Hamlet: "To Be Or Not To Be"

    Zeffirelli's version of this scene in Hamlet is the best to me.  I like it the most because it puts the best sense of death in my mind.  To be or not to be is the scene where Hamlet contemplates whether he should live or die.  The lighting was a very dark and gloomy setting.  Gibson plays the role in this scene stupendously, with the right emotion and the perfect actions.  Another thing that I commend Zeffirelli on is the fact that he puts Hamlet in a basement kind of setting in this scene.  There's no music, but that adds to the sorrow; You can hear the feeling in his words.  It's very old and dirty, with the sarcophagus of the fallen king in the middle.  Not only that, but the dead bodies surrounding Hamlet gives him a feel for how death is and he realizes that no one comes back.
   Branaugh's version is very disappointing to me.  There's good and bad in the scene, but it's by far, the worst.  Hamlet's mood is totally different in this version.  Instead of having a sorrowful attitude, his demeanor is more psychotic in my opinion.  The lighting is very bright and doesn't go with the words in the scene at all.  Another flaw I think was made was the music choice.  The music does nothing for the scene itself.  If anything, it's irrelevant and stupid.  The only good thing in this version was the way Hamlet talked and delivered the message.  His deliverance makes it seem like he knows Claudius and Polonius are watching him.  Not only that, but as he gets closer to the mirror, Claudius and Polonius became frightened and very shaky.  Other than that, this version was worst of the three.
   Almereyda's version of this scene was very well constructed as well.  it isn't the best in my opinion, but it is good.  The setting is a bright setting like the second version, but the music and the tone in Hawke's voice is much better.  The fact that the scene is about life and death, and it's mixed with the fact that he's walking through the action section of Blockbuster is very good.  The TVs in the background playing the infamous: Terminator, puts a good sense in the film as well.  The best part to me is when the fire comes onto the screen as he walks around.  The fire is significant of hell.  If Hamlet chooses to live or die determines where he will end up in the afterlife.  The music was suspenseful and it fit the scene the best.  Although it wasn't my favorite, I liked this version very much as well.
   All of these different versions show that Hamlet is very universal.  Different directors can take the play and shift it different ways, to make it how they want to.  It can be set in Puritan time period, Medieval time period, or even modern day New York.  The idea of Hamlet is so controversial that it can be thousands of versions of Hamlet worldwide.