Act 3 Scene 1 Hamlet's Soliloquy (Kenneth Branagh) Critique

Hamlet’s act 3 scene 1 soliloquy is best portrayed by Kenneth Branagh in the third video. Each of the videos brought out the emotion and feelings inside Hamlet with scenery, camera angle, and an orchestrated background. Branagh however, makes the audience feel Hamlet’s very emotions with his tone of voice and hand gestures. The scene reveals that Hamlet examines his sanity, ambition, and slight desire to commit suicide.

Hamlet begins his soliloquy with the famous “To be, or not to be? That is the question—” (55). Hamlet here questions whether he wants to live or commit suicide. The scene starts with Branagh standing and staring at the mirror, standing up with legs together and hands at his sides. There is no music or any other sound to concentrate on Hamlet’s speech. In a monotonous, calm, and passionate voice, he speaks to himself in a mirror—his reflection. This is to ascertain what others view him as. Hamlet may wish to know “whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer/the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” (56-57). He wishes to test his composure with his current confused state of mind. Hamlet is also referring to Claudius at this point—to hide his feelings on the “mirror” side or to “take arms against” (58) and “by opposing, end” (59) him. When he says this defensive line, a fist is raised as if it is clenched exert anger or threaten. This gesture helps portray Hamlet’s feelings of anger and turbulence against Claudius.

Soon after Hamlet starts speaking about sleep and death, how death is merely a sleep that frees the “flesh” of “heart-ache” and “natural shocks” (61). Then he says that there may lie a problem with dreaming in this eternal sleep. The camera does something very interesting during most of his speech. Near the beginning of the speech, Branagh walks slowly step by step towards the large mirror. The camera follows him, focusing mainly on the mirror. The image reflected is the “mirror” image of a person, bounded with all hidden emotions not shown in the real world. Thus the reflection will be considered a dream. As Branagh and the camera get closer to the mirror, so does the reflection. This scene helps foreshadow that someone is going to be killed “in that sleep of death” as no one knows what “dreams may come” (65). Eerie music begins to play as he begins describing the scorns of the world. At last “with a bare bodkin” (75) Hamlet draws his dagger and points to his reflection. He asks himself “who would fardels bear,/to grunt and sweat under a weary life” (75-76). Claudius jolts up on the sight of the dagger, almost scared. Perhaps he knows Hamlet keeps it waiting to impale him one day. Staring at his reflection, he tests his ambition for revenge and his will to live on to carry it out. Inside, Hamlet is scared and confused. He may want to end it all with a quiet death. This is all reflected in the mirror. However, it is shown that Hamlet has the “resolution” (83) when Branagh taps his dagger against the mirror, to establish that the “dream-state” is not yet real. His resolution is clear however, as the camera is fixed on the ambitions of his “mirror” self. Hamlet will not kill himself and he keeps his composure intact. Finishing the soliloquy, Branagh talks sincerely to Ophelia as violins play in the background. His composure is strong and he can hide his deep confusion. It is clear from the way he talks to Ophelia that he cares for her.

The video does well in presenting the true feelings inside Hamlet. He makes a clear decision to follow his ambitions thoroughly. His “will” (79) is no longer paralyzed by any hesitation. Branagh speaks clearly and the suspense is high because the audience is (at least for the beginning) solely listening to his words. The video does an excellent job capturing the emotions and themes of the scene.