to be or not to be

to be or not to be

Cathy Pham03/20/2011Period 1In Act3 Scene1, Hamlet does not seem to know who he is. “to be or not tobe-that is the question:,”(line 64) he wants to be a killer but needs to becivil. At the beginning of the video he seems very calm then becomes aviolent person pulling out a knife. Hamlet has no respect for himself thereforethere is no respect for anyone including his mother Gertrude. Hamlet feelslike everyone is against him, even himself. He stands in front of a mirrorbecause there is another person reflecting in his own eyes. The mirror is areplica of himself but may have a different personality.When Hamlet looks inthe mirror he sees a devil that wants to murder himself and not have to putup with any ones business but he wants to do what is right. When we look ata mirror we see our self but when Hamlet looks in the mirror he sees a deadman. Hamlet is very tense and confuse because one moment he ask himself who he wants to be, he should know who he is and who he shouldn’t be. Whyis it so hard for Hamlet to talk to his mother in a respectful manner? When Ilook at Hamlet he kind of scares me because he looks insane and evil, like aghost has enter his soul and taken over his body. I wonder if the King hasenter his body and took over. Hamlet changed overnight and a lot of peoplechange over night when drastic things happen to a person. The second videois dark and seems very lonely. He is all alone in a big room. That can meanhes alone in the big world, meaning no one is with him and everyone isagainst him. He has no one to talk to and trust because he can not trustanyone, especially his own family. When he talks he seems worried or afraid,and doesn’t know what he wants to do. “ To die, to sleep-- No more”(Lines68-69), this line shows that he can not sleep in peace nor will any more of hisclose friends and family will die. He will not allow himself to do any of this.The video shows Hamlet being very self-conscious and in decisive, aboutwhat his next move will be. The video is next to a brick stand, that can meanthat Hamlet is very stubborn and will not listen to anyone but his internalfeelings. He feels like the world is cold and dangerous just like a brick, a brickis hard and cold and rough just like the situation that he is in. He tends topause for a long time, this can mean that he is taking a break from his lifeand become the killer his father wants him to be. He wants Claudius to sufferjust like what he did to the king, his brother. When he talks, he is precise andorganize, this can be the idea of the kill of Claudius. The third video seems soromantic because its next to the sea and on a rock. The ocean is wherepeople can let out all their anger and relax. The sound of the whoosh is verycalming. The lighting is black and white just like the way Hamlet’s idea. The video appeals strategic strategies to let out anger. The fourth Video showsblue and white. His father corpse is still on the death bed, and he kisses him.Ophelia is also there while he starts to begin the speech. Hamlet also turnson a tape player, maybe he had an idea to record himself before he decidesto kill himself. All of the Video has Hamlet at different ages which makes nosense. He seems very calm but has built up anger inside him, he wants tomake a stand that he will no longer live in a lie and he wants to find himself and who he is. The king looks very pale and skinny, and in the other showshim fat. Hamlet wants to just die because he feels like he lost Ophelia and hismother, his only people that had his best interest. Hamlet seems bipolarbecause he feels calm then evil and mean. He worked his way up to kill justlike Claudius. What makes Hamlet if he does the same to his uncle? They sayan eye for an eye but why can’t Hamlet just give the evidence to the courtand have Claudius put in jail rather then kill him and make Hamlet a killerhimself. Hamlet does not know what to do because he is so young and wasn’traised in that kind of manner. He was once a loving and kind young man. Thisshows that childhood can change instantly depending on the circumstances aperson is put into. He loves his father because he looks up to him, andHamlet was suppose to be King not Claudius. Hamlet knows it isn’t fair thatClaudius took crown and declare he was King. Hamlet knows that he has lostevery ones trust and he doesn’t want anyone to love him because he doesn’tlove himself. He has no one to turn to but his dead father. Hamlet will getrevenge but in a nice way because that’s the way he was born and raised.When Hamlet kissed his father, I can feel the connection between them, likethey were very close and did everything together. It such a hard situation forHamlet because he is to young to hurt a fly. He has no guts to hurt hismother by killing Claudius because who will his mother have? That is why heis stalling on the kill, that is why he puts away the sword. He has Claudius somany times but not once did he kill him. I feel like Hamlet wants to killClaudius at the right place and the right time. So, he will be the “not to be”part for now.