Ophelia Eulogy

Life is full of puzzling, unexpected twists and turns. We can live through the same routine each day and then out of nowhere that routine is suddenly gone. It is something we all experience, something we are very close to, yet it still remains a mystery to us. In this tumbling chaos we call life we come across different people. Some people who seem nothing more than a part of the scenery and others who change the way you see things. But we rarely think of the way our lives will change if one of these people is ripped out of the picture with no forewarning. Sadly our dear Ophelia was ripped out in this way.

To some Ophelia was just a girl, others saw her as possible wife of Hamlet, a daughter and a sister. However you saw her when she lived I have no doubt that you see her through different eyes now. Death tends to do that, to change the way we perceive a person’s life. But whether you see her now as a heroine or a coward, I hope you will put that aside to remember her as she was, a woman.

In her life it would seem that her life was not her own. Her decision to leave Hamlet was not a decision made from love or lack thereof, but a decision made from obedience. She always remained obedient and respectful of her father and brother, even when their requests were intrusive and hypocritical. Her life was completely in the control of the men in her life and she tried to play her role even if it meant she had to sacrifice her own heart, feelings, and sanity. She was just a girl with a kind heart born in a dark cruel world.

Even before she was completely dead, Ophelia had left our world for a hopefully more beautiful, easy fantasy. After Hamlet murdered her father, Ophelia was driven into madness. But I saw her no less beautiful because of her tragic escape from rational thought. All she ever wanted was to be loved, and so she found a place in her mind where she is wanted and where it is filled with flowers and beauty. Though some may paint the memory black because of the event that followed it, my fondest memory of Ophelia is of her picking flowers and singing joyfully before she sank into the river. I think she was finally at peace, able to rid herself of thoughts of her father’s death or hamlet no longer coming to her and fully escape into her beautiful fantasy.

Ophelia only wanted to gain love and respect, things that should we granted but rarely are to people such as her. She was not a hero nor a villain, she was Ophelia, a woman who wished for the things we all wish for. And her unfortunate demise is one of those great twists and turns of life.

Since the beginning of the play we have seen how Hamlet’s tendency to over think everything stops him from taking action. In act 3 scene 1, Hamlet wonders whether to commit suicide and he says in lines 83-8 that he thinks thinking stops us from acting yet he stops himself from committing suicide because of over thinking. When Hamlet first sees Claudius praying to repent for his sins, he is prepared to kill him. It would have been fairly easy to kill him then since he was in a vulnerable position, but once again Hamlet thinks better of it and decides not to do it.

I think that his decision to not kill Claudius will cost him. Claudius is already planning to get rid of Hamlet by sending him to England. He is already suspicious that Hamlet knows what he did to the king. I think the longer Hamlet draws this out the more probability of disaster happening there is. If Claudius was able to kill his own brother to get what he wanted who is to say that he is not capable of killing Hamlet as well. Hamlet is going to keep waiting for the right moment to get Claudius and that is going to make him very paranoid. He has already killed Polonius thinking it was Claudius and it can only get worse.

The reason Hamlet decides not to kill Claudius in that moment is because he is afraid that because he has just repented he will end up in heaven while his father is doomed to walk the earth. Although the afterlife and religion is upmost importance to these people I think Hamlet’s mission faces a danger that is more upfront. If he really wants to complete his mission and avenge his father he has to worry about what is happening on earth before he ponders what will happen in the afterlife.

To Be or Not To Be

In Oliver’s version of the scene, Hamlet is looking at the waves crashing together on the shore. This helps create a visual to match Hamlet’s inner turmoil as he contemplates taking his own life. The setting is black and white, it is foggy and cloudy and it helps to emphasize Hamlet’s somber mood. Hamlet’s soliloquy alternates from him speaking out loud to an internal monologue, helping to accentuate the fact that this is his argument with himself. The actor’s facial expression is numb and detached and his voice soft which contrasts and compliments at the same time the chaos of his emotions. Hamlet looks like he is about to jump off the rocks during part of his soliloquy and he takes a dagger out of his pocket, showing the scene as if he is really trying to convince himself to end it all or not rather than it just being an abstract thought.

The Zeffirelli’s version of this scene takes a different approach and is my favorite interpretation. The setting is very dark and you can see Hamlet walking from the light into the darkness walking into the tomb just as his thoughts become darker. This Hamlet is a lot more emotional and pained than the previous one. While Hamlet in the first version seems like he has lost motivation to live and is therefore devoid of feeling, this hamlet has a new motivation which is his father. He looks at what is possibly his father’s resting place with a sense of longing but at the same time he has to possibly avenge his death. When he speaks of the peace that could come from death he looks at the bodies that look peacefully asleep, but when he speaks of the unknown side of death he looks at the skeletons by the side all on top of each other, abandoned.

Branaugh’s interpretation brings a different element to Hamlet than any of the other two. While the other two Hamlets are in very private places and in the dark, this hamlet is in the hall where anyone can see him. He doesn’t seem to care if anyone does and I guess when you are feeling such burdening feelings of distress, people walking in on you is the last thing on your mind. We see him speaking to a mirror which reinforces this debate he is having with himself. As he continues to speak the camera gets closer and closer and his emotions seem to escalate making it look like he really is growing mad.

Almereyda switches from internal to external monologue similarly to Oliver’s Hamlet. He walks begrudgingly, the burden of his troubling thoughts weighing him down, and he looks numb, in a daze. He is walking around Blockbuster and the televisions show explosions in the background which represents the destructive nature of his debate with himself even though his face does not show any signs of this chaos. He walks through an aisle that has the word ‘Action’ screaming out as he contemplates whether he should take action and he doesn’t. 

The Ghost Scene

In the Zeffirelli version, the lighting is dark and it sets a mysterious atmosphere. Gibson’s portrayal of Hamlet when he learns what the ghost is trying to tell him is filled with angst, and when he sees his uncle he is disgusted and enraged. After the initial fear, the interaction between Hamlet and his father’s ghost feels like that of a father son who were very close. The camera is focused on their faces the whole time rather than the background and we can see their reactions as they speak to one another. There is minimal use of lighting or music, it is very dark and organic.

On the other hand, the Branagh version was a lot brighter and fast paced. The ghost was more visible and the way he interacted with Hamlet was a little more aggressive. While Hamlet is running we see a lot of flashbacks moving rapidly giving off a panicky feeling. Hamlet is saddened after speaking with the ghost of his father in Branagh’s portrayal of Hamlet. We are able to see the king sleeping in the orchard when his brother poisons him. The director focuses a lot more on the story being told rather than the interaction between hamlet and his father’s ghost.

Almereyda’s take on the ghost scene is a lot more modern. The setting makes everything seem calm on the outside but smaller details like the chaotic scene on the television and the chair being a throne. Hamlet’s father’s ghost appears very human in the way he’s dressed and his mannerisms and he isn’t hidden by dark lighting. Hawke’s hamlet never seems to get over the shock and fear of seeing his father’s ghost in this version. In the other versions the ghost never really gets too close but in this one he hugs him without any complications. The director uses more subtle clues to hint at what is going on, like the ghost gently dabbing his ear where he was poisoned.