Hamlet's speech "To Be or Not To Be" was directed very differently by each director. Each film we watched in class had their own way of recreating this famous scene. In the first film we viewed, directed by Olivier, it was displayed in black and white. The setting was on the top of a castle, overlooking the ocean in a misty fog. The mood of the setting really gave the scene a dramatic feel to it (making it easier to feel and understand the mood of Hamlet). Through the middle of the scene, Hamlet holds a knife or sword of some type in his hand and looks at it while he speaks. I feel like this could show the internal conflict he is having with himself at that moment. By Hamlet having many indecisive feelings towards living his life, Olivier does an outstanding job by showing this through Hamlet's body language. I also liked that the director decided to take the voice of Hamlet and only let us hear it through his mind. In other words, Hamlet was not speaking... we heard the speech in his thoughts. At the end of Hamlet's speech, he walks towards to edge of the castle, this could show the conflict he is having with himself and his troubled mind.

The second film, directed by Zeffirelli, was definitely my favorite soliloquy of the Hamlet speech. As Hamlet walks down into the tomb stones, with dead bodies surrounding him, it sets the mood right then and there. By being a viewer I could feel that Hamlet was in a struggle with himself. Although the mood is much more subtle in this version, I feel Zeffirelli accomplished more by using the setting that he did. Hamlet strolled around and walked in between each tomb stone, as if he wanted to be one of the dead bodies. He has a philosophical conversation about death, while sitting next to a skeleton. This shows Hamlet's desire for death, but at the same time, wanting to live. His voice had much passion throughout the scene, giving the tone of his voice the true feeling of wanting something. As Hamlet sits next to a tomb stone, with his eyes closed and hands clamped together, he speaks with desire, "To die... to sleep..." Sleeping takes away all the pain in the world, it makes people forget about all the bad they face in life for a short time; which could relate to Hamlet and why he just wants  to die.

Staring back at a reflection of oneself, is not your true self, it is just an image. In the third soliloquy of Hamlet that we saw, directed by Branagh, Hamlet speaks to himself. In a brightly lighted castle, where this scene is set, Hamlet walks up to a mirror on the wall just as the scene begins. Right from the beginning, you can feel the restrained emotion in Hamlet's voice. He talks softly, with hardly any emotion, which was strange to me. When I think of this scene, I feel like it should be one of the most emotional scenes. He speaks quiet but with a lot of fierce. He speaks as if he's confused with life, and he does not know what he wants from it.  Hamlet pulls put a knife halfway through the scene, which could show a symbol of death and confusion. Hamlet shows that he does not know what to do with his life. Having Hamlet stand in front of the mirror shows that he is in an internal conflict with himself... he sees himself and only himself.

Strolling through a Blockbuster, on a Friday night... something that nobody would probably do. In the last soliloquy that we watched, which was directed by Almereyda, was not the type of film you think of when you think Shakespeare. By setting the scene here, I believe Almereyda was trying to express the loneliness and confusion Hamlet was facing. Hamlet was walking through a video store as the thoughts on his mind were said. Symbolism was used on the television screens, in the store. There were people on fire, which could show the want and desire for death. There are so many different types of Hamlet because there is not a specific way one should interpret the play. There are millions of ways to convey the way Hamlet feels. Zeffirelli's version was the most effective to me because of the tone set by the setting. Each film was unique in their own way.