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.
