Mel Gibson:
This version of "To Be Or Not To Be" is by far the best expressed as it only uses emotional tension. Hamlet is placed in the dreary basement-like room filled with those who have passed on which gives the audience the feeling of on-coming and depression he truly is feeling. The stone walls that enclose him add a suffocation effect on the audience that has everyone letting out a sigh of relief. This scene is done with only Mel himself and the casket/bodies scattered about the room. Not one prop is put into Mel's hands, but he takes this soliloquy to an all-time high with emotion alone. The power of words, facial expressions and tone are the only "props" Mel needs - according to the director.
Though this scene is done well emotionally and location wise, something else is needed. A prop, like the dagger used in the next two versions. A dagger would make the scene more theatrical. As of now, Hamlet is all talk; but with the addition of a dagger, he may just do it.
Lawrence Olivier:
Here, the famous soliloquy has a visual tension. Hamlet sits on the edge of a cliff while contemplates suicide. The rustling waves battering against the jagged rocks at the bottom are screaming the likes of a horrible death to the audience. The haze that slightly lingers on the solid ground behind Hamlet is like a false silver lining - the safety he chooses is just as cloudy as the ending he could've chose. He uses one prop only, a dagger. The dagger makes the scene as it is the only method Hamlet refers to in his speech.
Once again, the scene is done well in it's own way, but is still missing something. A key part to any role is emotion. It seemed as though Mr. Olivier wasn't even talking at certain points throughout this scene. There was no tone to his voice, either.
Kenneth Branaugh Last but not least, this scene has no tension to it at all. The giant white room gives nothing but calmness to the audience. The addition of people who are able to see and hear Hamlet take away from the "soliloquy" and make him vulnerable. The way in which he speaks makes him seem too calm about envisioning his own death. Not even the use of a dagger made the awaiting tension rise to the occasion. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
