The Monotone Speech In Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet

The actor Kenneth Branagh portrayed Hamlet as a depressed and gothic individual. At the beginning of the scene, Branagh begins his speech while he is walking towards a mirror staring at his reflection. As he closes in on the mirror he not only has the same expression on his face, but also uses the same monotone voice. By doing so, the audience can see the disgust on his face, showing that this is a serious matter. The use of the monotone speech illustrates the idea that Hamlet sees no value or significance in his life, but rather that his life is meaningless. His speech continues and Branagh gets to a point where he physically pulls out a knife after asking the question if he should end his life "with a bare bodkin" (3.1.84). He continues by

Unlike any of the other Hamlet movies, Hawke gives his famous speech inside of a Blockbuster movie store. The movie was directed so that Hawke begins by thinking this all in his head before transitioning to giving the speech out loud. The point at which he begins to talk aloud is when Hamlet says “there’s the rub, for in that sleep of death what dreams may come” (3.1.73-74). The reason is because Hamlet is worried about if he will dream after death and that he will have no control over these dreams. Therefore, Hawke begins talking at this point because he comes back to reality and realizes that the unknowns to death are scary. In addition, the audience gets the feeling of how depressed Hamlet is by the body language and clothing that Hawke is wearing. For example, he is basically expressionless throughout the scene showing that he feels as though he has no purpose in life. Secondly, he leaves his hat on even when he is inside a store which shows that he feels secluded and has no motivation to look nice or take care of himself. However, the setting of the scene plays a major part in presenting the way that Hamlet feels. Hawke is wandering around the movie store without even looking at any of the movies as if he does not know what he is looking for. Similarly, Hamlet is going through life as if he feels there is no reason to stay alive because he cannot find purpose in his life. In addition, Hawke walks past multiple movies without picking out a single one. This relates to Hamlet in the sense that he has opportunities but has not done anything to seek revenge for his father’s death like the ghost asked him to do. Lastly, as Hawke walks through the movie store there are glimpses of a movie on the television. This movie shows someone shooting another person along with a man surrounded with fire. The producer added this movie to show that Hamlet needs to seek revenge for his