Ophelia's Eulogy

     Poor Ophelia... She was once so young and loving. She was so loving that she took her own life when she could not cherish her beloved anymore. She lived for the people she loved, and when they were taken away from her, she did not want to live anymore. 
     When Hamlet became bitter over his mother's hasty marriage- to the man (and uncle) who  killed his father, he became bitter towards all women, including Ophelia. The love he once had for both Ophelia and his mother faded away as he mentally changed into a different person. The same happened for Ophelia when her father was killed and she no longer had Hamlet to be her shoulder to cry on and to have for emotional security and love. She changed into a different person too. 
     Love does that to people, and sometimes it can turn into something psychologically disturbing. Once they have been broken to that extreme, there is no going back to the way they once were. 
     The loving Ophelia we once knew was turned into a confused, lost, and extremely devastated and heartbroken girl. She could not come to her senses to realize that things would turn out better for her. She did not see that she had a brighter future waiting for her, when she could one day live happily and in memory of her father beside her future husband. That did not exist in her mind. All she could see was what seemed like endless darkness and pain for the rest of her life. 
     Ophelia deserves a Christian burial. She lived and loved like a Christian and spread her love to everyone around her until she had none left for herself when she needed it the most. She deserves to remembered and praised for how she lived. Not how she died. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Hamlet's Dilemma

     It is far better to be a man of action, rather than a man of thought. Hamlet's hesitation to kill Claudius was very foolish in my opinion. Although Claudius was forgiven for his sins in that moment when he was praying for forgiveness, it could have been the only chance Hamlet had to kill him. If Claudius had succeeded in killing Hamlet before Hamlet could kill Claudius; then Claudius would just be able to live and rule in tyranny. That is not what he deserved for his actions of killing King Hamlet. Also, Hamlet would have never had to bear the pain of watching his mother be poisoned and killed, because of Claudius, who was the root of all of the trouble.
     I don't think that Hamlet has much at stake, because everyone realizes that he hasn't been the same since his father died. Hamlet's actions are somewhat justified because of his psychological state, and I do not think there would be serious consequences for him killing Claudius, being in that mental state. If Claudius would be able to get away with killing Hamlet, Hamlet should be able to get away with killing Claudius.
     Of course with religion or any ethics, murder is not taken lightly. Although characters throughout the play and throughout history, many get away with it. People will claim they are doing God's will by doing the most evil things, even racial cleansing, and still have no consequences. In reality, a "god" who does good works would not want his people to be killing each other. 
     I believe that Claudius is guilty, but what makes it worse is his insincerity towards Hamlet, when he knows that he killed his father. If he were not guilty, he would try to act more sympathetic and caring to prove it, but instead it's all fake. Even in the end when we see that he was only proven guilty when everyone was poisoned and even then, only Hamlet was doing something about it. This situation between the two, has not been interfered by anyone else, so it is like a battle that doesn't really end until many others die. Hamlet would be better off to end Claudius' life sooner than waiting on it and just thinking about it. 

To Be Or Not To Be

     The Olivier version of the soliloquy was very simple, but effective. The scene starts out with Hamlet looking over the cliff at the waves crashing. The sky is cloudy and looming over his head. This adds to the meaning of the first few lines when he is contemplating suicide. There is no music, but there are sound effects of waves crashing, which gives the scene a realistic feel. During one moment of the soliloquy he isn't speaking aloud, just thinking in his head and we hear a voice over. The actor is very concentrated in his thought at this point, and he looks very troubled. Hamlet has a very emotionless and dull tone in his voice, as if he is defeated. This gives the effect that he is ready to die and give up on all the troubles he is facing. When he says the lines " with a bare bodkin" he pulls out a dagger, which gives the lines a literal meaning, and the audience can more clearly understand the language of the piece. For a moment, if you hadn't read the soliloquy before, you may think he will end his life right there with it. Then, he walks over to the edge of the cliff, and it seems as if he may jump, but he walks away, ending the scene, which leaves the audience wondering what may have been going on in his head, even though we know he calls himself a coward for not committing suicide. Although this version is very simple and to the point, it shows that Hamlet can be a more defeated and dull character in this scene, rather than angry or sad, which are others ways he can be interpreted in other plays or movies.
   
     In the Zeffirelli version, Hamlet walks down the stairs from the light of the upstairs in the castle down into the dark catacombs, perhaps symbolizing his decent into a dark mindset. This is a very connected way to also emphasize the theme of contemplating death. Hamlet gets very emotional for a moment, and bends down next to what we can assume is his father's body and he puts his hands together as if praying and closes his eyes for a moment. He looks as if he is on the verge of tears. My take on is is that he is clearly still mourning over his father's death and can't take the pain anymore, based on this adaptation of the soliloquy. There is no music, but the lighting makes up for that. While he is surrounded by darkness, the only light is when he looks at the wall, with the dead bodies, and when he is walking around towards the end. This symbolizes that he is choosing life, and moving on, as he walks back up the stairs into the castle. He also seemed angry at himself for being cowardly and backing out of his feelings of wanting death, but he still pulls through.

     The Branaugh version starts off with Hamlet delivering his soliloquy to himself in a mirror. He is speaking very softly and calmly at first, although the message still has its dark undertones. The music starts once he starts to walk slowly towards the mirror, and it becomes more dramatic. AT first, we can see from behind him, but as the shot gets closer, until we can only see his shoulders and up, in the mirror. He takes a dagger at when he says "with a bare bodkin". He moves is slowly across his face and leaves it there and continues the soliloquy, as if thinking of ending his life right there, as he says "cowards turn awry" he places the dagger on the mirror as if to challenge himself. His tone changes into an arguing and debating type of tone, as if he is fighting with himself to decide to live or kill himself.

     In the Amereyda version, Hamlet is in a Blockbuster, in the Action section. He is looking around and slowly walking through the store. At first, he is not talking out loud, and the soliloquy is a voice over going on in his head. When he starts speaking out loud, he looks at the TV's which show destruction and fire. When he says "cowards of us all", there is a close up shot to emphasize how he is mad at himself for not following through. Throughout the whole scene, he is very emotionless and numb seeming. it is ironic because he is in a Blockbuster in the action section, but he is not taking action on what he is contemplating the whole time.
   
     I think there are so many versions of Hamlet, for the purpose of showing so many different ways that it can be interpreted. We can see the play as how it would have been in real life at the time in which it was set by Shakespeare, or in our own modern time. The directors of each of the versions we have watched in class has a different take on it, and it was very beneficial to see and try to understand other ways to analyze the text. My favorite version was the Zeffirelli and the Branaugh version of this scene, because they were very true to the text, and I liked the choices the directors made to make it realistic seeming. 




   

The Ghost Scene

     The three versions of The Ghost Scene were not only very different from each other, but left different impressions on the audience.

     In the first version, (Zeffirelli) the audience was left feeling very connected with the emotions that Hamlet was experiencing. Gibson portrayed Hamlet as being very scared, surprised and in shock while he interacts with the ghost of his father. The camera work shows only the faces of the actors to make it feel very personal. The colors were cool and dark, and gave it an eerie feeling. Only when Hamlet was angry and wanting revenge on his uncle, was when there were warm colors. This added to the emotions the audience feels while watching. Hamlet's father had almost a shadow over.him so you couldn't see him clearly, and he did not have any armor on. I think that this version feels the most realistic to the setting, and I like it the best.

     The Branagh version used many special effects, such as music and sounds and pictures flashing which make the audience feel as if Hamlet is panicked. His father's ghost speaks very fast in a monotone, cold voice. It seems scary at first, almost. When he explains how his brother was responsible for his murder to Hamlet, (and throughout the clip) everything is acted out with bright colors. It makes it seem as if those were happier times, rather than the cold colors used in the present. The ghost had armor on, like written in the play. I did not enjoy this version as much, because I feel like all the special effects take away from the play and the meaning in it. It's almost too artificial.

     The Almereyda version had the least of the special effects and was very humanistic. Hamlet's father looked like a normal person, and was speaking normally. In the background, there was a television showing anarchy and scenes that looked like war and destruction, but had warm colors, such as red. I enjoyed this version, but I prefer when plays are true to the time setting instead of modernized.

Act 3 Ending

I decided to use some of the parts from the play and then I added my own ending...

{After Dr. Rank visits, and Helmer says goodnight}

NORA: I shall never see him again! Never- never- never! [She shuffles through drawers impatiently and quickly] And never see the children again either- never, never again. The water’s black and cold as ice- and deep….so deep… Oh how could I leave the children this way? [She hurries down the hall to her children’s bedroom and opens the door quietly. She whispers quietly to them] Oh, my little darlings. You must be exhausted.

CHILDREN: Mamma!

NORA: [She puts her finger to her mouth motioning for them to be quiet] Shh, you must be quiet, as not to wake your father. It is very late. Now, come and give Mamma a big hug and kiss. [She hugs and kisses the children] I love you all very much. Do you love your mommy?

CHILDREN: Yes Momma we love you very much. Why are you asking?

NORA: Oh I just want to be the best mother I could be for you all. [She strokes their hair] Now, you must be quiet… Do you love your father too my darlings?

CHILDREN:  Yes of course mamma we love father.

NORA: Very good, my dears. Now you must go to bed, it is very late. [She picks each of them up and puts them in their beds and tucks them in] Goodnight, I love you. Mamma will see you soon.

CHILDREN: Goodnight Mamma…. [The children seem confused, tilting their heads] Why will we see you soon? Will you read us a bedtime story? [The children’s eyes light up and they speak tumultuously]

NORA: No, it is too late for bedtime stories…. Oh and I will see you somewhere far away...Maybe in dreamland…. somewhere far away, somewhere beautiful. We will all be there together someday. Mamma’s visiting tonight, very soon. If you fall asleep soon maybe you’ll see…. Now you must close your eyes and think of that beautiful place.

CHILDREN: Oh Mamma. I don’t quite understand, but it sounds lovely.

NORA: It is….Shh, my darlings; now go to sleep. We’ll all be together soon. [Nora shuts the door quietly and runs down the hall to her room. She grabs her suicide note and overlooks it quickly]

“….I’ve been evading the real problem here, and now I must act on it. You will never see me again. I cannot go on living in this misery any longer. Goodbye Torvald, care for the children well.”

[Nora gets up quickly and locks her bedroom door. She slowly walks over to her writing desk and places the note down. She hears Torvald swearing and calling her name] Leave me alone Torvald! I’m going to sleep. [Nora picks up a knife and looks around the room frantically.] Well, this is last I’ll ever see of this horrid world. I’ll feel no more misery. No one can control me anymore.

[She takes the knife to her neck and slits her throat quickly and sinks to the ground… Nora is dead]

HELMER: Nora! Open the door this instant! Nora you stupid woman! How could you do this to my reputation! You’ve made me look like a fool…..Nora open the door now!

[He finally breaks through to her room, hours later. He drops to his knees sobbing.]

Nora how could you do this to me and the children…

[He reads her suicides note, sobbing] You were so beautiful and full of life. If only I had treated you right. If only I could’ve held my little songbird one last time. I would make it all right.

NANNY: [Comes into the room] She didn’t want to be your damn songbird! She wanted to be free of you! Can’t you see what you’ve done? And she already told me she doesn't want you caring for her children. Goodbye Helmer. I hope you live in your misery…

[The Nanny has already collected the children downstairs. She takes them away and raises them as her own]

THE END

Act 2 Analysis

           Things got pretty interesting during Act II. Everything picks up speed and we find out more about the characters.

It starts off with Nora talking to the nanny about running away and caring for her children, and Nora and Mrs. Linde discussing Dr. Rank. Mrs. Linde thought Nora borrowed the money from Dr. Rank, and she was very suspicious. In reality, Nora borrowed the money from Krogstad (which we already found out in Act I.)

Now Nora must ask Torvald to keep Krogstad’s position at the bank, or Krogstad will send the letter revealing all her secrets and she will pay her retribution. Torvald did not in any way want to hear what Nora had to say to defend Krogstad. He was only worried about his reputation. He says to Nora “..Suppose it were to get about that the new Manager had let himself be influenced by his wife…” (Ibsen 188) He viewed Krogstad as disreputable person and a criminal, and he did not want it to seem as if they were friends. He said it would make his job very intolerable.

Torvald is also a very sexist person and does not see Nora as an equal almost, and calls her a woman as an insult. There was no way she was going to be able to persuade him.

After that was over and the letter to Krogstad has been sent, Nora and Dr. Rank were talking. He confesses that he loves her and that he thinks he is dying. “As soon as I’m quite certain my end has come, I shall send you my card with a black cross on it and then you’ll know that my disgusting end has begun.” (Ibsen 191) This is kind of surprising because you don’t think that he will die. Then, he says he loves her I didn’t know what to think. “To have loved you as deeply as anyone else- was that horrid?” (Ibsen 195) Maybe Nora loved him back; by the way they were flirting.  

Towards the end of the act, Nora decides she will kill herself. What is so ironic is that, when Helmer has her rehearse the tarantella. Helmer keeps critizing her and he says “But Nora darling, you’re dancing as if your life depended on it!” (Ibsen 205) The funny thing is, her life did depend on it. She also asks the maid about having champagne and macaroons. She needed to somehow enjoy the last moments of her life before she would kill herself. No one else understood what was going to happen to her.

Act 1 Analysis

After reading Act 1 of A Doll’s House, I have noticed certain traits about the characters. Nora seems to be very conceited, self centered, frivolous, and comes off as ignorant a bit. When Mrs. Linde came back to visit, Nora said “I suppose it is. But you know, I’ve been so happy these last eight years.” She disregarded the hardships her friend, Mrs. Linde was going through. She didn’t seem to care or understand, because she went on about herself, bragging. “Oh Kristina, I’m so happy! It’ll be really wonderful to have lots of money, and never need to worry, wont it?” Meanwhile, Mrs. Linde was trying to find a job, which is the reason she came to her for help because Helmer would be given advancement as bank manager.

Another thing about Nora is that she keeps all kinds of secrets from her husband. The most obvious one is how she forged her father’s signature to pay off a loan for the trip to Italy. It was supposedly to save his life, but Nora seems like a gold digger, and she always tries to get money from her husband, and then hides the fact that she is squandering it away on silly things. She also should realize how Helmer feels about forgery, because that’s her husband. “Just think how guilty a man like that must have to be to lie and cheat and play the hypocrite with everyone. How he must wear a mask even those nearest and dearest to him.” He goes on saying how it poisons and corrupts the children.

Back to Nora; she always says fake things. When she was talking to Mrs. Linde about her forgery secret she says “he’d be terribly hurt and humiliated if he thought he owed anything to me. It’d spoil everything between us, and our lovely happy home would never be the same again.” Clearly their relationship cannot be so close and happy if she has room to hide so many secrets.

Another point about that is, their relationship is very odd. It isn’t much like a husband and wife relationship. It is more like a father/ daughter relationship. “My little songbird mustn’t ever do that again. A songbird must have a clear voice to sing with- no false notes.” Helmer was talking about lie, but he sounds like Atticus repremanding Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird. Nora is similar to Scout in the way she would talk to her father, which reminds me of her and Helmer. It is very odd.

Towards the end of the act, Mrs. Linde brings up a very interesting possibility that Dr. Rank may have been lending Nora the money.Once again, Nora is lying! To top it off, Nora acts innocent asking for him to help her decide what to wear at the party. “Torvald, couldn’t you take me in hand and decide what I’m to go as- what my costume’s to be... Yes Torvald, I couldn’t do anything without you to help me.”

One of the other interesting things I noticed, was when Nora was talking to the maid, she makes it obvious she might run away. The maid said she would care for the children in a situation like that, if anything happened to her. The whole thing seems suspicious.

Mrs. Linde also seems a bit odd, how she popped back into Nora’s life only when she needed help from her. Krogstad just seems like a typical Disney villain-type character. There isn’t much I noticed about him. All of the characters seem to be revolving around Nora in a way. I’m thinking Nora probably cheated on Helmer with Dr. Rank, because he didn’t know who that was. And she’ll probably get herself into more trouble and run away. I feel like the ending of the play will either end as expected or completely the opposite. We have yet to find out!