Well then, you're quite different in this regard than our esteemed Prince of Denmark over here. The guy literally smears that thing with fair Ophelia's face in the very next scene.
I had to learn this soliloquy in grade 12 English class. After reciting it my English teacher pulled me aside and asked me if I was alright cause I clearly understood the message of this soliloquy, and I said yes as I explained that I knew it was about Hamlet contemplating suicide. My teacher had me stay after class and said that he believed I had a future in the performing arts and not in the tech field's like I planned. Decided to listen to him over my parents, and I have not regretted that choice since.
I remember I had a similar experience with defining the meaning of the to be or not to be line. I remember I wrote 2 to 3 pages about it, and earlier in the year, my English teacher said to the class that one of us can be a major in English/writing.
I love Branagh's take on this famous speech. First, he surrounds it with a fantastic set of mirrors, so apt for this character he seems so self-conscious. We have the antagonist hidden behind the mirror who gets to hear the speech, and his reaction which breaks up the "speechiness." Then we have the halfway point when the bodkin comes out, then used as a prop to accent his dangerousness. And I love the fact he whispers the entire speech. Because he never modulates the volume, we lose sight of this fact. But while framing the scene in public in front of the king, we have the interior quality of the speech, and the whisper also takes advantage of all those S sounds early in the speech. Just brilliant.
The most famous speech in the English language... and here I am wondering how the cameraman managed to not get into the shot. I thought the gray bit was him or her, but it's actually a flaw in the mirror.
Lynn Turman I'm inclined to agree, with Derek Jacobi's performance as a close second. I haven't seen a rendition that compares to those two ever since (sorry David Tennant fans, that version is good but I'll never get over all the cuts it made to the script) I'm going to be crucified for saying this, but the Laurence Olivier version just doesn't do it for me.
Lynn Turman Brannagh's is quite excellent but I prefer the David Tennent just because I feel like it handles the comic parts better, though some parts (the ghost scene in act I) are a bit overwrought. It also does a very good job at making it cinematic.
From Frankenstein, to Hamlet, to Thor, and everything else in between, every project this man was involved with, in front and or behind the camera, incredible. Kenneth is SEVERELY underrated...
Kenneth Branagh got this "to be or not to be" 100% right. Prince Hamlet is talking to himself, talking to his most inner heart and soul alone and away from all the people of the world. He, himself and the Universe are having this conservation alone. Prince Hamlet is asking if the Universe cares if he lives or die. Words and thoughts are becoming funny to our human brains when talking like this. Only Shakespeare can capture this "taking one's own life" questioning conundrum and Kenneth Branagh delivers it.
+Yowzoe the newest Hamlet-playing actor is Benedict Cumberbatch. There is just a barely beginning clip of his "to be or not be be" from youtube. Search-"Benedict Cumberbatch - Hamlet Interview [42 mins]". See for yourself. I can't hardly wait for its release.
+UpNfamish2 yeah this version isn't just whiny boy angsting but inner monologue expressed outwardly building up to fixity of purpose. you really get the impression that hamlet could have killed himself if he wasn't interrupted. this hamlet is OG no regrets.
thx for the reply, I have seen most of L.Olivier's movies and I think of him as a very good actor, but in his rendition of Hamlet, I get away from this feeling that he is still talking to the audience-i.e. there is so much b bodily movements while giving out this Me and the Cosmo(the very life giver of your body) talk while Kenneth Branagh was basically motionless, his hands dropped to the side.
Kenneth Branagah really speaks the lines as they're supposed to be spoken, or at least closest to. All the other actors I've seen overcomplicate the whole thing. Shakespeare was not a stupid man. He wrote the lines in a way that made their natural reading the way they should be spoken. Speak it as you read it and you will feel the pauses and the emphases at the appropriate moments.
This man is the ultimate Shakespearean - actor, director - the only thing he doesn't do is write it! Any student who thinks he dislikes Shakespeare or finds it difficult need only watch Branagh at work.
@@ari8184 "this is good for you, i guess..." LOL wtf Do you think you are superior because you like a version, which is not even really superior in quality? To each their own i guess... (You can say "but I didn't say I felt superior" but implied, and that's a shame)
KB is just great. People tend to forget this. He's got it all. Of course his acting talent is top-notch but his direction puts him up there with the best living directors.
My teacher asked us to learn the whole monologue by heart in English . We were 14 years old and I still remember it. I am so glad she did so. ❤ (I am from Naples 🇮🇹🌋)
I'm too busy being wrapped up in the words themselves to judge his portrayal of Hamlet. I'm a sucker for tormented characters and Hamlet just might be my #1. The fact that he's caught in a massive balancing act between his love life, his family, being in mourning, and a façade of insanity and has a raw moment of clarity, deciding whether or not to end it all, really speaks to my heart. I feel like this soliloquy was his most revealing moment of weakness in the entirety of the play. I can't help but romanticize it and feel the strong need to protect, comfort, console and care for the fictional character that is prince Hamlet.
That’s kind of the problem here You should kind of re- experience the words when the actor speaks them but here you do not. Richard Burton’s is my favorite rendering
To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And by opposing end them. To die-to sleep, No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep; To sleep, perchance to dream-ay, there's the rub: For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause-there's the respect That makes calamity of so long life. For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, Th'oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of dispriz'd love, the law's delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of th'unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, The undiscovere'd country, from whose bourn No traveller returns, puzzles the will, And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of? Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pitch and moment With this regard their currents turn awry And lose the name of action.
I think this is the best interpretation because in my opinion Hamlet honestly has to sound crazy to suddenly come up with this imaculate monologue. Holy moly.That's just a small part of it though. So Intense, I love it.
I thought I understood this in high school, but I think you have to have lived through some trials and tribulations to really understand. He's hating life, he wants it to be over, but he's scared to die. We'd say he's tired of "adulting" these days. I enjoyed this interpretation. Thanks for posting.
Kenneth Branagh's interpretation of the "to be or not to be" soliloquy captures the essence of what the scene means to Hamlet. Hamlet is debating suicide, which is a dark and melancholic concept with no right or wrong answer, so they made him perform it in a place that represents limbo or purgatory. The (mostly) white and vacant hall is fitting, as it is a clear representation of purgatory, which is the state of limbo where a person has died in a "state of grace", however the person had not been cleansed of all his/her sins, which carries symbolic meaning with Hamlet, he does not have the strength or courage to kill Claudius, but he also wants to achieve justice so his real-world circumstance is also in limbo. Kenneth makes great of camera techniques, when Hamlet is getting closer to the mirror the screen is entirely covered with the reflection. This gives extra metaphorical presence to the situation, Hamlet is considering suicide and is staring intently at himself, it's as if he is trying to convince his reflection to do commit suicide. And since it's his reflection it's also a mirror image of his appearance, so it's reversed and can be interpreted that "his" views are also reversed, so it's more like Hamlet arguing with himself. He is saying to commit suicide, while the reflection is denying him. And when the camera view is entirely covered by the reflection all we see is the reflection pointing the knife at Hamlet and he speaks of the "undiscovered country". And before that point the only thing Hamlet spoke of was the pros of suicide, but the reflection gives him the biggest point against it and points at him with the knife. Then right when he says "of action" we are shown the scene over his left shoulder, while the whole scene was shown over his right. This felt like the camera crossed over the mirror and now we're on the side of the Hamlet who did not want to commit suicide, so we are showed his change in perspective. Despite how unreal that may sound like, if you really watch the video at (time stamp) 3:03, the cross over in perspective feels meaningful and deliberate.
Dj Bloor Agree. But you can't do anything with the faux-elite who practice reverse snobbery by denouncing any of Branagh's Shakespeare work. Of course these are the same snowflakes and professors who think e.e. cummings is a talent in the Bard's league!
That line "for in that sleep of death / what dreams may come?" Goes hard. Crazy how even during Elizabethan/Anglican England, Shakespeare is so openly floating out the idea of oblivion/nothingness after death.
But that idea is in the bible itself, wisdom of solomon puts it in the mouth of the ungodly: "For we are born at all adventure: and we shall be hereafter as though we had never been: for the breath in our nostrils is as smoke, and a little spark in the moving of our heart: Which being extinguished, our body shall be turned into ashes, and our spirit shall vanish as the soft air, And our name shall be forgotten in time, and no man shall have our works in remembrance, and our life shall pass away as the trace of a cloud, and shall be dispersed as a mist, that is driven away with the beams of the sun, and overcome with the heat thereof".
Until Christ came , there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous Acts 24 : 15 I know he will rise on the last day. John 11: 24. @@retarazao9600
I’ve reached that AHa moment. I’m finally understanding what this means, for Real I got CHILLS. How relevant this is to RIGHT NOW. Shakespeare is a genius
It's such an amazing feeling when the Bard's words finally _CLICK._ It's like a whole new world of profound, effusive expression has opened itself to you. The man could draw out the deepest fathoms of the soul with his immaculate command of language and irrepressible wit. There's simply nobody else like him, and he truly, _TRULY_ deserves the venerable reputation that precedes him.
What an extraordinary film! Brilliant! Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet is a triumph. This is possibly my favourite film, to watched over and over again. Such delicious language. Such profound performances. Sublime.
That speech. The speech with a thousand interpretations. It's a wrestle of the conscious. A weigh in. A schism. The weight of a King . The weight of a "man." The weight of anyone who has drawn breath. It's the chilling thought we all put to the back of our minds and only age, war or poverty draws it. One day everyone faces it.
This is quite simply, sublime. Of all the great readings of this passage, from Olivier to Gielgud to more modern takes, Branagh's is the most human. His has become to the "true" reading for me, with all others acting as a contrast.
"To Be or Not to Be" Be you an only you an you shall be You choose who you want to be Not what others queue you to be Be you through an through to be Through thick and thin You are to Be
Branagh is the only actor I've ever seen pulling out decently the ambiguity of this passage. Most people I know seem to think Hamlet is reflecting on whether or not to take his own life, but Branagh here gives me the other possible meaning, "who am I to take my uncle's life, or to deny him such a peaceful and well-earned death?"
I love when he gets into the line of uncertainty and horrors of death the creepy song comes on. And even more amazing is the fact that the music is only the voice of other people reinforcing the idea of the dilemma of life and death as a question for all of humanity. Excellent.
I was teased mercilessly as a little girl, for telling my classmates that Kenneth was going to be my husband. What do they know, the plebeians. Kenneth, what happened? We were destined for each other...
What acting! Brilliant! Oh my passion for Shakespeare is kindled deeply as if sprung from the ocean's source! To share this passion with those I name friend! My friend! I tell him "To be...or not to be..." And my friend says "To be or not to be. That's the part that always confuses me!" The rest is pissed off silence!
First listen, never reading Shakespeare: this is dumb. Second listen after learning it’s about contemplating suicide: oooooh I get it. Fifth listen, wow this is excellent!
I remember I had to memorize this 5 years ago for AP English and on the first watch through I was shook that this was Gilderoy Lockhart (this guy is just so talented) 😂💀
I am currently reading and watching Hamlet at school. While I am not a big fan of reading the play itself, I must say that I am at awe of this movie! This some of the best acting I have ever seen.
I was an English Lit Honors Student in college. I had an Honors course in SP. This was one of three SP plays we studied. My final thesis was that Hamlet was in fact only feigning madness. My prof disagreed, but he reluctantly gave me an A anyway
Yeah, if it's a speculative essay, you shouldn't be graded on whether the teacher agrees with you, but on your persuasiveness, style, and use of the text.
It is fear of the undiscovered country that has kept me from shuffling off this mortal coil. For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come? It gives me pause. Therefore, it is I who bears the whips and scorn of time.
I have heard this performed many times, but none so effectively as Branagh’s. At the age of 75, and contemplating ending my life because of advancing ALS, I for the first time feel as if I know what Hamlet is feeling and saying.
Ok just last month we finished reading Othello, and my english teacher would show us clips from the Othello movie that had Kenneth Branagh as Iago, and now I'm finding out he is playing Hamlet in this movie, so you can understand when I say that all I can think of is him as Iago while watching this.
the funniest thing I have noticed after reading some of the comments is how people are trying to be more descriptive (and overall sound more pretentious though they might not mean to) in what they are writing after having watched this clip of the movie. lmao, one guy writes: "no play, no movie, no song can be as moving without a great singer or actor behind it" (or something like this) I bet this guy wouldn't write like this if he hadn't just watched this clip; this is the power a man's (i.e. Shakespeare) work can have. more than 400 years have passed since Shakespeare died, and yet his work can influence us today to such an extent. this is genius.
I have to say, you can’t help but admire how ambitious Kenneth Branagh is as a storyteller. He truly makes a lot of his films feel larger than life. It definitely shows in this Shakespeare adaptation and Thor.
My conversation with my self before i get up for work every morning.
Sadly, same here.
touche my good man
If you are still alive you need a new job!!
Sadly I also do the "to rise or not to rise" debate every morning. Esp on Mondays
@@TheNeshkey lmao
Our high school teacher asked us to memorize this soliloquy and oh boy 12 years later, I can still recall every line.
Excellent! 32 years later for me, but remember only the first few lines.
That's impressive. I once knew this speech as well.
10 months ago, i still remember jeje
i can remember every line from the tomorrow soliloquy
suicide prevention maybe?
i aspire to own a mirror that clean
hahha it's so funny and... TRUE
Well then, you're quite different in this regard than our esteemed Prince of Denmark over here. The guy literally smears that thing with fair Ophelia's face in the very next scene.
It’s a plate on a green screen the movement is different they did this so they didn’t get glare
Thanks for reminding me to buy windex:)
Wax on, wax off, Daniel son.
He never blinks...
Marvin Meza How does he do that? I can't go for more than a few seconds without blinking.
Steven Yourke i think you can do that if you're super hydrated?
Legend says he's still not blinking
+Oriano Augustin DANK 😂😵
@@Vagabon1729dho-_ lol wtf chill
Crap i gotta memorize this whole thing by tmr rip
Worth it.
Same fam
me too
same lol
I can still recite it nearly 10 years later
I had to learn this soliloquy in grade 12 English class. After reciting it my English teacher pulled me aside and asked me if I was alright cause I clearly understood the message of this soliloquy, and I said yes as I explained that I knew it was about Hamlet contemplating suicide. My teacher had me stay after class and said that he believed I had a future in the performing arts and not in the tech field's like I planned. Decided to listen to him over my parents, and I have not regretted that choice since.
that's so sweet thanks for sharing
I remember I had a similar experience with defining the meaning of the to be or not to be line. I remember I wrote 2 to 3 pages about it, and earlier in the year, my English teacher said to the class that one of us can be a major in English/writing.
was this in good will hunting?
Wholesome shit like this is why I browse the comment section.
@@keithbarlow9701 RIGHT!?? I want to know what this person's acting career ended up looking like so we can cheer him on!!
you know an actor is doing his job well when you can't breathe in fear of disturbing his moment
Oh piss off
@@BigGamingBossManWe getting mad over performance appreciation now⁉️⁉️
@@fuffilicious New world order. The one Joe Biden was talking about. With incompetence and arrogance and beeing a dumb shit sheep
@@BigGamingBossManIf you don't appreciate it, why are you even commenting on this video?
yeah
I love Branagh's take on this famous speech. First, he surrounds it with a fantastic set of mirrors, so apt for this character he seems so self-conscious. We have the antagonist hidden behind the mirror who gets to hear the speech, and his reaction which breaks up the "speechiness." Then we have the halfway point when the bodkin comes out, then used as a prop to accent his dangerousness. And I love the fact he whispers the entire speech. Because he never modulates the volume, we lose sight of this fact. But while framing the scene in public in front of the king, we have the interior quality of the speech, and the whisper also takes advantage of all those S sounds early in the speech. Just brilliant.
The most famous speech in the English language... and here I am wondering how the cameraman managed to not get into the shot. I thought the gray bit was him or her, but it's actually a flaw in the mirror.
+DigidesteinedSayian Probably used photoshop and took a picture from the otherside of the mirror in advance
You're looking at the mirror on an angle.
used the right angles probably.. but also, it is possible he was removed in post-production.. either way
@riffi15 Yea I learned about that from a Tom Scott video lmao
Look at the floor and you will understand how it works :)
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]
😭
Best verse ever. Had me crying out of sheer emotion.
You thought it was your dear girl Ophelia coming to talk…
BUT IT WAS I D I O
Gotta pull up the Secret Joestar Technique@@tsayin2662
Branagh's version of HAMLET is the best movie version, imo. Because it takes 400 year old play & makes it CINEMATIC.
Lynn Turman I'm inclined to agree, with Derek Jacobi's performance as a close second. I haven't seen a rendition that compares to those two ever since (sorry David Tennant fans, that version is good but I'll never get over all the cuts it made to the script) I'm going to be crucified for saying this, but the Laurence Olivier version just doesn't do it for me.
dreamyjess How is Jacobi's rendition good? When he looks at the camera, the scene doesn't feel personal or realistic anymore.
I'm not talking about Branagh's PERFORMANCE as Hamlet (which to me seems fine). I'm talking about his DIRECTION of the movie.
Lynn Turman i agree
Lynn Turman Brannagh's is quite excellent but I prefer the David Tennent just because I feel like it handles the comic parts better, though some parts (the ghost scene in act I) are a bit overwrought.
It also does a very good job at making it cinematic.
From Frankenstein, to Hamlet, to Thor, and everything else in between, every project this man was involved with, in front and or behind the camera, incredible. Kenneth is SEVERELY underrated...
Artemis Fowl: Everything?
I'm not sure you understand what the word "underrated" means...
He didn’t save Harry Potter 2 though!!!
@@karlosthejackel69isn’t Harry Potter 2 the best one
@@papabear6611the worst.
Kenneth Branagh got this "to be or not to be" 100% right. Prince Hamlet is talking to himself, talking to his most inner heart and soul alone and away from all the people of the world. He, himself and the Universe are having this conservation alone. Prince Hamlet is asking if the Universe cares if he lives or die. Words and thoughts are becoming funny to our human brains when talking like this. Only Shakespeare can capture this "taking one's own life" questioning conundrum and Kenneth Branagh delivers it.
What are your other favorite movie versions? I might like this one the best but I'd like to see the other really good ones…
Yowzoe sorry, in all other version,actors are talking to the audiences. They are so obviously funny.
+Yowzoe the newest Hamlet-playing actor is Benedict Cumberbatch. There is just a barely beginning clip of his "to be or not be be" from youtube. Search-"Benedict Cumberbatch - Hamlet Interview [42 mins]". See for yourself. I can't hardly wait for its release.
+UpNfamish2 yeah this version isn't just whiny boy angsting but inner monologue expressed outwardly building up to fixity of purpose. you really get the impression that hamlet could have killed himself if he wasn't interrupted. this hamlet is OG no regrets.
thx for the reply, I have seen most of L.Olivier's movies and I think of him as a very good actor, but in his rendition of Hamlet, I get away from this feeling that he is still talking to the audience-i.e. there is so much b bodily movements while giving out this Me and the Cosmo(the very life giver of your body) talk while Kenneth Branagh was basically motionless, his hands dropped to the side.
Kenneth Branagah really speaks the lines as they're supposed to be spoken, or at least closest to. All the other actors I've seen overcomplicate the whole thing. Shakespeare was not a stupid man. He wrote the lines in a way that made their natural reading the way they should be spoken. Speak it as you read it and you will feel the pauses and the emphases at the appropriate moments.
I 100% agree with your comment. Branagah sounds so natural and real in the version, he is not trying, he is flowing in the scene
That’s so true.
"Shakespeare was not a stupid man." That's quite the safe take.
This man is the ultimate Shakespearean - actor, director - the only thing he doesn't do is write it! Any student who thinks he dislikes Shakespeare or finds it difficult need only watch Branagh at work.
Well, he nailed that.
I like Mel gibsons version better but this is good for you I guess .....
@@ari8184 "this is good for you, i guess..." LOL wtf Do you think you are superior because you like a version, which is not even really superior in quality? To each their own i guess...
(You can say "but I didn't say I felt superior" but implied, and that's a shame)
@@jessica5497 haha "burn" @Ari
@@jessica5497 lol. Some people are just rude by nature
@@jessica5497 some people likes ruining the fun:(
I think it's hard to accurately describe how powerful this speech is. We can not do justice to it.
KB is just great. People tend to forget this. He's got it all. Of course his acting talent is top-notch but his direction puts him up there with the best living directors.
Anyone else watching this in 2024 but not because of school?
🙋
My teacher asked us to learn the whole monologue by heart in English . We were 14 years old and I still remember it.
I am so glad she did so.
❤
(I am from Naples 🇮🇹🌋)
I'll say it right now, Shakespeare is badass.
Whoever Shakespeare was.
Already was
imagine you were the guys watching this happen behind the mirror and hamlet just starts ranting crazy shit like this.
This is by far the best and most accurate, breathtaking representation of Hamlet. Both character and play ❤
Is this a film? 🤔🤫🤭
Yes, Hamlet 1996
Going through the comment section to find good use for my Hamlet essay.
Was it useful?
@@vfa9761 There were some good points but nothing really answered the essay question
@@wassabiii600 Basically, Hamlet is sad
@@ArtyomLensky Ah thanks for helping with my 1000 words essay
I'm too busy being wrapped up in the words themselves to judge his portrayal of Hamlet. I'm a sucker for tormented characters and Hamlet just might be my #1. The fact that he's caught in a massive balancing act between his love life, his family, being in mourning, and a façade of insanity and has a raw moment of clarity, deciding whether or not to end it all, really speaks to my heart. I feel like this soliloquy was his most revealing moment of weakness in the entirety of the play. I can't help but romanticize it and feel the strong need to protect, comfort, console and care for the fictional character that is prince Hamlet.
He is too full of the milk of human kindness...
Southern Gothic you’ve put to words exactly what I wanted to say about this monologue
That’s kind of the problem here
You should kind of re- experience the words when the actor speaks them but here you do not. Richard Burton’s is my favorite rendering
@@ruly8153 speak for yourself!
This soliloquy has helped me tremendously with my suicidality
I will always be thankful to my High school English teacher Mr Lawndy for showing this movie in class.
Must’ve been a very long class
To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them. To die-to sleep,
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep, perchance to dream-ay, there's the rub:
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause-there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life.
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
Th'oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of dispriz'd love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of th'unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovere'd country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action.
2:28
Wonderful. The speech and it's rendition. This's my favourite speech
When you overthink, it's best to remember Hamlet.
My favourite. He's detached from himself and coldly watched himself struggling in pain. I feel so much for this.
I think this is the best interpretation because in my opinion Hamlet honestly has to sound crazy to suddenly come up with this imaculate monologue. Holy moly.That's just a small part of it though. So Intense, I love it.
Kenneth Branagh's movie is the best cinematographic adaptation of Hamlet ...seems so real that takes me away
Watch his Henry V. 😮
I thought I understood this in high school, but I think you have to have lived through some trials and tribulations to really understand. He's hating life, he wants it to be over, but he's scared to die. We'd say he's tired of "adulting" these days. I enjoyed this interpretation. Thanks for posting.
To LIVE or just to EXIST ?
That is the question .
Kenneth Branagh, the savior of my teenage years and introduction to Shakespeare. I am forever thankful for the existence of this incredible film.
"Doctor Arliss Loveless?"
Kenneth Branagh's interpretation of the "to be or not to be" soliloquy captures the essence of what the scene means to Hamlet. Hamlet is debating suicide, which is a dark and melancholic concept with no right or wrong answer, so they made him perform it in a place that represents limbo or purgatory. The (mostly) white and vacant hall is fitting, as it is a clear representation of purgatory, which is the state of limbo where a person has died in a "state of grace", however the person had not been cleansed of all his/her sins, which carries symbolic meaning with Hamlet, he does not have the strength or courage to kill Claudius, but he also wants to achieve justice so his real-world circumstance is also in limbo. Kenneth makes great of camera techniques, when Hamlet is getting closer to the mirror the screen is entirely covered with the reflection. This gives extra metaphorical presence to the situation, Hamlet is considering suicide and is staring intently at himself, it's as if he is trying to convince his reflection to do commit suicide. And since it's his reflection it's also a mirror image of his appearance, so it's reversed and can be interpreted that "his" views are also reversed, so it's more like Hamlet arguing with himself. He is saying to commit suicide, while the reflection is denying him. And when the camera view is entirely covered by the reflection all we see is the reflection pointing the knife at Hamlet and he speaks of the "undiscovered country". And before that point the only thing Hamlet spoke of was the pros of suicide, but the reflection gives him the biggest point against it and points at him with the knife. Then right when he says "of action" we are shown the scene over his left shoulder, while the whole scene was shown over his right. This felt like the camera crossed over the mirror and now we're on the side of the Hamlet who did not want to commit suicide, so we are showed his change in perspective. Despite how unreal that may sound like, if you really watch the video at (time stamp) 3:03, the cross over in perspective feels meaningful and deliberate.
Dj Bloor Agree. But you can't do anything with the faux-elite who practice reverse snobbery by denouncing any of Branagh's Shakespeare work. Of course these are the same snowflakes and professors who think e.e. cummings is a talent in the Bard's league!
Goodness I made a ton of spelling mistakes. That's the last time I let autocorrect get the best of me.
le anime
Is there any chance I can adopt a couple of these ideas for my English paper?
When you finally reach that impossible itch spot on your back 1:14
I always get goosebumps with this epic soliloquy... literature is life😭😍
That line "for in that sleep of death / what dreams may come?" Goes hard. Crazy how even during Elizabethan/Anglican England, Shakespeare is so openly floating out the idea of oblivion/nothingness after death.
But that idea is in the bible itself, wisdom of solomon puts it in the mouth of the ungodly:
"For we are born at all adventure: and we shall be hereafter as though we had never been: for the breath in our nostrils is as smoke, and a little spark in the moving of our heart: Which being extinguished, our body shall be turned into ashes, and our spirit shall vanish as the soft air, And our name shall be forgotten in time, and no man shall have our works in remembrance, and our life shall pass away as the trace of a cloud, and shall be dispersed as a mist, that is driven away with the beams of the sun, and overcome with the heat thereof".
dreams imply afterlife consciousness , hence heaven
Until Christ came , there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous Acts 24 : 15
I know he will rise on the last day.
John 11: 24.
@@retarazao9600
The most beautiful way to describe fear of death.
Kenneth Branagh, the ONLY actor who can play Hamlet. Effortlessly acted with so much energy.
+Nick Eisnor Olivier!
Gibson!
Tennant!
Scott!
Adrian Lester!
The fact that he does it infront of a mirror, to memorize and reproduce exactly with expressions, I would say this is underrated from my pov
Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet is the most impressive! I feel his pain !
I’ve reached that AHa moment. I’m finally understanding what this means, for Real I got CHILLS. How relevant this is to RIGHT NOW. Shakespeare is a genius
It's such an amazing feeling when the Bard's words finally _CLICK._ It's like a whole new world of profound, effusive expression has opened itself to you. The man could draw out the deepest fathoms of the soul with his immaculate command of language and irrepressible wit. There's simply nobody else like him, and he truly, _TRULY_ deserves the venerable reputation that precedes him.
Famous Play. Famous Actor. Famous Mirror Scene. All in all EPIC. Thank you for posting it.
Shakespeare is relevant in any era and listening to the likes of Branagh, Dench, Blessed and Thompson bring his words to life is bliss.
What an extraordinary film! Brilliant! Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet is a triumph. This is possibly my favourite film, to watched over and over again. Such delicious language. Such profound performances. Sublime.
I'm usually not a fan of Shakespeare but god damn this monologue deserves every bit of praise. Timeless.
This is known as a soliloquy not a monologue, just trying to let you know, not trying to be an asshole
@@Kobe_Jay_Kenobii
Ok nerd 🤓
Like we say in Spain: "Eres subnormal"@@jelly.212
@@Kobe_Jay_Kenobiiare soliloquies not a type of monologue?
I love Hamlet's play and more when Kenneth Branagh plays him :)
close captions:
**looks around room** Cool.
LOL.
That speech. The speech with a thousand interpretations. It's a wrestle of the conscious. A weigh in. A schism. The weight of a King . The weight of a "man." The weight of anyone who has drawn breath. It's the chilling thought we all put to the back of our minds and only age, war or poverty draws it. One day everyone faces it.
This is quite simply, sublime.
Of all the great readings of this passage, from Olivier to Gielgud to more modern takes, Branagh's is the most human. His has become to the "true" reading for me, with all others acting as a contrast.
"To Be or Not to Be"
Be you an only you an you shall be
You choose who you want to be
Not what others queue you to be
Be you through an through to be
Through thick and thin You are to Be
i remember i had to recite this whole part infront of the class. cant believe i remember all those lines lol
neither can i
was that for college? cause if so.. rip me
You did it?! YAY!!!
Absolutely brilliant performance. I loved every second of this film.
I did not have to learn this soliloquy in school, but I did. Boredom truly is a great motivation
I’ve been in love with this since high school.
My english teacher showed this to our class because we have to memorize this! Such a great scene.
Now this is brilliance at its prime... when the performance is effortlessly beyond amazing
This is my favorite performance. He does it so well and you feel every line. Damn.
Awesome performing from Branagh as well envolving as convincing it is full of undertones !
Branagh is the only actor I've ever seen pulling out decently the ambiguity of this passage. Most people I know seem to think Hamlet is reflecting on whether or not to take his own life, but Branagh here gives me the other possible meaning, "who am I to take my uncle's life, or to deny him such a peaceful and well-earned death?"
Does he know about the people behind the mirror? I didn't watch the movie yet.
@@egecebi2659 He doesn't
I love when he gets into the line of uncertainty and horrors of death the creepy song comes on. And even more amazing is the fact that the music is only the voice of other people reinforcing the idea of the dilemma of life and death as a question for all of humanity. Excellent.
i have to memorize this by wednesday and today’s sunday, wish me 🍀
Branagh: The greatest living interpreter of Shakespeare.
over Jacobi??! (he's still alive, non?)
David Tennant
Mel Gibson?
@@druidus wtf lol
Patrick Stewart wins.
This is the scene.. it played in my last day of the senior high school year. At last period, before the bell had rung... unforgettable.
I was teased mercilessly as a little girl, for telling my classmates that Kenneth was going to be my husband. What do they know, the plebeians. Kenneth, what happened? We were destined for each other...
It's always a joy to come back to this film, it's like his pet project.
What acting! Brilliant! Oh my passion for Shakespeare is kindled deeply as if sprung from the ocean's source! To share this passion with those I name friend! My friend! I tell him "To be...or not to be..."
And my friend says "To be or not to be. That's the part that always confuses me!"
The rest is pissed off silence!
This film was clearly a passion project for Kenneth Branagh and boy did he take it for all that its worth... one of the best adaptations of a play!
WOW! I don't think I could have put it better myself!
First listen, never reading Shakespeare: this is dumb. Second listen after learning it’s about contemplating suicide: oooooh I get it. Fifth listen, wow this is excellent!
I remember I had to memorize this 5 years ago for AP English and on the first watch through I was shook that this was Gilderoy Lockhart (this guy is just so talented) 😂💀
I am currently reading and watching Hamlet at school. While I am not a big fan of reading the play itself, I must say that I am at awe of this movie! This some of the best acting I have ever seen.
My favorite part of Hamlet was when he said "it's hammin' time" and then hammed all those other guys
the best performance of a Shakespeare soliloquy
Oh, to see it in 70 mm on a big cinema screen - that would be glorious.
@fastrally ≠ Well, I take your point - you probably would feel dwarfed by such a big image.
I was an English Lit Honors Student in college. I had an Honors course in SP. This was one of three SP plays we studied. My final thesis was that Hamlet was in fact only feigning madness. My prof disagreed, but he reluctantly gave me an A anyway
Yeah, if it's a speculative essay, you shouldn't be graded on whether the teacher agrees with you, but on your persuasiveness, style, and use of the text.
It is fear of the undiscovered country that has kept me from shuffling off this mortal coil.
For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come? It gives me pause.
Therefore, it is I who bears the whips and scorn of time.
He makes Shakespeare so easily understood. Amazing
The greatest English actor of all time, Kenneth doesn’t take on roles; he owns them.
I feel like I'd appreciate this a lot more if I didn't have to cram the whole thing into my head within the next 5 days.
Best adaptation of Hamlet. Ever.
Hamlet: Starts getting into an intense speech
Me: ey, wait up! I'm still in the "To be or not to be"!
I watched this in English class and couldn't help but realize how great of an actor this is
I am considering reciting this at a talent show in May. This video helped me get an idea of how to perform.
Best quotes before doing it , . Couldn’t describe a suicidal man’s thoughts better than this .
How I feel when I am deciding whether I should screenshot my crush's snapchat or not.
to screenshot or not to screenshot
Yuepeng Wei ahahahahah 😂
Please take your stupid modern garbage and get the hell out of a cinematic masterpiece's comment section you goddamn millennial
+IdeologicTube this is not a millenial this is a Gen Z child, which the children of Gen Z havent gotten a name yet.
@@ideologictube7100 wow geez chill 😂
I have heard this performed many times, but none so effectively as Branagh’s.
At the age of 75, and contemplating ending my life because of advancing ALS, I for the first time feel as if I know what Hamlet is feeling and saying.
I think about it often too, but please don’t.
Ok just last month we finished reading Othello, and my english teacher would show us clips from the Othello movie that had Kenneth Branagh as Iago, and now I'm finding out he is playing Hamlet in this movie, so you can understand when I say that all I can think of is him as Iago while watching this.
Goosebumps…
The Great Kenneth Branagh Presiding...
the funniest thing I have noticed after reading some of the comments is how people are trying to be more descriptive (and overall sound more pretentious though they might not mean to) in what they are writing after having watched this clip of the movie. lmao, one guy writes: "no play, no movie, no song can be as moving without a great singer or actor behind it" (or something like this) I bet this guy wouldn't write like this if he hadn't just watched this clip; this is the power a man's (i.e. Shakespeare) work can have. more than 400 years have passed since Shakespeare died, and yet his work can influence us today to such an extent. this is genius.
one of my favourite versions of this soliloquy ❤
When Shakespeare was writing this diamond of literary excellence, some other cultures were struggling to build a mud hut with a grass roof.
I could listen to this for hours
Same
He nailed it ! Best performance one could ask for !
This gives me chills every time I hear it🔥💯🔥
I have to say, you can’t help but admire how ambitious Kenneth Branagh is as a storyteller. He truly makes a lot of his films feel larger than life. It definitely shows in this Shakespeare adaptation and Thor.