revenge for his fathers death. The way he describes himself shows how strong his feelings are a rogue is somebody who is useless and a peasant slave is even lower then one of his slaves. Hamlet compares himself to the actor who was crying on the stage during a performance, he says that the actor is showing more emotion than Hamlet and he is faking the tears. Shakespeare is revealing another layer of Hamlet because people thought before this that he was actually borderline over reacting, but now he thinks that he is not reacting enough. Shakespeare is giving the image of Hamlet not doing as much as he should, or just not being good enough. Hamlet calls himself a villain and truly thinks he is wrong because he has not avenged his father correctly. But when he calls himself a villain he actually said “Who calls me a ‘villain’” Shakespeare words it so he is not outright calling himself the bad guy, but you must infer that he is. He plans to write part of a script for the actors to play that is similar to what the ghost said happened when he died. He is hoping that the King will get a guilty conscience and show signs of the King being frightened by the scene. He believes that if the new King pales at the scene he is guilty of killing the old King.Hamlet feels that if he does this he can truly avenge his father and make himself a better person. This soliloquy reveals Hamlet’s determination, but also some of his insanity, because he thinks that he is a terrible person for not avenging his father correctly.
2.2 Soliloquy Performance Comparison
Tennant and Branagh’s performances were my two favorites because I believe that they portrayed the scene the best even though they were not necessarily the same as each other. Branagh’s version was exactly like how I pictured the scene being played out, at the beginning he was breathing like he was scared or upset. Also as he went through his soliloquy he walked around and showed the right level of emotions at every part. Tennant uses his actions to portray how he feels or what is happening in the scene. He pulls of the security camera to prove that he is truly alone in this scene, also while talking about how well the actor did in his scene he accentuates this by using his hands like he, Hamlet, is acting as well. While asking “Am I a coward?” he goes right up to the camera pulling the audience in like he is asking them the question and is expecting an answer. Branagh and Tennant were the two best performances because they both were the full version and still were very different and engaging.
Olivia P.
ReplyDelete"2.2 Soliloquy Performance Comparison"
The second and third clip have two many different ways of portraying Hamlet's soliloquy. The second clip: 2.2 soliloquy, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, Hamlet played by Mel Gibson, is one where Gibson starts off very calm but evolves into an angered man. The third clip: 2.2 soliloquy, directed by Michael Almereyda, Hamlet played by Ethan Hawke, was extremely interesting. I couldn't wrap my head around the updated concept, but I did enjoy how the director shot the movie clip. How it revolved around Hawke, almost putting you into his conscience. It was extremely different from Gibson's version, seeing as Hawke doesn't speak, and although very intriguing, Gibson does a very nice job of displaying Hamlet's emotions.
However, Hawke's version was a very in depth dramatic scene. The focuses the director made truly caught the viewers eye, just as the director did in Mel Gibson's performance. The two had a way of capturing their audience, and keeping them entertained.
Emily M.
ReplyDelete2.2 soliloquy performance comparison
The best clip that portrays the mixed emotions Hamlet feels throughout his Act 2 Scene 2 soliloquy would have to be, in my opinion, The Mel Gibson version. This one stood out more than the other 4 clips because it was realistic in its portrayal, and shows Hamlet going crazy right away, which the rest failed at doing, in my perspective. The fact that Hamlet shows his emotions right away, and gets so angry at the faultiness of his dad-uncle’s feelings grasped my attention, and set the bar, in which Gibson as an actor met. The clip in which Hamlet seems most crazy is Tennant’s version of it, he makes Hamlet out to be mad, and crazy, but at some points maybe too crazy, it is known that Hamlet did go crazy, but this version didn’t define Hamlet’s craziness as well as Gibson’s version did. The clips that took away from this soliloquy altogether were the fourth and fifth one. The fourth clip was very monotone, and does not show Hamlet as the mad man he is during this soliloquy . The fifth clip left me speechless, in a negative way, it does show Hamlet going mad by the change in the music but it lacks the soliloquy which seems more vital to Hamlet’s madness than music. The first clip with Branagh was average, it seemed to drag on and was more eerie than maybe it should have been. It seemed to make Hamlet out as a more creepy person, and then leads into an angry mad man, while the Gibson version shows Hamlet’s madness right away and ties the audience in. Branagh does do a good job at going crazy, but it seemed to be a little inconsistent at times.
Yazmeen S.
ReplyDelete2.2 Soliloquy Explication
Hamlet is saying many things in the act 2 scene 2 soliloquy. The spies, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, which Claudius and Gertrude sent to watch Hamlet and get information, have just left him. He is now alone to figure his thoughts out. In his thoughts he is saying that he does not feel like he has the intense emotions that he should towards avenging his father’s death. The actor displayed such passionate emotion that causes Hamlet to realize that he needs to have strong feelings like that. Even though it is not going to be easy for him he needs to try and build up the courage and capacity to feel resentment and want to seek revenge. Hamlet says “but I am pigeon-liver’d and lack gall”, he knows that he does not have the strongest emotions but he also knows that in order to avenge his father’s death he has to change that. This soliloquy reveals that Hamlet wants to do what he is expected to do and avenge King Hamlet’s death. The only difference between how he wants to do it and how most others would do it is that most people would just find and kill the murderer. Hamlet on the other hand wants to find the best way to deal with it. He would rather wait and see if he can get his uncle to flinch and give away that he killed the king before he kills him. He would like to prove his uncle guilty before just killing him. This fits into the work as a whole because he has to spend time planning and gathering information before he can be successful. Throughout the soliloquy Hamlet asks a lot of questions which makes the reader think that he might be questioning himself; who he is and his actions. All around the soliloquy summarizes Hamlet’s plan for revenge and give the reader, or audience, a better idea of who Hamlet really is and why he has yet to avenge his father’s death.
Christina S.
ReplyDelete2.2 Soliloquy Explication
In the beginning of this soliloquy, Hamlet feels cowardly and guilty for not immediately acting when he heard that his father was murdered. The actor from the troupe was able to make himself cry and completely convince the audience of his devastation. Hamlet is upset that an actor was able to do that for Hecuba, who means nothing to him, when he himself couldn’t do it for his beloved and revered father. He refers to himself as “a dull and muddy-mettled rascal” and “pigeon-liver’d.” He should have fed Claudius to the region kites the very second he heard about the murder. This is a gruesome image, and the reader finds it hard to picture Hamlet doing such a thing. Thus far he’s been depicted as hesitant and undecided on how to handle the situation. He has outbursts of anger, but he never moves forward from that point. Towards the end of the soliloquy, Hamlet decides to have the actors perform a play that essentially reenacts his father’s murder. This way he can watch Claudius’ face to see if there’s any shock or guilt, since guilty people will typically “proclaim their malefactions” if the play resembles their wrongdoings. If Claudius goes pale (or shows some other indication of disturbing recognition), he’ll know that the ghost was telling the truth. It’s interesting that Hamlet still doesn’t have a plan of action. Observing his uncle will merely validate the ghost’s claim. He hasn’t said anything about confronting Claudius or avenging his father in any way. He said of Claudius, “If he but blench, I know my course,” and yet, a course hasn’t been selected yet. Hamlet thinks that this will make him less cowardly, but if everything works, out, he’ll be back in square one.
Christina S.
ReplyDelete2.2 Soliloquy Performance Comparison
The two performances of Hamlet’s 2.2 soliloquy that I saw were Ethan Hawke’s and David Tennant’s. Hawke’s was done as a voice over, which puts the viewer inside Hamlet’s head but keeps Hamlet completely sane in that he isn’t talking out loud in an empty room. His voice is very monotonous, and the only emotion this shows is a dull depression. Hamlet experiences a variety of emotions during this soliloquy, so I don’t think that this was a particularly good strategy. Maybe it’s because I’ve only seen clips and not the whole movie, but Hawke’s actions seem to have nothing to do with what he’s saying. With different dialogue, he would seem like a normal person, and not someone who’s trying to figure out how to avenge his father.
I was much more pleased with Tennant’s performance. He portrayed Hamlet’s guilt, anger, frustration, and excitement, all the while making him seem a little unstable. One of the biggest questions we’ve explored in Hamlet is whether Hamlet’s going crazy or not. Tennant was all over the place physically and emotionally, which sort of indicates a loss of rational thinking. Unlike Hawke’s, Tennant’s tone changed frequently, most notably when he rushed up to the camera and asked, “Am I a coward?” There was also a huge shift towards the end when Hamlet develops his plan. He suddenly becomes excited since he’s found a way to expose Claudius. These vastly different emotions were a huge part of the soliloquy, and Tennant portrayed them very well.
Diana D.
ReplyDelete2.2 Soliloquy Performance Comparison
I felt that David Tennant did the best portrayal of Hamlet’s Act 2 Scene 2 soliloquy. One of my favorite things about this version was how it showed Hamlet seemingly losing his mind. The breaking of the camera was a great way to begin the soliloquy by showing how upset Hamlet was. Tennant’s breaking of the fourth wall also added to the increasing state of madness present in the soliloquy. In a way his crazed actions and facial expressions reminded me of Gollum from Lord of the Rings.
While I did like the Mel Gibson and Branagh versions, I disliked some aspects of the two versions. I felt that Branagh was too angry and violent during the scene, I feel that one outburst at fragile objects would have been enough. For the Mel Gibson version I thought it would have been better if he included the entire soliloquy, I felt that Hamlet seemed much too angry without it.
I felt really let down by the Olivier version; I was expecting more than him calling out a single line while spinning around. Also, the Hawke version did not have enough emotion to me, he sounded too monotone.
Yazmeen S.
ReplyDelete2.2 Soliloquy Performance Comparison
I watched the Mel Gibson and David Tennant versions of the act 2 scene 2 soliloquy. Both performed it very well, but in very different ways. The Mel Gibson performance is a very realistic portrayal of how someone might actually act and feel if they were going through the same things as Hamlet. He seemed conflicted emotionally and kept looking out the window and becoming angry as he watched. In the Mel Gibson version it is easy to understand what Hamlet’s character is feeling. Also a good portrayal of the soliloquy is the David Tennant version. Although also very good the two performances are very different. Unlike Mel Gibson, David Tennant paces around from place to place and makes direct eye contact with the camera while asking himself questions as though he might get a reply. In the David Tennant version the acting is overly dramatic. He screams and throws things. Even though the two performances are very different, there are a few similarities. In both performances the actor is actually talking which is not the case in the Olivier version. Also the two performances show a change in tone as the characters go from confused to angry to plotting. Each version of the act 2 scene 2 soliloquy has similarities and differences with the other versions, but not one version is perfect. All of them have things they could take from another version and change to make them better. But all around both the Mel Gibson and the David Tennant versions displayed the emotions Hamlet was supposed to have been feeling throughout the soliloquy very adequately.
Emily M.
ReplyDelete2.2 soliloquey explication
Throughout the soliloquy Hamlet gives in act 2 scene 2 there is a whirlwind of mixed thoughts being conveyed. Hamlet is disappointed in himself to begin with, and this soliloquy starts out like the first one. The first soliloquy Hamlet is caught saying he doesn’t want to be alive, and the second Hamlet is lessening himself from what he is in reality, to what he feels. “O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!“ Each of these soliloquies starts out with Hamlet disrespecting himself, and it seems to be a rhetorical strategy Shakespeare must be using, to help the audience have a sense of sympathy for Hamlet. Hamlet is calling himself a coward throughout his soliloquy, he does not know how to seek revenge for what happened to his father, and by calling himself a coward he is questioning his loyalty to his father. This is apparent when Hamlet says “A damn’d defeat was made. Am I a coward?” He is saying an unfair defeat, of King hamlet was made, and now Hamlet is calling himself a coward for being afraid to avenge the death of his father. Because Hamlet is questioning himself, he is still thinking through the process, rather than just stating he is a coward, he is pondering it, and it adds to the soliloquy as a whole, to show Hamlet is going mad. Hamlet uses a lot of questioning himself, another part in this soliloquy when hamlet is questioning himself is when Hamlet says “Like John-a-dreams, impregnate of my cause” it means he sees himself as not good enough to be able to follow through with what he told his father he would do. He is questioning his ability to follow through for his father, he doesn’t know if he is quick enough or prepared enough. Hamlet also says “Fie upon’t! Foh! About my brain!” and it shows Hamlet’s madness more in depth than just questioning himself.. He is realizing he is starting to slip into this madness everybody around him is accusing him of, and he is telling himself to get it together. Hamlet is also still dwelling on his mothers quick marriage in this soliloquy. When Hamlet says “For Hecuba! What’s Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba,” He is referring to how his mother did not do as Hecuba did, and is still complaining that she still shows no emotion for King Hamlet’s death,. All of the questions Hamlet has for himself show his lack of confidence in himself and show how he is mixed up on how he should feel about what he has to do for his father. He is also mixed up still about his mothers marriage and overall the soliloquy conveys how mixed up Hamlet’s mind is right now.
Sydney I
ReplyDelete2.2 Performance comparison
Why was Oliver so happy when proclaiming his line, and why was there only line? Why did he spin around? What was that? His was the least rhetorically effective because it just left me confused. What was the point of shortening it, to save time, even though it didn’t delve into Hamlet’s thoughts or emotions at all?
Branagh’s was a little too emotional. Breaking things doesn’t seem to be in Hamlet’s character, though he is upset with the situation, he would probably bring his frustrations out through his own body, like Tenant did.
I feel as though Tenant did the best job this time around. He paused to think about the situation and let the emotions hit him as he realized and questioned if he were a coward. He paced, jumped, and pulled at his hair, frustrated with himself, and not his surroundings.
Gibson whispers and keeps his voice down for a majority of it. The viewer is forced to listen, but it takes away from the anger that Hamlet is supposed to be feeling. He sounds determined at the end though, and goes off as if he is excited about what he is planning, as did Tennant.
Hawke’s was more boring this time around. He was monotone with his delivery, and the lack of action took away from the dramatic effect that it otherwise might have had on the viewer. The inner monologue could have been enhanced by visual images of his hand tightening or squeezing his eyes shut. Anything in his expression to show what Hamlet is truly feeling, instead of relying only on the voice.
Cara O.
ReplyDelete2.2 Soliloquy Explication
Hamlet is experiencing extreme inner turmoil during this soliloquy. He wishes to take revenge on Claudius for the murder of his father, but is having difficulties persuading himself to take action. Hamlet is very self-destructive as well, calling himself names and thinking poorly of himself. He also plots a plan to expose Claudius, and expresses his anger towards him as well. This soliloquy reveals to us Hamlet’s conflicted nature. He decides to do one thing, and then thinks of reasons not to follow through. One of his greatest wishes is to kill Claudius for revenge, but he believes he needs more evidence first. He has trouble following through with his actions because he is hesitant. Avoiding the action, Hamlet decides he wants to perform a play that reflects Claudius’ actions so he can see Claudius’ reactions and if they show signs of familiarity. He believes this will reassure him enough to push aside his conflicting feelings and allow him to take his revenge. Hamlet spends a lot of time insulting himself because of his conflicting feelings. He says, “But I am pigeon-liver’d and lack gall to make oppression bitter, or ere this I should have fatted all the region kites with this slave’s offal: bloody, bawdy villain!” Hamlet is making note of his lack of confidence and courage. He believes he should have already taken care of Claudius and fed him to the birds of prey, but he hasn’t yet and that makes him angry. Hamlet has been this way the whole book. His first soliloquy revealed his thoughts of suicide and self-hatred. There is a lack of self-respect and confidence that seems to be recurring during the story. This is keeping him from succeeding in achieving his goals, and that is frustrating him greatly.
Cara O.
ReplyDelete2.2 Soliloquy Performance Comparison
Hawke and Gibson’s performances of Hamlet’s second soliloquy both convey the meaning of the soliloquy in different ways. Gibson acted almost insane and unstable. This helped to portray Hamlet’s state of mind during this soliloquy. Hawke, on the other hand, appears calm and somewhat distracted. I know when I’m wallowing in self-pity, I don’t freak out. I sit in one spot, often attempting to avert my attention, and stare blankly into space. Hawke truly appears to be pondering, even though he isn’t overly emotional. One does not need to act out physically if they are experiencing mental conflict. Gibson raised his voice in anger at one point in the soliloquy to help emphasize the fury he feels towards himself and towards Claudius. Hawke remains monotonous yet thoughtful, which is more realistic to me. I don’t believe people shout in their minds often.
2.1 Soliloquy Explication
ReplyDeleteSydney I.
Hamlet believes that it is unfair how an actor could himself so upset and emotional about something that isn’t even really happening, while he has to keep quiet about his won his emotions. What he’s experiencing is real, and he’s expected to just keep quiet and not act on his own feelings. He hates himself for not being able to speak and act out based on his emotions like the actors can, and how he’s forced to keep it bottled up.
Hamlet goes onto explain how much he hates himself not being able to kill Claudius, or do anything about the situation. He reserves his most foul language for insulting himself and Claudius, the two people he can’t stand the most in the world. Because of his use of swears and insults, one can infer that he’s also becoming louder and possibly more violent through the course of the soliloquy. He also uses some bird imagery, “Pigeon-livered” to describe how uncourageous he is, for not killing Claudius and leaving him for the region hawks to take care of. This also suggests that Hamlet doesn’t believe Claudius is worthy of a rightful burial, and he should just be left for the birds of prey.
For a moment, he doubts his father, saying that if Claudius doesn’t flinch during the performance of the play due to guilt, then his father lied and he is a demon of sorts that is tempting him. Though he’ll observe Claudius closely through the play, and he knows if Claudius acts suspicious, that he’ll have the grounds and evidence he needs to take out his revenge.
Sokada2 .2 Soliloquy Explication
ReplyDeleteWhere any normal person would either be made mad or appalled, he is lamenting over his lost passion for justice. SPOILER in the actual play, there is a part where the King talks about promises that fade with passion-that is what Ham is experiencing. Then he calls himself a coward and asks aloud why that is. I think here he might be talking about whether or not he would become a coward if he didn’t do the murder. He catches himself, marking that he’s prolonged the murder for no reason. He then yells out random stuff to get pumped up for the murder but fails and reverts to pitying himself again. This is sort of masochistic, the way he takes pleasure in beating himself up. This goes along with the previous soliquy’s message that he undervalues his life. Towards the end, his resolution is wavering, and he gives the King the benefit of a doubt. Instead of executing him immediately, he puts him on probation. Inside, he is partly hoping the stuff the ghost said wasn’t true. After all, “The spirit that I have seen May be the devil…” We can assume, because it’s a soliquy, that he isn’t mad right now.
Ham is a very conflicted character, and he does not understand himself even. He keeps asking himself why he acts a certain way or thinks certain things. Will Ham find himself by the end of the play.
In the videos there were a lot of pauses and deliberations but while reading it, I imagined him speeding up the whole way. Just the way the momentum of the exclamation points and questions goes about.
THE VIDEOS
DeleteI still can’t like Gibson or Hawke’s (don’t get me started on Olivier) versions. The Hams in there are too insane to relate with. Branagh’s has the right flow i.e-speed but isn’t spoken as well. Is it accent? Tennant’s is spoken well but I daresay the other guy used more gesticulations. It’s needed especially in this scene that is like a hurricane of emotions, you need to be able to show that dramatically. I feel like I’m repeating myself but Tennant stretches things out too much. He doesn’t need to get into all the positions to get the point across. Was his movie too short or something? so he needed to add in extra stuff kinda thing? And in this version Ham is too far away for this particular scene. So ya, overall I think Branagh, AKA the first clip, tops everyone else.
Jordan W.
ReplyDelete2.2 Soliloquy Explication
Shakespeare is making a message about the play as a whole through the play that the actors were asked to portray by Hamlet. The message given in the actors play is exactly what is happening to Hamlet; his struggle between appearance and the truth. He sees his uncle/father and is able to see the evil, but the man always trys to hide his true feelings. In Hamlet bringing up the play, during his soliloquy, it's Shakespeare's way of pointing to the reader and singing in a high pitched voice "this is a motif, yo." The main point that Hamlet is trying to convey in his soliloquy is that he is on a hunt for truth and will stop at nothing to get it; even if it means lying himself. Hamlet says
"I'll have these players Play something like the murder of my father Before mine uncle: I'll observe his looks; I'll tent him to the quick: if he but blench, I know my course. "
Hamlet is saying that he will have the players put on a show similar to the story of the 'murder' of his father to see his uncle's reaction. What I find to be the most ironic part about it is that Hamlet's uncle/father and Polonius were going to do the same thing to Hamlet, but have Ophelia talk to Hamlet to gauge his reaction. This idea seems to be another one of Shakespeare's repeated themes as he shows early in act 2 scene 1 that Polonius sends a messenger off to inquire about Laertes with his French pals. He is having Reynaldo speak ill of Laertes just to see what they will reply with. It's really ingenious, but the problem that I see is that all of these people have the same idea against one another. Hamlet to Polonius, Polonius/Cladius to Hamlet, and Polonius to Laertes (although you already told us that this never comes up again, the idea is still there).
In his act 2 scene 2 soliloquy hamlets expresses his own disappointment with himself for his lack of passion in pursuing his father’s murder. Hamlet just before the soliloquy sees a play in which an actor is much more passionate about a fictional murder than Hamlet is at his father’s actual murder. Hamlet curses himself for his cowardice and lack of gall and the slow speed with which he is avenging his father’s murder. Hamlet reveals in this soliloquy that he is not very confident in himself, calling himself “drab” (a whore) and “pigeon liver’d” (a coward). After that Hamlet conceives a plan to determine whether his uncle really is guilty of murdering his uncle. Hamlet decides to have the actors from the play he previously saw perform a reenactment of his father’s murder and observe the reaction his uncle has to it. This section of the soliloquy displays hamlets cleverness, while also revealing that hamlet wants to assure him he may be going mad. Hamlet wants to make sure that his uncle really did murder his father and that the ghost of his father was not just a figment of hamlets imagination. The way hamlet is second guessing his own sanity and needs to perform a test to convince himself of his sanity contributes to making Hamlet seem on the whole crazier. In the soliloquy hamlet uses very strong language when describing his uncle using words like “Remorseless” , “lecherous”, treacherous”, and “Villain” this shows that hamlet has a strong feeling of contempt for his uncle, but goes on to say that he is not positive of his uncles guilt. Coupled together these reveal that hamlet is an unconfident person who will change his views frequently to avoid a decision. The way Shakespeare structures the soliloquy also reiterates that hamlet is not self-assured each stanza contradicts the last one. Overall hamlet is presented in this soliloquy as unsure and self-conscious he is at times confident then other time cautious, but still his cleverness does come through at times.
ReplyDeleteThe clips for the Branahg, Hawke, and Oliver weren’t working on the blog I don’t know if it’s the site or something else but I can’t watch them. Of the two clips that did work I felt that the David Tennant film best represented my own explanation of the soliloquy. Tennant perfectly matched my view of the emotional peaks and valleys and the changes from confidence to self-doubt. Those changes in emotions were so dramatic that I felt it made the much richer and drew in the audience very well. I liked the visual changes as the well when the soliloquy changed from confidence to insecurity, when being confident he was striding across the scene towards the camera. When Tennant was questioning himself or doubting his conviction tenant collapsed on the ground visually representing the fall in confidence. While in the Mel Gibson’s version the whole soliloquy built up emotions and never fell, he was much Angier overall while in the text I thought there was more uncertainty and confliction than anger. The Mel Gibson version also had an awkward pause in the middle where Hamlet looks out a window at the acting troupe, I thought I broke up the soliloquy too much and made me disengage with the clip. Had the other three clips been working I would have compared them as well!
God Josh, you totally cut up my responses. Nice going.
DeleteJordan W.
ReplyDelete2.2 Soliloquy Performance Comparison
I preferred Tenant's the most to the others because you could see the wheels in his head turning as he kept thinking about all the ideas and mixed feelings. You can see when Tenant falls to the ground the pure exhaustion from dealing with the matter gets to him, but then he gets up and the listener and watcher can see the ideas forming. His plan makes sense whereas in Olivier's case I could get nothing from. Tenant's also may have seemed too dramatic in places, but for me it made it easier to see Hamlet's inner feelings. Branagh's was good as well, but it didn't have the same extreme dramatics that Tenant's did. Gibson definitely also had dramatics, but his speech was cut down making it so that the listener wasn't able to fully see and feel Hamlet's pain and turmoil. In Hawke's version, I had really wish that it had been both the full speech and actually spoken instead of internal to hold true to Shakespeare's image of the soliloquy.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletewrong place.
DeleteGood luck Kevin <3
Nicole B.
ReplyDelete1.) 2.2 Soliloquy Explication
This monologue was such a crucial monologue for the character development of Hamlet. In 1.2, Hamlet was cold, alone, and depressed. He was lost and naïve and unaware. And now, Hamlet knows what lays ahead for him but there are two obstacles in his way. The first of which is that he does not know what path to turn down in making a plot. This just makes him more lost; he is aware of his problem, but helpless. This is just frustrating and maddening for him. Hamlet watches his father die and his mother figuratively walk away from him, and he lets it all happen, or at least it appears in his mind that he has let this happen. This monologue is all about his self-loathing and disappointment of his inaction and of his cowardice. “Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, /must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words,” (2.2.591-592) All of this is happening to Hamlet, and all he can do is moan about it. He is probably also angry because he has been enjoying himself; he saw his friends today and acting troupe. Hamlet is overly aware and judgmental of himself, but not so quick at judging others. Even when he discovered that Claudius murdered his father, he was angry that he was left to deal with it. Is Hamlet selfish and immature, that he won’t claim responsibility? Or does he have cause because of his sudden thrust into the world? At this point, there is more evidence that he is being selfish. Why else would he harp on about how an actor’s ability to depict emotions is stronger than his real emotions, instead of using that as instant motivation?
Hamlet’s second problem feeds from the first. Because Hamlet is lost and unsure of what to do, he is scared and angry. He is angry that he has so far failed to say anything, and that he has failed to be independent in doing anything. He had a wonderful father and an apparently loving mother, and now he feels like he has neither and he has been thrown all of this responsibility. Hamlet is scared because what he is being asked to do is something that he has never considered doing before. Most likely something he never thought his father would ask him to do, either. In this soliloquy we not only see more of Hamlet’s young and unsure personality and also Hamlet’s growing passion and emotion, but we understand more about Hamlet himself. His father, according to him, was amazing. So Hamlet compares himself to this amazing man, but he is not ready to handle this mission and it is mentally exhausting for him, for he is failing his wonderful father.
You can tell Hamlet is definitely unstable to some degree, for half of this soliloquy he hates himself and moaning, “Why, what an ass I am!” (2.2.589), but an instant later he is fired up because he might have a solution; “About, my brain! I have heard..” (2.2.295). From the sense of Shakespeare’s language near this part, it appears that Hamlet grows much more excited at this solution. There are no more commas or periods, and his words become very straightforward. It is just not healthy for any man to go from one extreme to another.
2.) 2.2 Performance Comparison
ReplyDeleteThis soliloquy was far more interesting to watch than the 1.2 soliloquy, for in this case we have previous reference to the actor and director’s take on Hamlet, and were are watching the buildup of character development. To cover my least favorite first, Laurence Olivier’s scene was a real let-down. You will lose the meaning of Shakespeare if you ignore the words. Olivier made Hamlet out to be a happy madman, but this seemed to be the biggest character development hit in this scene. Shakespeare is all about the meaning of words and phrases. You can interpret a character by how Shakespeare writes the lines, and how the actor acts out the lines, but it feels dangerous to me to inference the meaning of Shakespeare based solely on thirty seconds, and so the only fact that comes out of that scene is he is a happy madman with a plan, and anybody not attempting to analyze it specifically would brush right over it. It was an insult to the play that everything in the soliloquy was cut, save one line.
Mel Gibson’s soliloquy did not sit quite right, either. I did not like the director’s choice to have Gibson hiding at the beginning. This was what Hamlet should be doing in the first soliloquy, feeling distraught and alone. Now Hamlet is more developed, is more passionate; he is motivated with a goal, though the goal is not a happy one. Gibson worked himself into a temper tantrum, which worked very well, as if Hamlet really cannot handle the pressure and independence that has been thrown to him. I like the idea to play Hamlet as young and unstable. However, the tantrum mixed with his sulky hiding at the beginning gave off the aura that he was an immature child, and this does not sit well with the end of this soliloquy, where Gibson does portray him as a clever plotting man, and how Shakespeare depicts Hamlet throughout the play as a very clever man. It also made it look like Hamlet was still angry at Claudius and his mother, and not at himself. Gibson did not expand his character from 1.2 to 2.2.
Kenneth Branagh’s soliloquy also had Hamlet have a bit of a tantrum, though in this version he was more grown up about it. However, Branagh’s soliloquy was downright frustrating. He started off without a lot of passion, and then after he built up it still felt like he was holding back. There was raw emotion pulsing through Branagh, but it only came through when he was physically angry, like when he pushed over the lamp. It felt like Branagh himself, and not Hamlet, wanted to say something more but did not know how. It was very distracting to be watching Branagh, waiting for that outbreak of emotion. Branagh appears to have chosen to play Hamlet as mad, but a madman does not hold back. Besides that, the scene was very strong. Branagh’s choice as director to put the doll house in the center of Hamlet’s focus was very powerful. It was like Hamlet held the world in his hand with his decision of a plan. The actors are all just dolls in his plan, as Claudius is, too. Saying the last line slowly also strengthened the belief that Hamlet is mad, as if he knows he holds Claudius now. He has realized it is a game to Claudius, as he watches Claudius continue to party and be merry. So Hamlet can play the game, too. He can control the game.
Ethan Hawke’s performance really made me want to watch the rest of the movie, for I could see an interesting parallel running through the story with the silent narration and the movie making. What is he making, and what is he watching? Only by watching more of the movie can I get an answer to that question. Does he always say his lines, or at least his soliloquies, in his head? It was a very interesting way to play Hamlet. The budding flower was a beautiful symbol of Hamlet’s feelings. Kind of like he became aware of the foul situation, and his bud opened, but then it closed as Hamlet realized that he was not doing anything to help his father. But then the bud opened again, for Hamlet had an plan. Seeing Hawke alone and not speaking aloud thus far makes it easier for you to understand Hamlet and sympathize. He is so alone, so small, so young. Cut off and bitter. He is battling with himself; he has not done anything but lock himself up inside, but at the same time he is lost and does not know what to do. You feel so bad for Hamlet in this version. I get the sense that Hamlet is crazy in this version, that he is silently going mad at the fact that he is just sitting there, with no idea what to do, with no one to help him. This is the scariest madness for it is the most sudden and the most liable not to be stopped or helped.
DeleteDavid Tennant’s version of this soliloquy was absolutely fantastic, a miles stone difference from his 1.2 soliloquy! He was moving constantly, but not in a distracting way, but a captivating way making the monologue more interesting to listen to. Tennant used so much body language together with the tone of the words to convey a true mad man. Hamlet was definitely breaking at this point, and Tennant was vividly showing Hamlet struggle to see the tunnel he is headed for. Not to mention his ensemble; it was the only one of the five actor’s ensembles to actually be the clothing of someone obsessed with revenge. Just like his 1.2 soliloquy he looked straight into the camera but this time it fit the scene. In 1.2, Hamlet is depressed and alone, there is no reason for him to be talking to the camera, or talking directly at anything. But in this case looking into his eyes was almost crucial; when you looked into his eyes, you closely follow the trail of this madman from the beginning of his madness to the climax and back down. Tennant’s body language hints that Hamlet is losing control, but his eyes were telling you that he was spiraling out of control. Eyes are the strongest tell-tale.
Michael J.
ReplyDelete2.2 Soliloquy Explication
In this soliloquy, Hamlet is at war with himself. He thinks of himself as a coward, "pidgeon-livered," because he feels as though he doesn't have enough motivation to kill Claudius in the name of his father, or else he already would have. Nearing the ending of the soliloquy, he questions the ghost of his father’s motives. Is it really his father, or is it the devil; a wolf in sheep’s clothing? He also wonders if he will eventually go mad for real if he continues to pretend long enough. He compares his situation to an actor performing a play, who is able to convey such emotion. The actor can even convince himself as to what he must convey, which is how he makes himself cry. Running along with this parallel to drama, he also manages to cook up a plan as to how he will be able to tell if Claudius is truly guilty for the murder of his father or not; to “catch the conscience of the King.” To do this, Hamlet is going to reenact what Claudius is presumed to have done to his father, and read his reactions. If Claudius were truly guilty for it, his reaction would prove it. He likens his plan to actors performing a play, which along with previous drama parallel. Basically, in this soliloquy, Hamlet beats himself up over not immediately “running into battle” and killing the King. He has no one to trust, not even the ghost, so he is in it by himself. To do his father justice, that is, if he even needs it if Claudius did kill him or not, Hamlet must set up a plan. Which, in my opinion, makes much more sense.
Michael J.
ReplyDelete2.2 Soliloquy Performance Comparison
Branagh's version had way too much overreacting in the beginning. It was seriously psychotic and annoying, it made him seem crazy the point of this soliloquy is to make him seem like he's pretending to be and that the craziness is calculated. Toward the end when he mellowed out, it was much better. Same with Gibson's. I liked Tennant's version still had the anger in it, unlike Hawkes' version, yet was still much more mellow compared to the previous two. Tennant's version is probably best conveys how I pictured the soliloquy in my mind, even though I like Hawke's more. I found Hawkes' version very interesting. I love that it is modernized, as he is surrounded with technology. I also love how the soliloquy is calm. It sounds very calculated and smooth, just how I imagined it. The fact that it's a voiceover makes it even better for me. Olivier's was just an all around mess. It made no sense to me.
Anna G.
ReplyDelete2.2 Soliloquy Video Comparison
Like the last video response, I thought Kenneth Branagh’s performance portrayed the soliloquy the most effectively. His passionate tone and use of movement offer something different than the voice over like in Hawke’s scene. Branagh captures the element of surprise, you can’t predict what he is going to do next. He also performs the entire soliloquy, unlike Mel Gibson and Laurence Olivier’s. Shortening the scene seems flat and ineffective.
Branagh changes his volume and sound of his voice, which keeps the audience on edge. While reading Hamlet’s soliloquy I imagined it to be chaotic and overpowering. Branagh puts emphasis on every one of the words; it is easier to understand and listen to. Mel Gibson’s clip was short and did not show the entire scene. It had a very different feel than Branagh’s. Hawke’s performances to me are bland and not interesting at all. He did not seem angry enough for this part of the play. David Tennant’s was too modern and the beginning was like he was over acting. The clothing choice also distracted me from the actual scene. I found that Olivier’s act was completely bizarre. It had one line and the spinning was too joyful for the attitude and tone of the scene. I was a little confused with that particular performance and did not think it represented the play well at all. I thought that this scene was important and needed to be full length.
Logan H Act two Scene 2 soliloquy comparisons
ReplyDeleteOut of the five movie excerpts of the act two scene two soliloquy in Hamlet, I feel that the one that Gibson portrayed was the most rhetorically effective. I feel that the emotion he gave to the scene wasn’t overdone, but it didn’t leave me wanting more, either. He was loud and passionate in the right places and the part when he came up with the plan left the audience slightly excited for it, which was what it was supposed to do. I feel that the soliloquy portrayed by Branagh, I feel, was boring because he used pretty much the same tone throughout the scene. He didn’t do a very good job of handling Shakespeare’s run on sentences, and sounded a bit long winded. The one that was portrayed by Hawke was too creepy. I feel that there are better places to act creepy in the play, but this scene was supposed to be more emotional. The lack of emotion that Hawke shows in this scene makes it seem more mystical than I feel it was supposed to be. Tennant’s portrayal was my second favorite, but lacked the power that Gibson showed. Also, when I think of the Act two Scene two soliloquy, I picture more along the lines of the Gibson reenactment over the Tennant version. Olivier was much too cheery in the scene to be effective. Though he was supposed to be slightly excited to come up with a plan to find out if his uncle is guilty, I would not expect him jumping and cheering.
Ivy G.
ReplyDelete2.2 Soliloquy Explication
Hamlet uses a form of comparisons (which I’m not sure can be defined exactly as metaphors) to produce an image which reveals his self-loathing feelings. He says in his soliloquy “What’s Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba” asking what they are to each other; the actor and his role. When he asks what the connection is between the actor and Hecuba he could be reflecting himself in that it compares his desires to be himself (go to school and lead his own life) to his desires/obligations to avenge his father (of which he doesn’t have a lot of passion to do). In other words, it could be a metaphor that supports Hamlet’s opinion of his “lack of integrity” because he wants to know what the relationship is between the actor and his role as Hecuba versus what his own relationship is with the role he has to play to avenge his father. Hamlet is impressed and also disappointed with himself that the actor can arouse more passion for a role than Hamlet has for his father; making him feel like a “peasant slave”. Hamlet feels this way when he says (paraphrased) “What would the actor have done if he had the motives Hamlet has?” Meaning, Hamlet is useless since the illusionist actor does not have as strong as a motive to fulfill his role, and yet he can fill his role better than Hamlet can fill the faithful role to avenge his father. This may relate to the rest of the story in that he deceives everyone by acting mad, showing his connection and respect for actors. In the soliloquy Hamlet recognizes that if the actors can make him feel guilty for not being as passionate, Claudius would feel even worse if he was truly guilty of King Hamlet’s murder. Hamlet using this imagery of his own self-pity, sets out to use the actors in the play to draw out the truth in Claudies’ murder. He plans to write a short piece in the Murder of Gonzago that will “make mad the guilty and appall the free” (guilty being Claudius) by imitating his father’s death. This will make Claudius’ guilt and deceit evident in his reaction (his conscience will betray him; “the play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king.”)
K. Foster
ReplyDeleteSoliloquy 2.2 Explication
SOLILOQUY 2.2 RESPONSE
Hamlet starts his soliloquy by saying, “Could force his soul so to his own conceit,” (line 533). In this quote he says, he is personifying his soul because he is saying that his soul is able to be force to have an imaginary conception. When Hamlet personifies his soul it seems that his soul is force to feel this passion towards Ophelia and not only that but it is force to show her the way he feels about her. Taking the other route of soul being a pun for sole of feet, it could show that Hamlet was saying that his path of love is being force to show Ophelia his true self. Not only is his path the path of love but it is also the path of the idea of being in love and how being in love may take different road that may have never been there before.
What interests me in Hamlet’s soliloquy is the changing of subject on line 568. I question why he would go about calling himself a “stallion” (568) to scheming his plot to reveal his uncle’s guilt. It seems as if it is no longer a matter of avenging his father. He is using the play and the matter with his uncle as a means to justify his recent madness and his self-loathing. One can interpret this changing of subjects as a means of satisfying his own feelings. Hamlet is currently under a great deal of stress and responsibility; it is easy for him to forget who he once was as Shakespeare might suggest through his lack of sanity in earlier parts of the act. He has gone through a great deal of preparation so if it were a matter of the actual revelation, then he would have no reason to be nervous or to doubt whether he is a coward or not. Avenging his father doesn’t seem to be his top priority anymore, creating meaning for himself and discovering himself is.
However, Hamlet is indeed losing his faith. He doubts the validity of the ghost being his father. He depends on King Claudius’ reaction to the play to verify the words from the ghost. And he becomes a “coward” (551) who fears death, since he knows his death might come if overflow the king. Hamlet even blasphemes his father ghost by saying that it might be “a [dev’l]” who “hath power T’ assume a pleasing shape” (579-580), or lure him to sin, which would “abuse me [him] and damn me [him]”. (583) Hamlet becomes unsure of the story told by the ghost. His faith starts to dim. Nevertheless, he continues to execute his plan to detect King Claudius’ guilt as he says “I’ll catch the conscience of the king” (585).
In conclusion, Shakespeare obviously shows the hardest situation and greatest agonies for Hamlet, but intentionally hides the dual character of Hamlet in the text. Shakespeare brilliantly creates this dual character that Hamlet is eager but fearful to revenge, and respectful to the ghost too, but suspects its intention.
K. Foster
ReplyDeleteSoliloquy 2.2 Video Comparison
After comparing the four portrayals of Hamlet’s soliloquy 2.2, I believe that Branagh’s version is the best at conveying the meaning of the soliloquy. Just like I had thought Hamlet did, he shifts from upset to frustrated to furious to insanely calm. David Tennant’s version was good too, the reason being there was also frustration and madness shown in a more dramatic way, which ended up feeling over-dramatic. Tennant’s set was one of the strongest parts of that version too.
I had thought that this anger had been what built up to Hamlet being able to achieve his plan for revenge and that is was the most important emotion he delivered; Branagh did the best job of showing this anger. Mel Gibson was also good. It portrayed Hamlet’s anger very well. Gibson was getting even more violent than Tennant, which made his soliloquy really believable. He also yelled a lot which showed the resentment that Hamlet was feeling towards Claudius and the self loathing he was feeling towards himself.
As for Oliver, the background music sounded happy and didn’t fit the scene at all. Also, he seemed overly joyful, not at all angry. I am not a big fan of the Hawke version where Hamlet is reciting the speech inside his mind. Personally, I think it’s better to hear it being acted out.
I believe that the Branagh scene most accurately captured the anger that was present in the dialogue by using physical actions and verbal effects, which was a big part in the soliloquy.
James King
ReplyDeleteAct 2 Scene 2 Soliloquy
Hamlet’s second Soliloquy begins with Hamlet reveling in self-loathing. When he says “O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!” he is describing himself as a useless person and one with “little integrity”. In the following passage “Could force his soul… and all for nothing! “from lines 557 to 562 Hamlet wallows in self-pity asking why this had to happen to him and that he did not want this. Further in his soliloquy Hamlet revels that he plans to use actors to see the guilt on the face of Claudius and Gertrude for that matter so that he would know that the ghost was not just a devil in disguise. He compares Hecuba’s reaction to Gertrude’s in how they respond to the their husbands murder and Hamlet believes that Hecuba’s dramatic response was more appropriate. Hamlets self-loathing resurfaces and continues throughout the soliloquy when he say “Am I a coward?”. Hamlet is looking to use the actors to look for guilt on Claudius face and believed that this was the only way to prove his guilt.
James King
ReplyDeletePerformance Comparison
My favorite performance was David Tenants version of Hamlet’s second soliloquy. Tenant used many subtle and interesting techniques to demonstrate Shakespeare’s motif of action versus inaction. The most apparent place that Tenant uses to highlight this technique is in his very outfit. He wears a muscle shirt to say that he is a strong man but all the while he is talking about what a weak spineless man his character is. An other time that he addresses action vs. inaction is when Tenant raises both of his hands and looks like he is about to strike down some invisible foe but instead falls to his knees and falls back into self pity and loathing.
None of the other performances where clearly bad (other than Oliver’s version) but what they were getting at was not as clear to pick out as Tenants one. I found that Branagh does not show and character development (but perhaps they are saying that Hamlet does not change only his image does). Gibson’s version was good but I found that visually the scene was not up to par. I can not piece together what Hawke’s pictures have to do with his story and why he thinks every soliloquy.
Soliloquy 2.2 Explanation
ReplyDeleteIn Hamlet’s second soliloquy we get another in depth look into the complicated and confused brain of Hamlet. We see Hamlet in a state of contemplation filled with anger, depression, and true madness. Throughout most of act two we see Hamlet making his setting a stage when under the eyes of others, always leaving questions in the mind of readers and other characters. In this soliloquy readers are able to see past this and learn the true madness behind Hamlet. Hamlet is enraged by the passion of the actors are able to display compare to his lack of compassion and action in the real problems he has at hand. He says “Had he the motive and the cue for passion That I have?” This then leads into his reflection upon himself and his inability to take action. The action that continues to haunt him is bringing about the vengeance of his fathers death by killing Claudius. He starts to contemplate why he hasn’t done the deed he solemnly swore to do, he ponders if he himself is the villain in this case as well a coward. Hamlet integrates himself saying “Am I a coward? Who calls me villain? breaks my pate across? Plucks off my beard, and blows it in my face? Tweaks me by the nose? gives me the lie i' the throat, As deep as to the lungs? who does me this?” Not only does this passage show Hamlets struggle with his inner self and his indecisive ways but I believe it answers the question of Hamlets sanity. From this one would assume that Hamlet is actually going insane over the task given to him by the ghost of his father. In order to try and justify his inability to revenge his father’ death Hamlet decides he want to make sure of Claudius’s crime and make sure the ghost wasn’t just another part of Hamlet’s insanity. A very effective tool of procrastination certainty can be. Hamlet decides to find this certainty by his creating a guilt trap so to speak. He decides to use the actors in scene very similar to the murder depicted by the ghost of the king and make Claudius watch in order to get his reaction. If Claudius does succumb to a look of remorse it will satisfy Hamlet’s “uncertainty” if it even genuine.
Soliloquy 2.2 Video Comparisons
ReplyDeleteI have chosen two compare the Kenneth Branagh and David Tennant’s versions of Hamlet’s soliloquy in act 2 scene 2. Both directors decided to include the full soliloquy in the film and both actors did a truly amazing job performing it. The two actor’s Actions in their performances showcase very different outlooks on Hamlet not only in just this scene but throughout both films. The actions of Tennant’s version show him as being somewhat flamboyant and childish. The fact that he chooses to wear no sock or shoes and the way he prances around the room at times suggest such a belief. He also chooses to wear shirt depicting a muscular man which either mocks the idea of “being a man” imposed on him by Claudius or it could just be worn in irony. On the other hand Branagh’s performance displays Hamlet as being very conscious of his masculinity and disciplined. It seems as if in Branagh’s film Hamlet’s engine is run on testosterone while Tennant’s Hamlet is fueled by large amount of caffeine. Branagh makes the decision to shout his lines and cause destruction to his setting in order to really show the anger he feels towards himself and what he believe to be his “cowardly ways.” The director in Tennant’s version decides to break the fourth wall in films and have the actor look into the camera while he asks the questions like “Am I a coward? Am I a villain?” By doing showing it engages the audience to really observe the insanity of Hamlet. Also both directors make the same interesting choice to queue music towards the end of the soliloquy with an eerie devious tone. This shows a change in the plot and some what of a twist, emphasizing Hamlets plan to trick Claudius.