Ophelia's Journal

Dear Diary,

I do not know what to do anymore

I must obey my father

and cease to talk to dear Hamlet

Yet this break in communication has chased his sanity away

and left him completely out of his mind.

With no hat upon his head

and no words spoken, he entered my room

Was he searching for my love?

Or did he have intent to hurt me?

No no, Hamlet would never.

He told me I was his everything

I was like Aphrodite, so beautiful and fair.

But is it just a whim of youth?

Or maybe a violet? So beautiful for so little time.

My own blood Laeretes spoke these words to me

But no, why would I believe a hypocrite?

Possibly it is best to step back and listen to my good father

He is strong and wise and has my best interest

No thorns or daggers could ever slay his good heart

And standing behind a man like that is

Modern Hamlet Mike Almereyda

My favorite version of Hamlet was directed by Mike Almereyda. This version was set in the 21st century, giving a more modern view of Hamlet. I think it makes it easier for us to relate to because it is in the world we live in today. I liked the way Claudius and Gertrude interacted. They acted so excited in love, even though Hamlet Sr. just passed away. It shows how corrupt the relationship is. Also I like when Ophelia was checking out Hamlet, she quickly looked away when her brother caught her because he does no approve of their relationship.In the play, Hamlet says famous, lengthy soliloquies but people these days do not usually talk to themselves like that. So, it was very clever that Hamlet made videos of himself talking about his thoughts. I think the character portrayed the best was Hamlet, played by Ethan Hawke. He acted very depressed and emotional, as he is in the play. The only thing I would change would be the order of how the put things. For example, Hamlet gave a soliloquy in the very beginning of the film that really did not appear until the second act. Other then that I really enjoyed the modern version of Hamlet.