Word, words, words.

"Doubt thou the stars are fire;/Doubt that the sun doth move;/Doubt truth to be a liar;/But never doubt I love." This quote is from Act I scene iii when Polonious is reading to Claudius and Gertrude the love letter  Hamlet wrote to Ophelia. The quote means even if Ophelia has faith in nothing else, she should never doubt Hamlet's love for her.  The love letter shows a softer and more sensitive side to Hamlet.  It reveals how Hamlet truly does care for Ophelia no matter how he acts toward her. I picked this quote because it's not only beautiful but extremely power.  Shakespeare was able to capture the powerful feeling of being in love within a few short lines.  And to me, that is magic.

Something is Rotten in the State of BHS!

Out of the three versions we have seen, my favorite version was Ken Branagh's take on Hamlet.  I love how Branagh really played with appearance versus reality.  I thought it was clever how during the wedding scene when the camera pans from the cheering, bright crowd and behind the stands a dark, gloomy, Hamlet hidden in the shadows. It shows while the kingdom puts on this facade of being happy and cheery (shown by the crowd), it's really dark and corrupt (shown by Hamlet brooding behind the stands).  I thought it was interesting how during Hamlet's first soliloquy Branagh started talking in the bright light behind the thrones and then ended back in the shadows across the hall. I love how it again shows the appearance of this united kingdom, but in reality it's falling into the shadows. I liked the fact the director showed us flashbacks. It helped me visualize what was happening prior to the story better. I really love the way Branagh directed the movie. I feel he really made it interesting and put a lot of his own twists and spin on Hamlet.