In Act 3 Scene 1 of Hamlet, Hamlet delivers his "To Be or Not to Be" soliloquy. In this soliloquy he is debating whether it's better to suffer the troubles that life brings you, or to take matters into your own hands, and end your troubles by committing suicide. Here are two videos that I found portraying the scene.
The only aspect in which the videos relate is that they made the scene appear very dramatic. In Gibson's video, the fact that Hamlet is surrounded by tombs makes his words about death seem more vivid. In Branagh's video, Hamlet staring at himself in the mirror makes it seem like he is searching for an answer in himself.
In Gibson's video, Hamlet is in a dark underground crypt surrounded by many tombs. This setting has a huge impact on the soliloquy that Hamlet is delivering because you can see his strong desire to be in their place. I like how throughout the video Hamlet walks around, sinks to the floor, and can't stay still because it shows his restlessness about the subject at hand. In this video, Hamlet emphasizes the downside of death, and his distress about what awaits in the afterlife. Hamlet also shows his anger about being too scared to die and having to endure what comes.
As opposed to Gibson's video, Branagh's video incorporates Ophelia, Polonius and Claudius. This setting really differs from Gibson's because there is a lot of light, mirrors, and the color white. I like how at the beginning, Hamlet walks in, looks around, and makes sure he is alone. Then he proceeds to study himself in the mirror and question what he should do. I think it was a great idea for Hamlet to take out a dagger because it really shows that he wants to kill himself and end his troubles. He progressively walks closer to the mirror and puts the dagger dangerously close to his face.
Overall, I preferred Gibson's video a lot more than Branagh's. First of all, I think that the setting of the crypt made Hamlet's words a lot more credible. Also, in this video Hamlet shows many of his emotions such as confusion, anger, and concern. In Branagh's video, I don't think Hamlet shows much emotion at all.
