1. In Hamlet's soliloquy the "sleep of death" and the "dreams" represent the uncertainty of death because Hamlet is unsure of which happens in the afterlife (3.1.66). The negative experiences of life are the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" that one can either endure and do nothing, or fight against the adversity (3.1.58). Hamlet uses pathos when describing the uncertainty of death through his imagery as state before and also describing it as an "undiscover'd country" (3.1.79). He also appeals to logos when describing the death, as the uncertainty "puzzles the will" (3.1.80).
The paradox of this passage is that Hamlet is questioning these topics with regards to himself although his revenge causes him to take a life bringing up this same subject. Hamlet parallels the uncertainty of death with sleep and the image of it being aland that has not been discovered. The infinitive is present in the first line, "to be", as well as throughout the rest of the soliloquy "to grunt" (3.1.56, 77). The synecdoche present is "to take arms against the sea" (3.1.59).The tone in this soliloquy, reflective and unsure, reflects Hamlet's emotion toward the actions he is instructed to take against Claudius. The diction, with all of the imagery and comparisons, reflects the train of thought that this soliloquy represents.The two main metaphors in this passage are the comparison between the uncertainty of death and sleep as well as the fear of death as "the pale cast of thought" (3.1.86). The life on earth are the two images in lines 58 and 59 describing the trials of experienced throughout one's life. The afterlife is the "sleep of death" and "undiscover'd country" (3.1.66, 79). Death is the "pale cast" (3.1.86). Humans are "cowards" (3.1.83). Thinking is put in a negative light being described as "dread" as one ponders the afterlife (3.1.78).
Three oppositions to Hamlet's arguments are that: 1. Some belief systems have possible answers for the afterlife lessening one's fear; 2. Hamlet's speculations should be answered somewhat by the appearance of his father as a ghost; 3. He assumes that the fear of death causes a change in action which is not always the case.
Hamlet ponders the reasons for continuing in life and what happens to someone after they die. Hamlet draws that everyone is afraid of death because no one really knows what is after.
2. In the first scene, there is no cutting to other camera angles excluding the quick cut to Claudius in the middle of the speech. This allows for the scene to focus solely on Hamlet, and him alone. Non diegetic is also excluded from the scene so the only noise coming from Hamlet's own dialogue. This has the same effect as the lack of cutting, focusing on Hamlet has his words in the scene. The setting is in the castle and the prop used is a mirror to vary the camera angle from a straight on shot of Hamlet to him looking in the mirror and saying his soliloquy. He wears the same costume and makeup as he does in the rest of the movie and has a knife he holds throughout the scene which represents death. The camera angle is over his shoulder focusing on the mirror, which shows Hamlet's gestures and facial expressions.
The second scene cuts frequently from close-ups to shots of the water below, and medium shots of Hamlet sitting on the rock. The splashing of the water below and the music throughout the scene are the non-diegetic sounds and the diegetic sound is Hamlet's own dialogue. The setting is close to a cliff overlooking water, this emphasizes Hamlet's uncertainty of life and death since a cliff is where one could commit suicide. The only prop is the rock where he is sitting. The camera angles serve to emphasize specific emotions on Hamlet's face as well as emphasize the setting which thus emphasizes one of the main themes of the soliloquy, death.
The third scene cuts to different camera angles throughout the soliloquy to emphasize certain emotions or props. All non-diegetic sound is excluded from this scene to emphasize the diegetic sound which is Hamlet's dialogue. The setting is in the tomb where his father is buried. This emphasizes the theme of death in Hamlet's soliloquy. He wears dark clothing and since he is in a tomb he encounters the coffin of his deceased father. The camera angle switches frequently in this scene emphasizing Hamlet at some times, and the setting at others. The lighting is dark as well except for an opening in the ceiling. This darkness parallels the tone of the subjects which Hamlet discusses.
The final scene is different from the others in that it takes place in a modern setting. The scene cuts to different angles on occasion to emphasize the setting but mostly remains on Hamlet's face and body. Eerie music plays in the background to illustrate the tone of Hamlet's words. The setting is in a movie store too emphasize the reflective and unsure tone of the soliloquy. Hamlet wears a jacket, pants, and a winter hat and the props present in the scene include typical movie store items: movies, televisions, shelves, etc. The camera angle is straight on the body of Hamlet and switches every once and a while to the movie store itself emphasizing the setting of the scene.
The scene which most effectively illustrates this soliloquy is the first scene. The other scenes add too many outside distractions that take away from the soliloquy itself. The first scene includes props, the dagger, to emphasize the tone and subject of Hamlet's words but it is not so big that it takes away from what he is saying. The camera angle that this scene uses is also the most unique.
I would change the second scene by not focusing as much on the scenery and the setting. It is important to emphasize the underlying themes of the passage but like the dialogue, it needs to be under the actual words and not in the audience's face. I would also change what Hamlet is doing in the scene. In this passage he is extremely conflicted about what he is thinking and instead of sitting still throughout the dialogue, he should be up walking around anxiously.I liked how the Mel Gibson scene incorporated dark lighting effects and this same approach should be taken in scene two to emphasize the tone of the passage.
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