" To Be Or Not To Be " Three ways

              In  Franco Zeffirelli's To Be Or Not To Be, Mel Gibson stars as " Hamlet". In this scene, Zeffirelli decided to put Hamlet into a dark underground room. He is alone in this room  in silence. In the scene, there are many dead casted bodies. I think that  this use of props gives us the image of death.  Zeffirelli chose to use these bodies because they create an eerie  feeling. Also, when Hamlet is giving his soliloquy, he is talking toward the bodies, as if this is a way a connecting with death. The setting of being underground with dead bodies makes you feel like Hamlet is near hell.
              In Lawrence Oliver's To Be Or Not To Be, Oliver himself stars as " Hamlet". In his version of the scene, he has Hamlet sitting alone on a rock on a cliff.  All that is around this cliff is a rough body of water. The scene itself  is shot in black and white which sets a dreary mood.  You are able to tell that the sky is very cloudy. Oliver decided to use a knife in this scene. The knife represents the fact that  Hamlet is about to kill himself.  After Hamlet brings out the knife, he walks toward the edge of the cliff. The fact that we know Hamlet is near suicide gives us the fear that he may jump off of the cliff.
            In Kenneth Branaugh's To Be Or Not To Be, Branaugh stars as " Hamlet". Branaugh chose to put this scene into a very different setting than the other two. In  this version, it is clear that Hamlet is being watched by various people. In the other versions, Hamlet was completely alone. Hamlet is in a very nice house, in a room that is empty other than the people watching from a distance. Hamlet looks at himself in the mirror as he gives is soliloquy. In the beginning of the scene, there is complete silence. As the soliloquy goes on, music beings to play. Branaugh also decided to use a knife as a prop. He has Hamlet bring the knife at himself. He then taps the knife to the mirror. When someone points a knife at themselves, it is clear that they are thinking about committing suicide.
        Each version is takes place in different settings and uses different props. Oliver and Branaugh decided to use a knife in their as, where Zeffirelli chose not too. Zeffirelli and Oliver made their settings in very melancholy places, where Branaugh made his setting in a nice palace. Although all the versions have their differences, they are very much alike. Each version gets the point of suicide across. Despite the props used and the settings, the powerful words of Shakespeare let us know that Hamlet is near suicide.  Each version basically had Hamlet alone, focusing on  his life. They all also used props that symbolized death. All in all, the settings and props created a different feel in each version, but the same message of suicide was still gotten across.