Analysis Of Richard Burton's Hamlet-To Be Or Not To Be

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The “To be or not to be” soliloquy should demonstrate that Hamlet is trying to push himself to commit the act of murder. Moreover, this is because he does not have the courage to commit murder, but he has to, to avenge his father. With this in mind, Richard Burton played the most compelling Hamlet out of the three options. Richard displays the typical human response effortlessly which is to push oneself to do something they do not desire to do. His portrayal is believable as it appears he battles with the emotions that a person would endure in a similar situation. Richards Hamlet exhibits more strength and energy than the other actors. He made the character’s actions believable by focusing on the inner turmoil he struggled with for having not had the courage to commit his premeditated murder of Claudius. …show more content…

One particular line that Richard expressed well is “To sleep — perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub! When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause. There’s the respect that makes calamity of so long life”. He pauses at all the right times, raises his voice up and down, and slows and speeds up his tempo when appropriate. By never appearing dull or heavy his portrayal captures the audience’s attention by moving through the different emotional mindsets with ease, never losing the audience in all the ups and downs. Therefore this creates a spontaneous atmosphere rather than a rehearsed one. Through all of this, the inner turmoil that Richard expresses, allows the audience to empathize with Hamlet because he is relatable. To conclude, Richards Hamlet is believable because he is relatable which makes his Hamlet portrayal the best out of the three Hamlet

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