"To Be Or Not To Be"

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, has been brought to the big screen several times. Each time, the director has added his or her perspective of how the "To Be Or Not To be" scene should appear. The three different interpretations have the following actors play hamlet; Mel Gibson, Laurence Olivier, and Kenneth Branagh. They all use certain props such as knives and mirrors. The directors also use different settings for each of the "To Be Or Not To Be" scenes such as catacombs in Mel Gibson's speech, the edge of a cliff in Laurence Olivier's, and in a castle, in front of a mirror for Kenneth Branagh's speech. These things all effect how the director's want the audience to feel during this famous scene.

Each speech has a different, but meaningful setting. Mel Gibson's in his father's tomb, Laurence Olivier's on the ledge of a cliff, and Kenneth Branagh in front of a mirror. The scenes maybe different but they are similar in some ways. In every "To Be Or Not To Be" scene the actor is alone. There is nobody around. Each setting is gloomy and the viewer is able to tell that this is a serious scene. Also each actor is very serious, like they are really considering if they should kill themselves or not. In all three different scenes you can see that each Hamlet is torn between living or dying. In all the different scenes Hamlet comes up with pros and cons to taking his life. Last, every Hamlet in the three different scenes has blonde hair.

In every "To Be Or Not To Be" scene there are props to help the viewer understand what is going on. In Mel Gibson's "To Be Or Not To Be" he is clearly in a dark place. There are skeletons in the background of the scene and tombs. It allows the audience to see that this is a serious and depressing scene, even if the audience is not sure what the actor is saying. In the other two scenes of "To Be Or Not To Be", the props are different. Each actor pulls out a knife. However, the manner in which they use the knife is different. In Laurence Olivier's scene he takes the knife out and holds it as he speaks. It almost seems like he forgets he is holding the knife. In Kenneth Branagh's scene he pulls out the knife and waves it and points it at his reflection in the mirror. Each scene allows the viewer to see that this part in the play is dark and depressing. The props help establish this.

Hamlet's famous "To Be Or Not To Be" scene is portrayed in many different movies. All these movies use certain props and settings to establish the mood of the scene. This allows the viewers to understand what's going on. The different props and settings also make the play more interesting to watch. It adds some suspense and drama to keep the viewers attention.