1.
“The unwilling bride”

I wanted to know why you still married me if you don’t love me, Gertrude.

I never felt so much love until I got married to you. Your love to me is a lot different than King Hamlet. He was always busy with state affairs and fights and he never cares about me as much as you do. I wasn’t in love with you when I first got married to you, I have no other choices.

What do you mean by “no other choices”?

I know that once the King Hamlet is dead, I will lose everything. I will be lacking both strength and power. I won’t stay as a queen forever, because a woman is not allowed to take over a kingdom. I will be a useless woman when I am not the queen anymore.

You aren’t doing this for yourself, are you? You were trying to protect Hamlet because he is your only son. You want him to take over the kingdom in the future. I know that’s your purpose, right? You will do everything that could keep you as a queen. Marrying a man that you don’t love, like me!

Yes, I first married you because I wanted to protect Hamlet. I wanted him to take over this kingdom in the future; this was always his kingdom and never changed. I didn’t love you at the first place because I suspect you were the one who killed King Hamlet. This thought changed after the death of King Hamlet, you supported and sympathized me and gave me a solution to overcome the situation and grief. You loved me so much and you had been nice to me. A nice person like you won’t kill anybody.

I am thy murderer and I never deny killing the King Hamlet. I love you so much! For the beginning when I met you, I have fall in love with you. How could a beauty like you be treated this way. Everything evening I saw you standing at the balcony waiting for the King Hamlet coming back. He hasn’t been treating you well since the day you two got married. I think what would happened if the King Hamlet is dead. I will be taking over the whole kingdom and you will be my wife. One day, I brought this poisoned wine to him. He drank it and he felt asleep…he never going to be awake again.

How could you do this to me, Claudius! You murderer! How you dare to kill the King Hamlet, he is not only my husband but also Hamlet’s father. How could you do this to me, you broke my heart. I hate you! I hate you! And I will hate you forever! Word Count: 454

2.
The first painting that I chose was the artist Annie Ovenden’s painting from 1979. In the painting, she drew Ophelia in the middle holding brunch of flowers. From what I read and thought of Ophelia’s personality, she looked young and beautiful. Her while dresses show the pureness inside her. She is the quintessential obedient daughter to Polonius, she always did what her father told her to do. It is what women do in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, they obey the fathers. In my opinion, she is a good girl, she obey what her father told her to do. She gives the impression that she is very gentle and very quiet. “My honor’s lord, you know right well you did; and, with them, words of so sweet breath composed”. Her father asks her to spy on Hamlet, but she felt in love with him. She wanted to protect Hamlet; on the other hand, she wanted to follow her father’s order.
For the second and third depictions, I chose the photograph of Gregory Crewsdon’s from 2005 and the painting of Sir John Everett Millais’s from 1851. In these two pictures, I found it interesting and strange. If Ophelia did commit suicide, her eyes should be closed and her hands shouldn’t be so tight as if she was struggling before she died. In both of the pictures, it was showing that Ophelia was died of drowning. As Gertrude tells us, “There is a willow grows aslant the brook” reports that Ophelia had climbed into a willow tree, and then a branch broke and dropped Ophelia into the brook, where she drowned. Gertrude says that Ophelia appeared "incapable of her own distress". Gertrude's announcement of Ophelia's death has been praised as one of the most poetic death announcements in literature. If so, why would Gertrude give her a hand and pull her up? I think she didn’t suicide from what I saw from the picture, as what Gertrude have said she accidentally falls in the water. Her death seems to be passive, rather than straight-up committing suicide. In those pictures, Ophelia looked struggled. I think she was upset and turned insane when she heard her father’s death and Hamlet has been using her not truly loved her. From these two bad news, eventually stumble drowning. She I think comparing their pictures to my own idea of Ophelia, they match my thoughts. Therefore, I think both of the artist did a great job on the pictures, they made the readers more easier to understand that from those pictures.
Word Count: 432

3.
I had watched the two versions of Hamlet, one BBC’s version and one Mel Gibson’s version. I think both of the versions did well, but I think each version has a different type of acting. For the BBC’s version, it is much newer than the Gibson’s version. The characters’ were much newer, easier to be recognized and the costumes were more modern. Also, in this version the characters were more daring. Their acting, words are different to the Gibson’s version. The different characters that could “cast” my dream version of Hamlet were performed in those two different versions. Therefore, I would be choosing different characters from different version to cast my own Hamlet. For my choice I will choose Hamlet, Ophelia and Gertrude.
For Hamlet, I think Hamlet should be smart and dare to speak out what he wants to say. As he said “What is the reason that you use me thus? I loved you ever. But it is no matter.” Hamlet is the prince, and I think there shouldn’t be anything that stops him from using his power. Therefore, I think David Tennant in the BBC’s version is performing his part stronger and better. He performed Hamlet vividly, and it makes it easier to see that what personality Hamlet was. He is clever, excited and dare to speak. In Gibson’s version, Hamlet is serious and quiet. He is not easy to show his emotion and attitude, and he always hiding his word that he wants to express. In this version, Hamlet isn’t as vivid as the Hamlet in the BBC’s version. In this case, I prefer the BBC’s Hamlet more because his acting is much more accord to what I thought. He is more suitable candidate for my dream version than Gibson’s version. For Ophelia, I think Ophelia is a poor and sad woman. She falls in love with the man who doesn’t love her at all, and her father died in the later of scene. She was once a bright woman, who loves to laugh and enjoy her life. After those happening, she turned insane. There was one scene when she was talking to the King; she replied “Indeed, without an oath, I’ll make an end on’t.” Everything that has been happening to her, she thinks it’s time to come to an end. Therefore, I think the Ophelia in the Gibson’s version has a better action. We can clearly see the poor and sadness from her eyes. She played her role more inputs, where she got hurt when she heard what Hamlet said to her. I loved her acting when she acts an insane woman, it is more alike. Which in the BBC’s version, the Ophelia also did a great job. I think she did well overall, but when it comes to that role where she acts an insane woman I think it is too over. She shouldn’t be too excited; she should be poor and upset. Therefore, I preferred the Gibson’s version for Ophelia. For Gertrude, I think she was a great and brave mother. She did everything to protect her son, and that’s how she married to a man she didn’t love. I think she is also a sad character that she doesn’t smile much in the play. After all the things happening, Hamlet seems treating her indifferent. She said “Have you forgotten me?” she was upset of Hamlet. I think in the BBC’s version, it shows more of this personality. The BBC’s Gertrude did a better job on bringing out the sadness and the things she tries to do to protect her son. The Gibson’s version is much boring because the way she talked and the way she acted. Her acting was not as interesting as the BBC’s version, she looks sluggish when she was acting. Her emotion was not easy to see as the BBC’s version. Moreover, I liked the BBC’s Ophelia to be cast into my dream version of Hamlet.
In my opinion, both of the versions had great actors and actresses. The different versions reflect the different kind of personality and the different conversation way. Although I think the newest version is a better and clear version to watch, I think a good actors and actresses is also an important fact. In my dream version, I would like to have the people that I have mentioned to be in my play. I think it will be an interesting version with different actors and actresses.
Word Count: 743