My first impression when I saw Richard Burton in class was distracting. He didn't seem to be fully in touch with the character that he was portraying. The message that he was trying to convey was not clearly projected to be grasped on the first try, so I had to try real hard to tune into his vocal message which was hard to understand to begin with. He does act like a mad man (which Hamlet "was"), but in the mist of it he somehow makes me forget on the focusing on the questioning and the chaos that he is experiencing on his mind by his erratic behavior. Burton seems to miss the importance of the center line of the whole argument at hand — to make us understand his questioning of the "to be or not to be (dead)".
On his moment of isolation, that specific moment in which the audience gets in touch with the actor inner-self and vulnerability, Burton appears as if he is still playing the part of making the public think that he is mad, instead of making the audience understand his inner disturbance.
On the other hand, I find that Laurence Oliver's clip somehow takes me on a drift on experiencing what he is thinking and demonstrates his confusion and questioning of the matter. He also seems to show a wide spectrum of thoughts and emotions as if the pondering of the question "to be or not to be" is pulling him in different directions of extremes.
In conclusion I think that putting the two actors act together on different time frames during the play would do the perfect mix. Burton acting crazy and Oliver delivering his confusion over the question/decision.
I watched each soliloquy twice. The first time I liked Richard Burton because his speaking technique was very captivating. To me, Olivier wasn’t exciting. I was only observing the speaking technique the first go round.
Before I watched it a second time I read the soliloquy to understand the content. I took note that in the early part of the speech, Hamlet nearly equates death with sleep. He recites a list of miseries, ranging from oppression, to love problems to insolence, that can overwhelm someone a great deal. The question he raises is essentially, if these problems are so crippling, why doesn’t one just end his/her life to escape the sting? It’s a logical question he’s looking to solve, but in the end he concludes “…conscience doth make cowards of us all.” Hamlet suggests that it’s the fear of what may happen in the afterlife that prevents a person from taking that step. After I knew the background, I wanted to view each speech again to determine who gave the words more meaning. Oliver’s performance differs from Burton’s in that one is done on film and the other is done in live theater, so a lot of the effects were different. For example Olivier is speaking outside near the sea, Burton is speaking inside. Olivier recites the beginning as though he’s drifting off to sleep. At one point he closes his eyes at it seems as though he’s reciting the words in his mind. The scene (cliff overlooking the sea) is a calming force and is similar to his disposition when he delivers the performance. He’s emotionally driven but he doesn’t move around much, so you get the sense that it’s a philosophical dilemma he’s facing. Towards the end, he looks over the cliff gazing at the long way to the bottom and then walks away. It’s as if he’s dismissed an inclination to jump. It’s a very simple performance, but packed with a lot of subtle meanings.
Burton was certainly more forceful. I could see the fire in his eyes as he spoke. I feel he is a great orator. However, I feel Olivier captured a more withdrawn, conflicted individual at a moment where one needs to be away from everything and everyone just to think things through.
I got the feeling of a somber and depressing atmosphere from Laurence Olivier. The impression I had from actually reading the soliloquy was a sense of forfeit and state of sadness. Olivier fully reiterates this depiction in his scene. Richard Burton on the other hand, was the complete opposite. The tone of voice and actions was definitely more lively than Olivier's but he seemed more angry. It gave a feeling that he wanted to lash out at the outside world.
I feel the difference in performence between Richard Burton and Laurence Olivier is that when i was watching Laurence oliver it seemed more dramatic since it was from a movie and you had sound effects and where it was shot. It seemed gloomier or realistic than when Richard preformed it. However half of the time it looked like he wasnt even movig his lip. Richard's preformence is live so it doesnt have that film quality but you get so intrested in the preformence that you dont mind it in the end.
Laurence Olivier is not my kind of Hamlet. I didn't really believe his madness, it kind of dragged on. I did enjoy the performance by Richard Burton; I believed him. Hamlet is a guy who is dealing with so many issues at once and Burton's tone of voice and body language was more believable. Even though the Olivier piece was from a movie, it was not as dramatic as Burton's performance.
After viewing both clips, Olivier's performance was truly lacking an essence you would think a Shakespeare play should have. After listening to his clip, it felt more like a reading rather than an actual performance. Also what comes to mind is a book on tape, monotone. Burton's version of Hamlet was more dramatic, in the way he acted, showing emotions and whimpering to the tone of voice.
It is evident from both clips, that each actor, Richard Burton and Laurence Olivier, clearly have a different view on Hamlets character. Hamlet, portrayed by Richard Burton, is clearly being illustrated as a crazy and deranged man. This is exemplified throughout the soliloquy when Richard Burton keeps shuffling around the stage and the constant fidgeting of the body, head, and hands. This shows the unstable nature of Hamlet and how Richard Burton believes Hamlet was struggling between life and death. On the other hand, Laurence Olivier portrays a more despaired and hopeless Hamlet, not the crazy one. Laurence Oliviers' Hamlet felt more dejected, as if he has given up on life. I felt that his portrayal of Hamlet was more ready to die and commit suicide over the Hamlet acted by Richard Burton. However, I do believe that the Hamlet character was more delusional and unstable as acted out by Richard Burton. Both actors gave great, and unique, interpretations of Hamlets soliloquy, and deserve a round a of applause.
The hamlet potrayed by Laurence Oliviers is more depressing and the scene around him brings out the character of Hamlet. The knife (suicidal) & the ocean (unstable,dangerous). But in the hamlet potrayed in Richard Burton it seems to magnify Hamlets unbalance character. Olivier uses his scenery more and Burton uses his actors and movement more. Its hard to chose which one is best because they both show a part of Hamlet that is both important in this scene. Overall I enjoyed them both.
The two actors seemed to have a different perception of Hamlet’s character. I found Richard Burton’s interpretation of Hamlet to be more accurate in terms of what I pictured the Hamlet to be like while reading the play. In the soliloquy, Hamlet contemplates the question of “to be or not to be?” This question is very ambiguous because it is put into such simple terms. One may interpret Hamlet’s state of mind in various ways. To me, Hamlet seemed to be stressing the question of life and existence itself. He used the words “to be,” which are in the simplest form. In the scene, Hamlet’s mind is unstable he seems to be dealing with an internal conflict that has to do with the uncertainty about his life and himself. Burton’s movements and hand gestures on stage are more defined and sharp compared to Laurence Oliver’s lethargic and slow body movements. Burton portrays a Hamlet who is on the verge of craziness. He takes shorter breaths and his eyes divert as he speaks. Burton makes Hamlet look as if he is about to lose control of his mind and in a state of anxiety. Laurence Oliver on the other hand, gives the character of Hamlet a sad and depressing mood. Hamlet is contemplating on whether he should commit suicide or not. This may or may not be true. However, Oliver makes the audience feel empathy for the character by turning Hamlet into a desperate, tragic figure. Watching Oliver was less enticing for me. He seemed to fall into the background and moved too slowly to capture my attention. Burton did a better job in my opinion because you could sense the change in Hamlet’s character. It was more intriguing in that you could not tell what was really going on through Hamlet’s head as you see him lose his sanity.
The first thing that struck me was the discrepancy in the expressive capacities of both performances. What I'm referring to is the film vs. live theater performance. In the film version, the director is blessed with the availability of multi-track sound meaning that he can have his actors do their lines without actually speaking aloud on screen (also gives them the chance to repeat a scene over and over again in order to get it right, but I won't get into that right now). I feel that this makes a huge difference in the scene itself. With the Laurence Oliver performance you're able to feel as though you're directly inside the mind of Hamlet. It gives you the feeling that you're observing something that is only directly observable from a first-person point of view, one's mental states. This is a much different feeling than having someone simply report their mental states to you via the practice of introspection. The difference is comparable to having a friend simply tell you about what's bothering them and being able to read that friend's mind and see/hear what is bothering them. In the case of this scene, the ability to feel like you're inside of Hamlet's mind is a huge benefit to the involvement the audience may feel.
But besides the use of movie magic and powerful thematic scenery (cliff + tinkering with knife = suicidal contemplation), I thought the Laurence Oliver scene was pretty lame. I think they (film-makers) focused too much on the visual aspects of the scene and neglected the importance of effective speaking. He simply doesn't sound like a person being driven mad to the point of contemplating suicide. He sounds like a shy person giving a poetry reading at a seedy cafe. Also he looks ridiculous laying across the rock. He looks like he's waiting to be painted or something.
On the other hand I felt Richard Burton made strong use of vocal variety. He changes the rate, volume, and tone of his speaking in parallel to the mental states expressed by his lines. He also makes more effective use of body language particularly between 1:00-1:15, when he says "for in that sleep of death, what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil." His matter of speaking and his physical behavior on stage reflect more what I feel a person in such a dilemma would do. He rushes anxiously, then slows in order to gather his thoughts. His eyes and attention dart in many directions as though he's searching for a answer or a clue as to what should be the solution of his dilemma, much the way most of us do when faced with a conflicting situation. Overall I feel Burton gave a more effective performance.
"To be or not to be" Which is the real meaning hide in this phrase? This question can be easily answer after watching both, Laurence Olivier and Richard Burton soliloquies. Even though both of them are about the same topic, each one takes you to the answer in a very different way. In the soliloquy of Laurence Oliver is clear to understand that the actor is confuse about his life. The background, his voice, the way he lays in top of the rock, the way he takes the knife in his hand, and so on are the perfect drama to explain the act, but at the same time the way he talks it makes you feel boring about it. In the other hand, Even though Richard Burton absence of all the details mention above, offers a clear idea of what is happening because of the expressive way he talks.
The same part performed by Laurence Oliver and Richard Burton has quite different feelings. The tone of Hamlet soliloquy acted by Laurence Oliver is more dramatic because there are proper pauses between words, and his voice sounds like he is filled with concerns of his fate. It could have been better if we could see his face while he is saying, “to be or not to be that is the question.” On the other hand, the performance acted by Richard Burton expresses Hamlet’s complex emotions better. He clearly shows us Hamlet is suffering from his position by various facial expressions. When he is speaking Hamlet’s soliloquy, staring at space, he is well delivering Hamlet’s painful emotion from deciding to be alive. However, it could have been better if he spoke the part slowly, “to be or not to be: that is the question.” That part passed so quickly that it seems that the most famous part is paid less attention.
There is quite a bit difference in Laurence Oliver and Richard Burton acting.Oliver acted in the environment,when there are sound effects, whereas Richard acted in a old environment. Oliver takes advantage of the scenery and didn't act as naturally as Richard. Richard acting was emotional to me, and he performed Hamlet character better than Oliver. Oliver acting was fake at certain moment,But Richard's acting was awesome throughout.
Although Laurence Olivier's clip is made like a movie, it is too boring. The actor shows no emotions and actions. The guys is very boring because he speaks in a very low tone. When I was watching him, I could not feel him. He was picked by accident,lol. Richard Burton's clip, on the other hand, I found it interesting. David Tennant makes the clip interesting. He speaks in a loud tone, it keeps me awake. You can see the body language and feel the emotions. I found the body language and the emotions interesting and important because when you feel what the actor is trying to convey, that's what it makes the actor the best player. I think that Richard Burton did a excellent job than the Oliver.
these two different takes on the soliloquy's contrast with one another so much. i feel like the best way to understand the meanings of ones words are through emotion through the face and through the body. Burton had by far more character meaning through his emotion of his tone of voice, eyes and body movement. Olivier i felt overcompensated for the poor emotion in his tone, eyes and expressions in using the props the environmental effects to create something. Olivier just did not keep me engaged, as opposed to Burton who showed sense through his emotion as oppose to his surroundings that could have been distracting. these soliloquy's that want you to engage and understand what is trying to be said are best when there are not other things distracting you.
Both Laurence Olivier and Richard Burton have two different interpretaion of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Laurence Olivier seemed too relaxed and somber. He wasn't as believable as Olivier. He lacked emotion and range. There was no substance or passion behind what he was saying. Richard Burton was better because he embodied the same madness as the Hamlet we read about in class. He was one with the character.
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ReplyDeleteMy first impression when I saw Richard Burton in class was distracting. He didn't seem to be fully in touch with the character that he was portraying. The message that he was trying to convey was not clearly projected to be grasped on the first try, so I had to try real hard to tune into his vocal message which was hard to understand to begin with. He does act like a mad man (which Hamlet "was"), but in the mist of it he somehow makes me forget on the focusing on the questioning and the chaos that he is experiencing on his mind by his erratic behavior. Burton seems to miss the importance of the center line of the whole argument at hand — to make us understand his questioning of the "to be or not to be (dead)".
ReplyDeleteOn his moment of isolation, that specific moment in which the audience gets in touch with the actor inner-self and vulnerability, Burton appears as if he is still playing the part of making the public think that he is mad, instead of making the audience understand his inner disturbance.
On the other hand, I find that Laurence Oliver's clip somehow takes me on a drift on experiencing what he is thinking and demonstrates his confusion and questioning of the matter. He also seems to show a wide spectrum of thoughts and emotions as if the pondering of the question "to be or not to be" is pulling him in different directions of extremes.
In conclusion I think that putting the two actors act together on different time frames during the play would do the perfect mix. Burton acting crazy and Oliver delivering his confusion over the question/decision.
I watched each soliloquy twice. The first time I liked Richard Burton because his speaking technique was very captivating. To me, Olivier wasn’t exciting. I was only observing the speaking technique the first go round.
ReplyDeleteBefore I watched it a second time I read the soliloquy to understand the content. I took note that in the early part of the speech, Hamlet nearly equates death with sleep. He recites a list of miseries, ranging from oppression, to love problems to insolence, that can overwhelm someone a great deal. The question he raises is essentially, if these problems are so crippling, why doesn’t one just end his/her life to escape the sting? It’s a logical question he’s looking to solve, but in the end he concludes “…conscience doth make cowards of us all.” Hamlet suggests that it’s the fear of what may happen in the afterlife that prevents a person from taking that step. After I knew the background, I wanted to view each speech again to determine who gave the words more meaning. Oliver’s performance differs from Burton’s in that one is done on film and the other is done in live theater, so a lot of the effects were different. For example Olivier is speaking outside near the sea, Burton is speaking inside.
Olivier recites the beginning as though he’s drifting off to sleep. At one point he closes his eyes at it seems as though he’s reciting the words in his mind. The scene (cliff overlooking the sea) is a calming force and is similar to his disposition when he delivers the performance. He’s emotionally driven but he doesn’t move around much, so you get the sense that it’s a philosophical dilemma he’s facing. Towards the end, he looks over the cliff gazing at the long way to the bottom and then walks away. It’s as if he’s dismissed an inclination to jump. It’s a very simple performance, but packed with a lot of subtle meanings.
Burton was certainly more forceful. I could see the fire in his eyes as he spoke. I feel he is a great orator. However, I feel Olivier captured a more withdrawn, conflicted individual at a moment where one needs to be away from everything and everyone just to think things through.
I got the feeling of a somber and depressing atmosphere from Laurence Olivier. The impression I had from actually reading the soliloquy was a sense of forfeit and state of sadness. Olivier fully reiterates this depiction in his scene. Richard Burton on the other hand, was the complete opposite. The tone of voice and actions was definitely more lively than Olivier's but he seemed more angry. It gave a feeling that he wanted to lash out at the outside world.
ReplyDeleteI feel the difference in performence between Richard Burton and Laurence Olivier is that when i was watching Laurence oliver it seemed more dramatic since it was from a movie and you had sound effects and where it was shot. It seemed gloomier or realistic than when Richard preformed it. However half of the time it looked like he wasnt even movig his lip. Richard's preformence is live so it doesnt have that film quality but you get so intrested in the preformence that you dont mind it in the end.
ReplyDeleteLaurence Olivier is not my kind of Hamlet. I didn't really believe his madness, it kind of dragged on. I did enjoy the performance by Richard Burton; I believed him. Hamlet is a guy who is dealing with so many issues at once and Burton's tone of voice and body language was more believable. Even though the Olivier piece was from a movie, it was not as dramatic as Burton's performance.
ReplyDeleteAfter viewing both clips, Olivier's performance was truly lacking an essence you would think a Shakespeare play should have. After listening to his clip, it felt more like a reading rather than an actual performance. Also what comes to mind is a book on tape, monotone. Burton's version of Hamlet was more dramatic, in the way he acted, showing emotions and whimpering to the tone of voice.
ReplyDeleteIt is evident from both clips, that each actor, Richard Burton and Laurence Olivier, clearly have a different view on Hamlets character. Hamlet, portrayed by Richard Burton, is clearly being illustrated as a crazy and deranged man. This is exemplified throughout the soliloquy when Richard Burton keeps shuffling around the stage and the constant fidgeting of the body, head, and hands. This shows the unstable nature of Hamlet and how Richard Burton believes Hamlet was struggling between life and death. On the other hand, Laurence Olivier portrays a more despaired and hopeless Hamlet, not the crazy one. Laurence Oliviers' Hamlet felt more dejected, as if he has given up on life. I felt that his portrayal of Hamlet was more ready to die and commit suicide over the Hamlet acted by Richard Burton. However, I do believe that the Hamlet character was more delusional and unstable as acted out by Richard Burton. Both actors gave great, and unique, interpretations of Hamlets soliloquy, and deserve a round a of applause.
ReplyDeleteThe hamlet potrayed by Laurence Oliviers is more depressing and the scene around him brings out the character of Hamlet. The knife (suicidal) & the ocean (unstable,dangerous). But in the hamlet potrayed in Richard Burton it seems to magnify Hamlets unbalance character. Olivier uses his scenery more and Burton uses his actors and movement more. Its hard to chose which one is best because they both show a part of Hamlet that is both important in this scene. Overall I enjoyed them both.
ReplyDeleteThe two actors seemed to have a different perception of Hamlet’s character. I found Richard Burton’s interpretation of Hamlet to be more accurate in terms of what I pictured the Hamlet to be like while reading the play. In the soliloquy, Hamlet contemplates the question of “to be or not to be?” This question is very ambiguous because it is put into such simple terms. One may interpret Hamlet’s state of mind in various ways. To me, Hamlet seemed to be stressing the question of life and existence itself. He used the words “to be,” which are in the simplest form. In the scene, Hamlet’s mind is unstable he seems to be dealing with an internal conflict that has to do with the uncertainty about his life and himself. Burton’s movements and hand gestures on stage are more defined and sharp compared to Laurence Oliver’s lethargic and slow body movements. Burton portrays a Hamlet who is on the verge of craziness. He takes shorter breaths and his eyes divert as he speaks. Burton makes Hamlet look as if he is about to lose control of his mind and in a state of anxiety. Laurence Oliver on the other hand, gives the character of Hamlet a sad and depressing mood. Hamlet is contemplating on whether he should commit suicide or not. This may or may not be true. However, Oliver makes the audience feel empathy for the character by turning Hamlet into a desperate, tragic figure. Watching Oliver was less enticing for me. He seemed to fall into the background and moved too slowly to capture my attention. Burton did a better job in my opinion because you could sense the change in Hamlet’s character. It was more intriguing in that you could not tell what was really going on through Hamlet’s head as you see him lose his sanity.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that struck me was the discrepancy in the expressive capacities of both performances. What I'm referring to is the film vs. live theater performance. In the film version, the director is blessed with the availability of multi-track sound meaning that he can have his actors do their lines without actually speaking aloud on screen (also gives them the chance to repeat a scene over and over again in order to get it right, but I won't get into that right now). I feel that this makes a huge difference in the scene itself. With the Laurence Oliver performance you're able to feel as though you're directly inside the mind of Hamlet. It gives you the feeling that you're observing something that is only directly observable from a first-person point of view, one's mental states. This is a much different feeling than having someone simply report their mental states to you via the practice of introspection. The difference is comparable to having a friend simply tell you about what's bothering them and being able to read that friend's mind and see/hear what is bothering them. In the case of this scene, the ability to feel like you're inside of Hamlet's mind is a huge benefit to the involvement the audience may feel.
ReplyDeleteBut besides the use of movie magic and powerful thematic scenery (cliff + tinkering with knife = suicidal contemplation), I thought the Laurence Oliver scene was pretty lame. I think they (film-makers) focused too much on the visual aspects of the scene and neglected the importance of effective speaking. He simply doesn't sound like a person being driven mad to the point of contemplating suicide. He sounds like a shy person giving a poetry reading at a seedy cafe. Also he looks ridiculous laying across the rock. He looks like he's waiting to be painted or something.
On the other hand I felt Richard Burton made strong use of vocal variety. He changes the rate, volume, and tone of his speaking in parallel to the mental states expressed by his lines. He also makes more effective use of body language particularly between 1:00-1:15, when he says "for in that sleep of death, what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil." His matter of speaking and his physical behavior on stage reflect more what I feel a person in such a dilemma would do. He rushes anxiously, then slows in order to gather his thoughts. His eyes and attention dart in many directions as though he's searching for a answer or a clue as to what should be the solution of his dilemma, much the way most of us do when faced with a conflicting situation. Overall I feel Burton gave a more effective performance.
"To be or not to be" Which is the real meaning hide in this phrase? This question can be easily answer after watching both, Laurence Olivier and Richard Burton soliloquies. Even though both of them are about the same topic, each one takes you to the answer in a very different way. In the soliloquy of Laurence Oliver is clear to understand that the actor is confuse about his life. The background, his voice, the way he lays in top of the rock, the way he takes the knife in his hand, and so on are the perfect drama to explain the act, but at the same time the way he talks it makes you feel boring about it. In the other hand, Even though Richard Burton absence of all the details mention above, offers a clear idea of what is happening because of the expressive way he talks.
ReplyDeleteThe same part performed by Laurence Oliver and Richard Burton has quite different feelings.
ReplyDeleteThe tone of Hamlet soliloquy acted by Laurence Oliver is more dramatic because there are proper pauses between words, and his voice sounds like he is filled with concerns of his fate. It could have been better if we could see his face while he is saying, “to be or not to be that is the question.”
On the other hand, the performance acted by Richard Burton expresses Hamlet’s complex emotions better. He clearly shows us Hamlet is suffering from his position by various facial expressions. When he is speaking Hamlet’s soliloquy, staring at space, he is well delivering Hamlet’s painful emotion from deciding to be alive. However, it could have been better if he spoke the part slowly, “to be or not to be: that is the question.” That part passed so quickly that it seems that the most famous part is paid less attention.
There is quite a bit difference in Laurence Oliver and Richard Burton acting.Oliver acted in the environment,when there are sound effects, whereas Richard acted in a old environment. Oliver takes advantage of the scenery and didn't act as naturally as Richard. Richard acting was emotional to me, and he performed Hamlet character better than Oliver.
ReplyDeleteOliver acting was fake at certain moment,But Richard's acting was awesome throughout.
Although Laurence Olivier's clip is made like a movie, it is too boring. The actor shows no emotions and actions. The guys is very boring because he speaks in a very low tone. When I was watching him, I could not feel him. He was picked by accident,lol. Richard Burton's clip, on the other hand, I found it interesting. David Tennant makes the clip interesting. He speaks in a loud tone, it keeps me awake. You can see the body language and feel the emotions. I found the body language and the emotions interesting and important because when you feel what the actor is trying to convey, that's what it makes the actor the best player. I think that Richard Burton did a excellent job than the Oliver.
ReplyDeletethese two different takes on the soliloquy's contrast with one another so much. i feel like the best way to understand the meanings of ones words are through emotion through the face and through the body. Burton had by far more character meaning through his emotion of his tone of voice, eyes and body movement. Olivier i felt overcompensated for the poor emotion in his tone, eyes and expressions in using the props the environmental effects to create something. Olivier just did not keep me engaged, as opposed to Burton who showed sense through his emotion as oppose to his surroundings that could have been distracting. these soliloquy's that want you to engage and understand what is trying to be said are best when there are not other things distracting you.
ReplyDeleteBoth Laurence Olivier and Richard Burton have two different interpretaion of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Laurence Olivier seemed too relaxed and somber. He wasn't as believable as Olivier. He lacked emotion and range. There was no substance or passion behind what he was saying. Richard Burton was better because he embodied the same madness as the Hamlet we read about in class. He was one with the character.
ReplyDelete