To Be Or Not To Be: How Actor’s Have Interpreted Hamlet’s Famous soliloquy

Hamlet’s soliloquy is perhaps the most famous and recognizable in the world. “To be or not to be, that is the question” is readily quotable by the masses, but the speech has amassed a variety of interpretations by actors.

The most common interpretation of the speech is that Hamlet is contemplating escaping his complicated life by committing suicide, or at least thinking about the possibility. With this lens I decided to examine three adaptations of Hamlet and compare how the actor conveyed this meaning through their different deliveries of the iconic lines.

 

 

Laurence Olivier both directed Hamlet in 1948 and starred as its titular character. He recites the speech with less outward drama and emotion than the other actors. That is not to say that this is a lifeless interpretation. Olivier’s casual raising of the knife seems threatening: it’s pointed at himself, and his next thoughts about death are done as a voice-over, emphasizing his internal struggle. This contemplation is interrupted suddenly when Hamlet starts worrying about what happens after death and if it would be an escape after all. By the end of the speech, Olivier’s interpretation feels more psychological. He seems like a man who has lost the ability to care–instead of being overwhelmed by emotion, he is devoid of it.

 

 

Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet in the 1996 movie in contrast seems to emphasize the madness of the character. His Hamlet is not overcome by sorrow but contemplates his situation in an eerie way, both by his strange expression and the fact that he’s speaking to his own reflection. Branagh’s Hamlet does not seem to fear death, but visualizes himself doing the things he’s talking about through the mirror. By using an over-the-shoulder shot, the viewer is lost in the mirror image of Hamlet and subsequently becomes a part of the trance that Hamlet is in. Thus, his contemplation of death is not spurred on by sorrow, but madness and rage.

 

 

David Tennant’s Hamlet from the 2009 TV movie is altogether a third distinct interpretation of the character and the most straight-forward. His character at the start is half-shrouded in darkness and is followed by a close-up of his face, showing his turmoil. Tennant’s Hamlet has come to his thoughts because of sorrow, which is what we would obviously think would bring someone to thoughts of death. Tennant delivers his lines quietly and in a depressed way, with pauses and ragged breathing. His Hamlet is not crazy or emotionless here, but sad and sometimes struck by rage.

 

Since all of these actor’s have approached the soliloquy differently, I do not think that any particular performance is better than the other. Opinions will vary by person. One thing I think is great about Shakespearean plays is that speeches like this can be interpreted in a variety of ways, and none of them is necessarily “wrong.”