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Example research essay topic: Mel Gibson Kenneth Branagh - 1,680 words

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To be or not to be? . Probably some of the most famous words of the English language, played and reiterated upon time and time again, in both in seriousness and jest. In the midst of the these reiterations, predominating views as to their playings have come to light, particularly concerning a popular question about the character to which they belong. Did he actually go crazy, or was he just pretending all along?

There have been so many performances of Hamlet, that it is extremely difficult to keep track of all the different views on Hamlets sanity, or lack thereof. Fortunately, for us, the medium of film provides for us a long-lasting record of certain performances. Another benefit of the film medium is the possibility for effective music and camerawork. Here, I have examined the performances of the Act III, Scene I monologue beginning, To be or not to be from William Shakespeare's Hamlet, as portrayed by Sir Laurence Olivier, Mel Gibson, and Kenneth Branagh. Sir Laurence Olivier: The Suicidal Sir Laurence Olivier performs his monologue atop a castle tower with no sides, allowing him to look down into the ocean and ponder throwing himself over.

We catch up to him after the camera seemingly runs up several flights of stairs, leaving a sobbing Ophelia at the bottom. All throughout, the camera remains steady on Sir Laurence, throwing us no tricks, though at first it gives is a taste of the confusion Hamlet is feeling. We see the top of Olivier's head as he gazes down to the crashing surf below, presumably contemplating suicide. The image blurs from frothing waves to a strange image of a brain and back, until finally he thinks the first line, and things come into view as we find him sitting upon a rock on the tower. Clad in dark clothing, Olivier appears as royalty. His light hair is groomed properly, and he is very clean-shaven.

The costume fulfills some of the preconceived notions of both royalty and performance (e. g. tights). Olivier's monologue employs something not seen in any of the other Hamlets discussed here. He internalizes some of the lines at first just the beginning line, but later a whole passage. He ponders sleeping and dying, and ending the hardships of life, until he suddenly blurts perchance to dream, seeming to knock himself back with that thought.

Olivier's Hamlet seems to roll over his thoughts, prone to the suddenness of some, but thinking slowly and completely. He spends much of the monologue perched on the rock, almost striking a pose. When he thinks internally, he closes his eyes. When he considers the possibility of fighting his problems with a chance to end them, he withdraws his knife and points it to his heart, referring to the bare bodkin once, then accidentally dropping it into the sea when considering flying to ills that he knows not of. After that, he stands and walks around the platform, nearing the edge and examining it, then turning away when he speaks of things turning awry.

Finally, he walks to the stairs and disappears into a fog. Olivier's film makes good use of music. As we sweep up the stairs, the music climbs and climbs, eventually crashing with the music, then fading as Olivier begins delivering. When Hamlet realizes the chance of dreaming, Olivier's shock is countered by that of a burst of music, which fades until he wanders into the fog at the end.

Overall, Sir Laurence plays a Hamlet who is going mad and thinking about ending his life. He rushes up the stairs with the intent of jumping into the ocean, but a thought occurs to him: To be or not to be? . As he lists the difficulties of life, he seems to be feeling and reeling from each one. Mel Gibson: The Distraught Mel Gibson gives his monologue in the echoing catacombs of the castle, near the tomb of his father. The room is a uniform brown and poorly lit, save for a shaft of light shining down upon his fathers tomb. Of the three Hamlets examined here, he appears the most un-royal.

His dark clothes are disheveled, as is his hair and his grisly beard. Gibson also moves more than any other Hamlet seen here. He wanders down into the catacombs, away from the light, and proceeds to survey the graves dug into the walls. He spends much of the monologue leaning on, resting on, sitting against, and crouching by his fathers tomb. At one point, he seems to be delivering the monologue to the tomb itself. He appears doubtful and tired; his eyes wander to and fro while he clasps his hands and bites his nails.

Toward the end of his monologue, he finally rises and paces sturdily, stopping under the shaft of light and gazing upward as he delivers the line, pale cast of thought. He completes his speech as he slowly makes his way about halfway up the steps, then stops, leans on the wall, and drops his head. The camera then goes to the next scene. Gibsons pacing indicates that he is being dragged by his thoughts. He delivers lines quickly as they first occur to him, not taking time to make pauses. His voice comes out as rough and guttural, he is wondering and worrying; he is imagining the things he is saying.

As he lists the troubles of life, he grows upset and speeds up, seeming to want to be over with even having to think about it all. Gibsons camera shows us many times what he sees. At the lines, end them, to die, and the undiscovered country, the camera shows us the graves embedded in the wall. As Gibson surveys the catacombs, the camera makes a slow pan across the room.

As he looks, so does the camera. Gibson appears to be carried by his thoughts, simply thinking them and following them wherever they may go in this scene absent of music. The devastation of the truth behind his fathers death and an inability to know exactly what to do takes its toll upon him, such that he would wander to his fathers grave and wonder if he should join him. Gibsons appearance is of a man abandoning care for the formalities of the world. Kenneth Branagh: The Calculator Branagh performs his monologue in the empty great hall of the castle. The walls of the room contain many two-way mirrors, and the floor makes a checkered pattern.

He delivers the entire speech while facing himself in a mirror a mirror behind which are Claudius and Polonius. Branagh's dress is extremely rigid: tight, black clothes, dyed-blonde hair. Everything, from shoes to moustache, is in perfect order, except for an unbuttoned jacket. Using the mirror, Hamlet watches himself. His only motions consist of a single raised fist, slow baby steps toward his image, and a few motions with a knife. He draws out every motion, making his only sudden move at the withdrawing of the knife.

Once it is out, he points it to the mirror, eventually pressing it against his face, then finally tapping it on the glass. Another thing drawn out is Branagh's pacing. He delivers words slowly, quietly. Many times he seems to be whispering while out of breath.

He mulls over each word before its delivery and makes the audience strive to hear it. This scene is a cameraman's dream come true, for it consists of a single slow zoom inward to Branagh's image on the screen. It happens slowly and subtly. Similar to the slow camera work, the music used in this scene slowly grows into it. It begins at the line, what dreams may come. It is lightly piercing, dark, and repetitive.

Inside it lies a recurring beat that never gets too loud, but adds a looming sense to the scene. This Hamlet definitely has a plan beneath his skin. Indicative in his dress and demeanor, Branagh's Hamlet is calculating and playing. His going crazy is simply another step in a particular plan of his. Everything about him seems contrived in a slow and subtle manner, much the like music, camerawork, and movement in this scene.

Conclusions Being a believer in the theory that Hamlet did actually go crazy, at least for a time, I find that I agree most of all with the performances of Sir Laurence Olivier and Mel Gibson, especially Mel Gibson. They portray Hamlet in a sense that he has become overwhelmed by his situation. On the other hand, Kenneth Branagh created a Hamlet that pretended to be crazy as part of a larger plan. At the beginning of the play, Hamlet faces enormous sorrow and downfall, experiencing the death of his father and the hasty marriage of his mother to an uncle he seems to dislike. And on top of this is added a great sense of separation, from a potential lover in Ophelia to friends like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to even his mother, Gertrude. Add to this misfortune the ghost of his father suddenly appearing, telling him that the uncle who now sits on the throne murdered him.

Thus, the situation turns again on Hamlet, who swears to avenge his father, but knows not how tot, what exactly to do, or whether he should actually do it or not. These misfortunes overpower Hamlet, so that he cares nothing for the world, including how he acts and dresses. Again, I believe Mel Gibson to portray this image most wholly, for he carries an unkempt look, a fatigue and desperation about him that captures the true dilemma of Hamlet more so than the other three actors do. He truly embodies the spirit of a man facing great tragedy and obstacle on his own and cannot find ways to cope with it. fatigue and desperation about him that captures the true dilemma of Hamlet more so than the other three actors do.

He truly embodies the spirit of a man facing great tragedy and obstacle on his own and cannot find ways to cope with it. 313


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Research essay sample on Mel Gibson Kenneth Branagh

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