View each of the scenes below and consider the following questions. Then, respond to this blog in the Comments section to have a conversation about the scenes:
Scene 1: Kate Winslet (Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet)- Ophelia enters in a straight jacket. You can see behind her the padded room where they have been keeping her in this version. Part 1 & Part 2 (she is just singing, no flowers) Scene 2: Penny Downey (David Tennant's Hamlet) - This is the moderninzed version. Gertrude stands before a broken mirror which is where Polonius was hiding when he was shot by Hamlet in this version. Part 1 & Part 2 (flowers) Scene 3: Lalla Ward as Ophelia (Patrick Steward at Claudius) - We have not watched this Ophelia before. She is an Ophelia dressed in innocent white. Part 1 & 2 are together. You can skip to 6:15 to get past the Laertes part. NOW - Respond in the Comments section as your assignment!!
25 Comments
Adrianna
12/5/2016 02:58:26 pm
Lalla Ward was the closest Ophelia to mind. Some lines came off as insults and reactions, whereas others were off-handed and simply treated as asides. I learned and gained a new perspective from David Tennant's Hamlet because Ophelia's violent reactions give off a more delirious state and shows how broken she is, while also showing more open emotions to her songs and flowers and what each entail.
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Bethany
12/5/2016 04:04:35 pm
I liked Laila Ward's portrayal the most. She definitely fit with my image of Ophelia the best although Penny Downey in the second part of hers was also very close except for the modernization. Some lines were definitely done different from my original images, for example the whole valentines part because I did not expect her to act that way at all. It gave a completely different meaning to me. tPenny Downey's portrayal was the one that changed my perception of the scenes the most. I just didn't expect her to act THAT crazy, I pictured her singing and being hysterical but not running around and taking her clothes off or screaming for that matter. It was surprising.
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Joseph Paschall
12/5/2016 06:20:20 pm
Lalla Ward's portrayal of Ophelia was the most accurate representation to what I believe. In my mind, the levels of aggression shown by Ophelia in Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet and David Tennant's Hamlet are too high for someone with relatively no power. Even though she is insane, it makes sense to me that someone like Ophelia shows her anger through the way she handles the flowers. I like how she gave the emblems of flattery, ingratitude, repentance, and innocence to Gertrude and Claudius. The aggression in Penny Downey's portrayal is not something I would have associated with Ophelia, but I enjoyed how idiotic she made the scene with screaming and violence. I believe most people who are mentally insane in the same way Ophelia is would act the same way Penny did.
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Tanjina Sharmin
12/5/2016 09:17:25 pm
I agree completely. Lalla Ward as Ophelia was the closest representation to how I imagined her as well. Penny Downey's way of being violent and aggressive towards the Queen and taking off her clothes shocked me. I didn't expect this level of crazy from Ophelia, but for her to look more vulnerable and delicate. I think she did the best job of distributing the flowers because it seemed more realistic and effective. Lalla Ward changed my perception because her kiss to Laertes upon entering surprised me. It showed her to be more deranged. Although her acting matched how I pictured Ophelia, I thought her portrayal of the flowers was incomplete and not as significant as it should have been.
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Emily
12/5/2016 07:08:44 pm
Lalla Ward’s Ophelia is the most like what I imagined as I was reading the scene in the play. I visualized her as being in a manic state, having conflicted emotions that tended more towards insane elation, and hers captured this image the best. It had never occurred to me to imagine a more violent and screaming Ophelia, like the one that can be found in Penny Downey’s version, and somewhat in Kate Winslet’s as well. It surprised me that, despite its contrast with my own conceptions of the scene, I probably enjoyed Penny Downey’s the best. I was extremely impressed with the acting, and liked seeing an Ophelia I hadn’t imagined before. While I had imagined the songs to sound more silly, like those in Lalla Ward’s version, I actually really liked the more elegiac tunes of those sung in Penny Downey’s version. They capture a melancholy that contrasts with her violent behavior, and that creates an even more miserable image of Ophelia. In Kate Winslet's version, I was surprised by the use of a straightjacket in the scene. I had imagined Ophelia being in a free, unconstrained and uninhibited state, flitting around the room, and this created a very different image that I like almost as much. In both Kate Winslet’s and Penny Downey’s versions, I liked the fact that her singing is poor and warped by emotion, as this creates a less pretty and more human image of her, and shows a greater degree of emotional suffering. Overall, I liked all three versions, and while Lalla Ward’s version fit most easily into my own visualization, the other two, especially Penny Downey’s, gave me a different perspective that I like as much or more.
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Mrs. Bennett
12/5/2016 07:48:07 pm
I like the phrase "insane elation." It is fitting of the detached attempts at coping we see in Ophelia here. She ranges from elated to despondent from one song to the next.
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Annelise
12/5/2016 07:42:36 pm
Lalla Ward was the closest to what I imagined. Other than the sexually forward moments towards the king and Laertes, it fell almost in line to what I pictured. Ophelia's emotions towards the King changed in all of them from lustful to disgusted to annoyed. Penny Downey seemed more solemn and broken down. Also, because of her more righteousness disdain for the king, it felt like she might now at least a little about his actions. Winslet seemed more crazy, and the the straight jacket adds to that. When she talks of Hamlet, it is much more pronounced that she is talking about sex, even without the flashback. Ward was more angry but had more ladylike moments. Ward's changed my perspective the most just from her very forward actions and the very sexual and intimate kiss she gave her brother. It's shows how little innocence is left and emphasizes how no longer having your virginity looked upon a girl. Her outbursts also capture Ophelia's torn mindset that she can't control her emotions.
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Tanjina Sharmin
12/5/2016 09:29:51 pm
I agree with what you said about Winslet which is why she was my least favorite because it's hard for me to imagine Ophelia like that compared to the other two. I think what Ward presented made it more meaningful.
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Candace
12/5/2016 08:01:02 pm
The first one I watched, I didn't imagine her in a straight jacket. Even though it was white and long and flowing it wasn't what I was imagining for her to be acting at all. The modernized one seemed to be the way she was acting in my head. She was singing and just had that look of insanity whenever she entered the room. Also, with the flower scence, that's all I also pictured it in my head. The third one was close to what I expected but she was too calm and not crazy enough in my opinion.
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Victor
12/5/2016 08:27:29 pm
I enjoyed Kate Winslet's portrayal of Ophelia. She is the one that I can best picture in my head while reading. The only part that I did not like about Winslet's Ophelia is the whole straight jacket thing in the beginning. I understand that she became crazy and stuff, but I feel like the straight jacket was unexpected and unnecessary. The line that I felt was different with all the actresses is the "Owl was the bakers daughter". They each said this line in different tones. Ward said it in a concerned voice, and Downey said in a jolly voice and did her disturbing little dance. I see Downey and Winslet's Ophelia as similar mostly because they are set in the same time of the play, and they show Ophelia's pain and sorrow. Downey's Ophelia was the most dramatic. I feel like she did not really show Ophelia's pain and sadness. I did not picture Ophelia as being that level of crazy. She may not have been the Ophelia I pictured, but she was the most entertaining to watch.
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Paige
12/5/2016 09:07:44 pm
To me, Penny Downey's scene was the closest in my mind. How was was running and skipping, her hair in the mess, and the loud out burst brought life to the words. Since Ophelia's mind is shattered, just like the mirror, she no longer has to obey then men like she was once told to, so she gets aggressive. She yells her lines, and by yelling she puts more emphasis on certain lines.
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Karola Ocasio
12/5/2016 09:41:36 pm
The one with Lalla Ward is the closest one to how Ii imagined the scene. It was weird seeing it with how the other actresses portrayed the scene. Kate Winslet in the straight jacket made me feel a bit uncomfortable with the fact that I didn't picture Ophelia to be so crazy that she needed to be restrained. I liked how the message was portrayed, though. Penny Downey's was my favorite. Part 1 scared me a little bit, but the way she was visually presented within her state of mind was pretty spot on for me. I really liked the second part when she was passing out the flowers. She was so kind to Laertes then she turned around and basically tossed the other flowers in Gertrude's and Claudius' faces. I feel like there was more of an emotional connection in the character with Penny Downey.
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Leah Jaramillo
12/5/2016 10:07:38 pm
Laila wards version of Ophelia is more along the lines of something I pictured. In the Kate winslet scene she was very vulgar & nasty. This is not how I pictured Ophelia at all which I why I believe Laila ward did the best job at acting out the innocent child like manner Ophelia is set to have. Penny's version of Ophelia was a little dramatic. She did not take her clothes off in the text and she looked more insane than I imagined. Penny's Verizon of the scene changed my perspective of Ophelia because it made her seem looney like she was depicted.
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Nick Stokes
12/5/2016 10:26:26 pm
The closest representation of my idea of Ophelia in this scene was Lalla Ward. The childlike innocence is what really set it off for me, besides the sexual initiations. In the other enactments, Ophelia is portrayed more as an angry kind of crazy, whereas while I was reading the scene i got more of a craziness that took her back to a childlike attitude. What sets apart the representations most in the way the actresses said the lines was volume. Ward was less loud than the other actresses, specifically in the way they say "pray thee mark," in which case the other women scream it in grief/anger and Ward abruptly hushes it. I learned the most from Kate Winslet's version of Ophelia because I hadn't previously thought the character was insane to the point of isolation in a padded room, clothed in a straight jacket. However, after watching her acting in that scene, I see how it would make sense, especially considering the time frame through which she had been acting crazy.
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Alex Noreiga
12/5/2016 11:58:10 pm
The modern version seemed closest to what I had in mind. She's very fierce and sporadic, which seems to fit the lines well. The first line with the straight jacket surprised me though, that was an interesting addition.
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Samantha Denny
12/6/2016 04:15:45 am
Lalla Ward definitely fits what I picture as Ophelia. Behind all this madness, there's still that sweet, innocent, romantic girl. In wearing white, she still communicates that innocence. She's so childish and playful, rather than hideously vulgar, and that childish nature is what is true to Ophelia to me. Hamlet was the one presenting the vulgar insanity in my mind, especially with the things he said to Ophelia before the mouse trap. Ophelia isn't like that. She's just slowly unraveling but keeping her dainty nature through it all.
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Shahd
12/6/2016 04:50:30 am
Even though it is modernized, Penny Downey was more in line with what I pictured. In this scene, I though the flowers were the most important part because the way she hands them out represents her grief. The singing still makes her look insane. I learned the most from this version because that is how I imagined her. However, Lalla Ward played the role differently from what I imagined, which changed my perception. She made Ophilia look more insane.
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Cassie Heath
12/6/2016 06:20:02 am
The first one gave some interesting visuals that I wouldn't have envisioned (straight jacket). This one was closer to what I pictured the scene looking like.
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Kaleb
12/6/2016 06:27:01 am
Kate winslett does the best in my opinion. Some of the lines changed from very dramatic to like sarcastic.
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Griffin Platz
12/6/2016 07:06:45 am
Kate Winslet in the straight jacket made me feel a bit uncomfortable with the fact that I didn't picture Ophelia to be so crazy that she needed to be restrained.
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Samantha Hutson
12/6/2016 07:10:42 am
I feel like the last videos where Layla Ward played Ophelia portrayed her the best. She was irrational and child like while showing the greving side also. By the way she acted the lines out you can see that she truly was unhinged and and a bad place. The actor who played Laertes did good too because he shows that compassion and concern for his beloved sister that needed to be seen. It was far better than the other two. The first two just made her look as if she literally is a mental patient. The second one was good but made her look less childlike and structure less and more angry and psychotic.
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Noreen Brimah
12/6/2016 08:11:58 am
Penny Downey's version of the Ophelia madness scene was more of what I imagined. The emotions that was shown made the words that she said meaningful.
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Brooklynn Woodall
12/6/2016 11:51:00 am
Scene 2, Ophelia played by Penny Downey is the scene I most similarly visualized in my head.
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Alexander Mata
12/6/2016 10:18:29 pm
I felt as if the Lalla Ward scene was the representation that best came to mind as I envisioned when reading. The sudden and rapid shift in emotions were best demonstrated out of the other scenes.
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Asya
12/7/2016 08:24:25 pm
The very first scene was too extreme in my opinion. I believe she was becoming mad, but she wasn't at point where she desired to self harm herself. The straight jacket was unnecessary and wasn't needed for her
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