Sanne Ottenhof your comment made me think a lot. I think its his delivery. He sounds like he’s 100 percent comfortable, like its his native language. Shakespeare is hard. His rendition sounds effortless.
magic8ball331 I heard someone describing it as “He speaks as if he is thinking those words, not just reciting them”. Like we get to hear his thoughts and his mind, it makes it more near to us
His interpretation is completely different to the traditional one, and I really like it. He's the first Hamlet who _actually_ asks the question, rather than just pondering death and suicide. He would yearn to just _be_ in a meaningful way - I haven't seen that before.
I would highly recommend David Tennant's then. His is the best I have ever seen. I feel like that's the direction Andrew was headed but this just comes across a bit awkward. Still good though.
@@TalkAsSoftAsChalk I have no issue with Hamlet being awkward. He's kinda famous for being unsure of himself, after all. I've seen David's soliloquy. I wasn't blown away, and didn't feel like he was either truly asking his question or breaking up with tradition in a significant way. I'll re-watch it, though.
To be fair, Benedict Cumberbatch and David Tenannt are also pretty realistic in this role. There's just something undeniably _raw_ about Andrew's Hamlet.
We are all born mad I liked Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance, and absolutely loved Tennant’s. But watching them still feels like watching a Shakespearian play, and watching Andrew Scott’s hamlet is like watching somebody real, a friend who drank too much and is confiding in you. I don’t know how to explain it.
@@sakaya9878 No, I get it. You're right - this is something else entirely. David's and Ben's performances were classical, if realistic. They conform to the norms of Playing Hamlet. This one? This Hamlet is _messed up_ . As he should be. As a person working their way between suicide and murder can only be. So you're right - he is like a real person, _talking_ to us, rather than playing a classic. You can't say that about the other two.
This whole thread is why I love Shakespeare and I love Theatre. A well done Shakespeare theatrical production feels just like this but more. And it is life changing.
Somehow, just in the intonations and the naturalisation of this performance, he's made the language sound modern. It's so much more understandable because, through the way he speaks, the whole soliloquy is suddenly relatable rather than just something we'd watch on stage. Absolutely brilliant!
Also makes me realise how smart Shakespeare was. This performer relayed the meaning of the speech probably in the way that Shakespeare was thinking it.
Thanks to Andrew Scott's performance here, this is the first time I've ever truly understood Shakespeare, despite having memorized the play decades ago!
@@DejayClayton That's how I felt too, when I first saw Andrew Scott's performance. I have read this play countless times and Andrew Scott's delivery was the first time I have ever felt like I understood the meaning behind Shakespeare's lines.
Yep. He's showing how battling the morality, to take action or not, he considers that what he's gonna do in the next acts might be: his last, might not be effective, and change himself and thise around him. This also empowers his desperation for guidance.
This is revolutionary. He’s not orating or “performing”. He’s not intimidated by the text, or the lore and history that attends this particular monologue. He’s just a man, talking his way through a problem. I somehow think too, that the Irish have a particular advantage with Shakespeare.
😉 I’m American of with a tiny bit of heritage from Northern Ireland, as well as tiny bits of Welsh and Cornish. I have Scottish and English heritage from both sides of the family,, one quarter Russian/Ukrainian, and a smattering of other European countries. All in all, predisposed to the lyrical and the love of a good story. I can’t say I disagree with you.
He doesn’t dramatize it. He makes it real. Shakespearean language wasn’t dramatized in it’s day, the language is gorgeous enough to stand up on it’s own and he recognized the actor must convey meaning first when conveying language not typically used. He didn’t overact, he became. Absolutely spectacular
Remarkable and original. Actors often "choose" a sane or insane Hamlet in this scene. Scott keeps the character true. His Hamlet is wrecked by grief over the loss of everything that he loves. This is really brilliant.
Never understood the infamous “to be or not to be…” before, because it was always so overdramatic that it lost any tone, this is explaining thought processes as they come into his head… it’s bloody fantastic 🙌🏻
That’s exactly how I felt. I always thought it to be some philosophical Shakespearean question that no can understand….never realized that it was a question I have asked myself 😂
His delivery on "aye there's the rub" sticks with me for some reason. It's just so perfectly said, you truly believe Andrew Scott isn't just performing a script and that just fell out of his mouth based on what he said prior
I love this version so much. He is working things out in his mind, heart and soul. Not giving a speech. He is struggling with himself. Absolutely brilliant.
It's like it was written to be uttered by an Irish actor... There's something completely grounded about Andrew's delivery of such a famous soliloquy, I love this man so much.
It’s not grand and grandiloquent and grandiose, it’s just a character thinking and being confused, and it’s so well done oh my god, it’s so realistic, when he asks that question i believe him, i believe he just thought it right then and didn’t learn it from a script. Love love love this man and his rendition of such a brilliant play
My old Irish grandad used to say "I don't know what I think until I hear myself saying it." A typically Irish way of being. And it's brought to life by this brilliant Irish actor.
I'm Greek and I absolutely adore how easily understandable he made the text for me, it's like he gives a modern speech. It's completely different from all the other deliveries I've been searching through UA-cam. He gives me a confident feeling that not only he knows his lines but he understands the meanings behind them 😌
He is such an amazing actor. He is so genuine and believable in everything he does. He just draws you into every performance. What an honor to watch him perform!
I remember being in London and stumbling upon tickets to this performance... best show I have ever seen, hands down. 4 hours felt like nothing, and even my mother who both has a hard time with English and Scottish accents (we’re Americans) and with the Shakespearean language was able to understand everything because of the sheer realism and emotion the characters had. You could see, like in this video, the tears in Andrew Scott’s eyes when Hamlet monologued and the spit fly when there were squabbles. The whole cast was phenomenal
I never realized how relatable this monologue is, but having depression you definitely understand what he's saying and why he's saying it. When everything feels horrible and you just want to give up there can be an odd humor in looking at yourself and wondering why you don't just end it.
Andrew Scott is like a boyfriend who breaks your heart but you can't help coming back for more. Why does this man has to be so talented, so heartbreaking, so delicately intense in everything he does?
But see, that's exactly the problem I have with it. Ready? Rant time. This soliloquy, contrary to popular belief, is not about Hamlet committing suicide. It's about Hamlet, who at this point has just confirmed that his uncle killed his father, trying to decide whether or not he should kill the king. More than anything, it's a religious speech. Let me break it down line by line: 1. To be, or not to be, that is the question: In other words, to live, or to die? 2. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them: Would it be better to live with the knowledge that my uncle killed his brother, and do nothing, or to get revenge, even though I know I will be executed for it? 3. To die, to sleep no more, and by a sleep to say we end the heartache, and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished: If I die, and that's the end of it, that would be the more appealing option. 4. To die, to sleep -- to sleep, perchance to dream -- ay, there's the rub. For in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil must give us pause: On the other hand, what comes after death? If I commit a murder, and then am immediately killed and go to the afterlife, I may be sent to Hell for it. 5. There's the respect that brings calamity to so long life: Children have it easier, as they do not have to worry about the gravity of what comes after death. 6. For who would bear the whips and scorns of time . . . when he himself might his quietus make with a bare bodkin: Hamlet rattles off a list of the evils of the world and says that if not for the threat of an afterlife everyone would take their own life. 7. Who would fardels bear . . . than fly to others we know not of?: He again states that everyone would commit suicide if not for the fear of the unknown, as we would rather deal with what we have than risk Hell. 8. Thus conscience does make cowards of us all . . . by the pale cast of thought: The more one thinks about it, the more afraid they grow. So no resolution is reached, because of fearful thoughts. 9. And enterprises of great pith and moment . . . and lose the name of action: Even one extremely determined to take their own life may still find themselves doubting.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Andrew Scott and this performance, but he is literally the embodiment of the greatest acting question: ‘what do I do with my hands?’
This is the first time the soliloquy has made sense for me. I studied it at school and saw an RSC performance, and it whistled over my head. Now, NOW, I get it. Bravo, Andrew Scott, and thanks.
To make sense of it to myself, I frequently read a Shakespeare passage aloud, and with this one I remember slowing it waaay down. I’ve been waiting for this delivery a long time - you can hear the meaning in the slow musing conversational tone. Wonderful.
the way he delivers "and asleep to say we end the heartache"........ my god. just a sudden turn to gentleness that is so real. ive never really understood this speech before but watching his performance (admittedly a few times, plus reading the play, before i began to fully digest the words) i feel so many of my own struggles with depression so keenly expressed. to think that someone felt the same way i did five hundred years ago. how miraculous a world we live in.
why does it make more sense with his inflection than it has for me in performances that I’ve seen before?! there’s no doubt that he’s an amazing actor!
Watching this live was the best experience of my life. It was honestly incredible and, for once, I was intrigued in Shakespeare. I love Andrew so much, in everything that he does. He’s so talented and his body language and voice makes everything feel personal (if that makes sense) Hell, he even allowed me to learn another Hamlet soliloquy from heart!
I love this interpretation because it shows Hamlet for who he really is. A young man who is righteously furious yet completely unsure of himself or what he should do. Brenaugh does a great version but it has far too much conviction. The insecurity of this performance makes it perfect.
This is the first time I have understood this speech. *and man can I say I found it odd for it to be not something philosophically-enlightening, but a thought process I was literally thinking of the night before.
Perfectly described !! Its also so much truer to hamlet as a character.. hamlet was an unsure character who intellectualized everything and would rather not be in the awful and impossible circumstances he found himself in.. it's a perfect way to play hamlet in my opinion.. hamlet did not want to be in those circumstances at all and did not want to kill himself he just wanted to escape his completely insane circumstances
The best part of living in the future is this. The idea that I can just bumble into something so brilliant and so touching and soul-grabbing blows me away completely. Well done all involved and thank you so much.
when andrew's hand stills it rubbing (pun intended) after he says "perchance to dream" and his face falls adding to the illusion that he is just now thinking of these faults within death and not just reciting them... that got me.
And now, of course, I want to see the whole play. Perhaps the soft Irish accent helps to stave off the theatricality we associate with so many Shakespeare thesps (are you listening Sir Larry?) But who would believe these words were penned 400 years ago? Bravo, sir.
Wonderful ❤ The first time I've heard this in a way that makes you feel like the actor is actually contemplating the question "to be or not to be" I've always known he was a good actor but damn...
I.... Just..... This is the first time in my entire life that the phrase "to be or not to be" actually had any gravity. It's always just been a cliche from Shakespeare that we all grew up hearing. But this man in this version gave it so much life. It had the weight of a truly existential question rather than just the passing of another common phrase.
Amazingly beautiful and poignant performance by Andrew Scott .. he speaks directly from his heart .. and his expressions and hand gestures are heartbreaking .. purely raw emotion ., he is not merely acting or playing a role here ,. Way more than that ., Andrew Scott has become Hamlet ., he is brilliant .. Have seen this play many times .. and this soloquey given by many actors, great and small .. What I have just witnessed watching this beautiful video today was masterful .. Thank you for sharing this unforgettable performance by Andrew Scott .. an excellent actor .. and a totally beautiful man .. Jen999💙
Thank you for uploading… Simple change in cadence and inflection makes a huge difference in Shakespeare. The way he does it makes it much more accessible to people and helps them understand the meaning behind the words. How something is said is just as important as what is said..... and he says it beautifully
This is really good. Shakespeare is for all time and this captures that liquidity. It is acted in a modern way, but with the same words, which gives a a fluidity, never seen before. It really works.
I never had the chance to study Shakespeare at school but have loved him... though have struggled to understand so much of it. But this performance brings it to life, accessible and absorbing. Absolutely wonderful!
best ever version of this speech. and i have heard many. Really really good! Thank you. xx love his expression when he realises "there's the rub"!!!!!!!!
I've saw this video. I came back later, and a few week later, again. Here I am again, still amazed. As always there are a few subtilities I realise i've missed last time. Non being english doesn't help to understand. But it's not only about the meaning. It's about beauty. Discovering the beautifulness of a sentence I can now hear. Being punch by the beautifulness of the incertitude. The stupidity of life, but also of death, all of that said beautifuly. The terrible beautifulness of a tired man. Incredibile piece of art, given beautifuly to us.
I'm honestly in love with this interpretion. There is just something about Andrew Scott's acting that makes his Hamlet so raw, so powerful. He doesn't rush the words nor make the act grandiose. He let's the silence in, making it look like a real monologue. So when we watch his performance at the stage, we don't feel like the man in front of us is reciting certain lines from somewhere but actually living them, thinking them at the moment. We feel like he welcomes us in his head while we watch a furious and confused young man who is at the brink of insanity questioning things and cycling around the idea of death, of suicide. --To put it simply, his delivery and performance here is truly amazing . Really helps us to understand Hamlet's character more.
Amazing! You played very engaging and outwardly. You ASK these questions to the audience and this draws so much focus in on you by itself! And an actual thinking process happens in your head, not just reciting lines as I find most "to be or not to be"-monologues are. Brilliant performance!
I never knew the meaning of this soliloquy until today, and it’s words bring me comfort now, because i know that I am not alone. we are all experiencing this incongruous life with the unknowledge of what comes next.
Awsome! I've seen and heard plenty of interpretations of this soliloquy. This one is just awsome, giving perfect sense to Shakespeare's words with simplicity and truth. Thank you for putting this online.
Wow that was GREAT! I remember as a young man I memorized and performed this monologue for a grade in my High School drama class. I recited it but I didn’t feel it. Re visiting as a grown man, it makes me cry.
this is the weirdest TED talk i have ever seen by a lot.
Also one of the better ones:)
Thank you, you win the internet (and my heart) today
That has got to rank in the top ten funniest replies on UA-cam! Well done Sir!
Very good.
One of the best I thought. Contemplation of death talks are rare these days.
He really comes off like someone talking as they are thinking. I like that.
He's a great actor.
that's why for me he's one of the most underrated actors we have. it's so rare to find actors who perform like this nowadays
His Hamlet looks like a guy who really needs a fidget spinner and I mean that as the highest compliment.
I don't know how, but he makes Shakespeare's language much less distant.
Sanne Ottenhof your comment made me think a lot. I think its his delivery. He sounds like he’s 100 percent comfortable, like its his native language. Shakespeare is hard. His rendition sounds effortless.
magic8ball331 I heard someone describing it as “He speaks as if he is thinking those words, not just reciting them”. Like we get to hear his thoughts and his mind, it makes it more near to us
@@valnerei9067 That makes a lot of sense.
It sounds like he’s incorporating the principles of original pronunciation, to help preserve the meaning of the words.
My English teacher always said that these plays were meant to be performed and not merely read.
His interpretation is completely different to the traditional one, and I really like it. He's the first Hamlet who _actually_ asks the question, rather than just pondering death and suicide. He would yearn to just _be_ in a meaningful way - I haven't seen that before.
A really good portrayal is David Tennant's
I would highly recommend David Tennant's then. His is the best I have ever seen. I feel like that's the direction Andrew was headed but this just comes across a bit awkward. Still good though.
@@TalkAsSoftAsChalk I have no issue with Hamlet being awkward. He's kinda famous for being unsure of himself, after all. I've seen David's soliloquy. I wasn't blown away, and didn't feel like he was either truly asking his question or breaking up with tradition in a significant way. I'll re-watch it, though.
BS
@@TalkAsSoftAsChalk The awkwardness and mental illness is an integral part of Hamlet which isn't often shown so openly
First performance I have seen where Hamlet comes across as a real person.
To be fair, Benedict Cumberbatch and David Tenannt are also pretty realistic in this role. There's just something undeniably _raw_ about Andrew's Hamlet.
We are all born mad I liked Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance, and absolutely loved Tennant’s. But watching them still feels like watching a Shakespearian play, and watching Andrew Scott’s hamlet is like watching somebody real, a friend who drank too much and is confiding in you. I don’t know how to explain it.
@@sakaya9878 No, I get it. You're right - this is something else entirely. David's and Ben's performances were classical, if realistic. They conform to the norms of Playing Hamlet.
This one? This Hamlet is _messed up_ . As he should be. As a person working their way between suicide and murder can only be. So you're right - he is like a real person, _talking_ to us, rather than playing a classic. You can't say that about the other two.
Oh please.
This whole thread is why I love Shakespeare and I love Theatre.
A well done Shakespeare theatrical production feels just like this but more. And it is life changing.
Somehow, just in the intonations and the naturalisation of this performance, he's made the language sound modern. It's so much more understandable because, through the way he speaks, the whole soliloquy is suddenly relatable rather than just something we'd watch on stage. Absolutely brilliant!
Also makes me realise how smart Shakespeare was. This performer relayed the meaning of the speech probably in the way that Shakespeare was thinking it.
Thanks to Andrew Scott's performance here, this is the first time I've ever truly understood Shakespeare, despite having memorized the play decades ago!
@@DejayClayton That's how I felt too, when I first saw Andrew Scott's performance. I have read this play countless times and Andrew Scott's delivery was the first time I have ever felt like I understood the meaning behind Shakespeare's lines.
Maybe the first performer in a long time to deliver the soliloquy the way it was always intended.
@@DejayClaytonnot for an age but for all time
Gorgeous. Here's a man who understands how painful contemplating being or not being is.
to pee or not to pee, partake in egestion
Yep. He's showing how battling the morality, to take action or not, he considers that what he's gonna do in the next acts might be: his last, might not be effective, and change himself and thise around him. This also empowers his desperation for guidance.
@@matthewchunk3689 21st century Shakespeare , lad
to pass. to travel on.
This is revolutionary. He’s not orating or “performing”. He’s not intimidated by the text, or the lore and history that attends this particular monologue. He’s just a man, talking his way through a problem. I somehow think too, that the Irish have a particular advantage with Shakespeare.
Laudon1965 Ah sure we had to teach them how to speak their language ;-)
😉 I’m American of with a tiny bit of heritage from Northern Ireland, as well as tiny bits of Welsh and Cornish. I have Scottish and English heritage from both sides of the family,, one quarter Russian/Ukrainian, and a smattering of other European countries. All in all, predisposed to the lyrical and the love of a good story. I can’t say I disagree with you.
Stephen Ward
Who is them ?
Kerlumsyboy His troubles.
Laudon1965
I wasn’t referring to “end them” I was asking Stephen Ward what he meant by “them”
He doesn’t dramatize it. He makes it real. Shakespearean language wasn’t dramatized in it’s day, the language is gorgeous enough to stand up on it’s own and he recognized the actor must convey meaning first when conveying language not typically used. He didn’t overact, he became. Absolutely spectacular
What a compliment and observation
Remarkable and original. Actors often "choose" a sane or insane Hamlet in this scene. Scott keeps the character true. His Hamlet is wrecked by grief over the loss of everything that he loves. This is really brilliant.
Indeed!
Never understood the infamous “to be or not to be…” before, because it was always so overdramatic that it lost any tone, this is explaining thought processes as they come into his head… it’s bloody fantastic 🙌🏻
That’s exactly how I felt. I always thought it to be some philosophical Shakespearean question that no can understand….never realized that it was a question I have asked myself 😂
Yep. Just a basic question, like a math problem.
Andrew Scott is so intense when he acts. There are pain and relief, power and softness. He really is a great actor.
His delivery on "aye there's the rub" sticks with me for some reason. It's just so perfectly said, you truly believe Andrew Scott isn't just performing a script and that just fell out of his mouth based on what he said prior
His “aye there’s the rub” is my Roman Empire
I love this version so much. He is working things out in his mind, heart and soul. Not giving a speech. He is struggling with himself. Absolutely brilliant.
Absolutely.
It's like it was written to be uttered by an Irish actor... There's something completely grounded about Andrew's delivery of such a famous soliloquy, I love this man so much.
No performance before this has allowed me to hear the words in the soliloquy, remarkable performance in every capacity
Oh come on.
The words make sense. They are not just frosting. Jxxx
It’s not grand and grandiloquent and grandiose, it’s just a character thinking and being confused, and it’s so well done oh my god, it’s so realistic, when he asks that question i believe him, i believe he just thought it right then and didn’t learn it from a script. Love love love this man and his rendition of such a brilliant play
My old Irish grandad used to say "I don't know what I think until I hear myself saying it." A typically Irish way of being. And it's brought to life by this brilliant Irish actor.
I'm Greek and I absolutely adore how easily understandable he made the text for me, it's like he gives a modern speech. It's completely different from all the other deliveries I've been searching through UA-cam. He gives me a confident feeling that not only he knows his lines but he understands the meanings behind them 😌
He is such an amazing actor. He is so genuine and believable in everything he does. He just draws you into every performance. What an honor to watch him perform!
I remember being in London and stumbling upon tickets to this performance... best show I have ever seen, hands down. 4 hours felt like nothing, and even my mother who both has a hard time with English and Scottish accents (we’re Americans) and with the Shakespearean language was able to understand everything because of the sheer realism and emotion the characters had. You could see, like in this video, the tears in Andrew Scott’s eyes when Hamlet monologued and the spit fly when there were squabbles. The whole cast was phenomenal
So jealous! What an absolutely amazing opportunity to see this with this cast, especially Andrew Scott.
I really like Andrew Scott. He's a very emotional actor. He's intense. I love it.
I never realized how relatable this monologue is, but having depression you definitely understand what he's saying and why he's saying it. When everything feels horrible and you just want to give up there can be an odd humor in looking at yourself and wondering why you don't just end it.
Andrew amazingly uses silences sooo well he lets them speak for themselves as if they were words and that to me makes him so distinct and rare
I love how he finds his way through the thoughts as they occur to him. Not like he’s reciting at all.
Andrew Scott is like a boyfriend who breaks your heart but you can't help coming back for more. Why does this man has to be so talented, so heartbreaking, so delicately intense in everything he does?
Wow. First time I've seen a Hamlet who made it actually clear he was talking about actually committing suicide. Amazing. Well done!
Look up David Tennant's.
But see, that's exactly the problem I have with it. Ready? Rant time.
This soliloquy, contrary to popular belief, is not about Hamlet committing suicide. It's about Hamlet, who at this point has just confirmed that his uncle killed his father, trying to decide whether or not he should kill the king. More than anything, it's a religious speech. Let me break it down line by line:
1. To be, or not to be, that is the question: In other words, to live, or to die?
2. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them: Would it be better to live with the knowledge that my uncle killed his brother, and do nothing, or to get revenge, even though I know I will be executed for it?
3. To die, to sleep no more, and by a sleep to say we end the heartache, and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished: If I die, and that's the end of it, that would be the more appealing option.
4. To die, to sleep -- to sleep, perchance to dream -- ay, there's the rub. For in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil must give us pause: On the other hand, what comes after death? If I commit a murder, and then am immediately killed and go to the afterlife, I may be sent to Hell for it.
5. There's the respect that brings calamity to so long life: Children have it easier, as they do not have to worry about the gravity of what comes after death.
6. For who would bear the whips and scorns of time . . . when he himself might his quietus make with a bare bodkin: Hamlet rattles off a list of the evils of the world and says that if not for the threat of an afterlife everyone would take their own life.
7. Who would fardels bear . . . than fly to others we know not of?: He again states that everyone would commit suicide if not for the fear of the unknown, as we would rather deal with what we have than risk Hell.
8. Thus conscience does make cowards of us all . . . by the pale cast of thought: The more one thinks about it, the more afraid they grow. So no resolution is reached, because of fearful thoughts.
9. And enterprises of great pith and moment . . . and lose the name of action: Even one extremely determined to take their own life may still find themselves doubting.
Sorry, I just must say that in this point of the play Hamlet is not sure his uncle kill his father, this before the play
Don’t get me wrong, I love Andrew Scott and this performance, but he is literally the embodiment of the greatest acting question: ‘what do I do with my hands?’
soldierside365 every movement was purposeful
Ezekiel Cambey not a criticism, just a joke
@@soldierside365 ive noticed that too.... Its just andrew.. He Has awkward hands😂... If thats a thing
ArtRola it really is. I saw him live at the old Vic for his one man show earlier this year (I think I was?) and again, hands everywhere haha
@@soldierside365 i know... Even in the interviews. Its kinda cute tbh XD
I had the privilege of seeing the full play in person. It was fantastic!
This is the best performance of this I have ever seen. He makes it seem like it is coming from his own heart and mind, in real time.
This is the first time the soliloquy has made sense for me. I studied it at school and saw an RSC performance, and it whistled over my head. Now, NOW, I get it. Bravo, Andrew Scott, and thanks.
It’s so remarkable that everyone know these words and yet so few understand them until this performance. Including me.
One of the most communicative renditions of this speech I have heard.
He is absolutely phenomenal. He takes you inside the twisted mind of the character. It's the first time I have actually understood Hamlet.
To make sense of it to myself, I frequently read a Shakespeare passage aloud, and with this one I remember slowing it waaay down.
I’ve been waiting for this delivery a long time - you can hear the meaning in the slow musing conversational tone. Wonderful.
the way he delivers "and asleep to say we end the heartache"........ my god. just a sudden turn to gentleness that is so real. ive never really understood this speech before but watching his performance (admittedly a few times, plus reading the play, before i began to fully digest the words) i feel so many of my own struggles with depression so keenly expressed. to think that someone felt the same way i did five hundred years ago. how miraculous a world we live in.
I love how Sherlock and Moriarty both performed this soliloquy
Yeeees
Even the doctor performed it 😭😂
Wait, when 😲
You can look up Martin Freeman To be or not to be and him reciting it will come up
Yep
why does it make more sense with his inflection than it has for me in performances that I’ve seen before?! there’s no doubt that he’s an amazing actor!
Watching this live was the best experience of my life.
It was honestly incredible and, for once, I was intrigued in Shakespeare.
I love Andrew so much, in everything that he does.
He’s so talented and his body language and voice makes everything feel personal (if that makes sense)
Hell, he even allowed me to learn another Hamlet soliloquy from heart!
I love this interpretation because it shows Hamlet for who he really is. A young man who is righteously furious yet completely unsure of himself or what he should do. Brenaugh does a great version but it has far too much conviction. The insecurity of this performance makes it perfect.
How does he DO that eYE thiNG where he looks so ..... d e a d
This is the first time I have understood this speech.
*and man can I say I found it odd for it to be not something philosophically-enlightening, but a thought process I was literally thinking of the night before.
How does he reinvent the role of Hamlet after countless performances by thousands of actors? Amazing! I cannot get enough of this!
This is the best Hamlet soliloquy I have seen since David Tennant's.
I’m gonna be honest- I’ve never gotten Hamlet. But Andrew Scott made me understand.
true, you haven't gotten Hamlet YET. I tdoubt you ever will.
From the clips I've seen on UA-cam, he did this part justice.
Watching his hands is really interesting, each motion makes so much sense
He makes it feel like we’re looking for answers with him rather than waiting on answers from him. Awesome performance!
Perfectly described !! Its also so much truer to hamlet as a character.. hamlet was an unsure character who intellectualized everything and would rather not be in the awful and impossible circumstances he found himself in.. it's a perfect way to play hamlet in my opinion.. hamlet did not want to be in those circumstances at all and did not want to kill himself he just wanted to escape his completely insane circumstances
The delivery and performance is amazing. It really captures a sense of spite and anger towards life rather than dramatic suicidalness.
Umpteenth times I see this video by Andrew Scott. Everytime it gives me goosebumps. He is so brilliant at this soliloquy
He speaks more as a conversation with the audience, rather than to himself. It's an interesting method.
He really portrays this character as if he knows him, truly a captivating interpretation
Holy god that was magnificent! Part of which was his finding a way to make it all his own. Bravo dude!
Professor Moriarty seems always to think about this kind of questions.
He's a very contemplative villain.
miss me?
The best part of living in the future is this. The idea that I can just bumble into something so brilliant and so touching and soul-grabbing blows me away completely. Well done all involved and thank you so much.
I memorized this one of the times I was suicidal and he's actually really good. It's very simple and easy delivery.
This is so awesome. He's not just reciting those words, it's like they're coming up to him on the spot.
This is so beautiful, Andrew is an absolute legend.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone underperform this soliloquy
Best version of this monologue of all time
I've watched a lot of performances of this monologue. This is one of the better ones by far
Adrian Lester is a pretty damn good Hamlet, too. He was utterly wasted in the recent Mary, Queen of Scots movie.
I love this interpretation. I also love how his Irish comes out-it's very subtle but it's lovely.
when andrew's hand stills it rubbing (pun intended) after he says "perchance to dream" and his face falls adding to the illusion that he is just now thinking of these faults within death and not just reciting them... that got me.
And now, of course, I want to see the whole play. Perhaps the soft Irish accent helps to stave off the theatricality we associate with so many Shakespeare thesps (are you listening Sir Larry?) But who would believe these words were penned 400 years ago? Bravo, sir.
I love how he is more Hamlet than just a random guy pondering life and death.
The best, most modernly, expressive version... Thank you Andrew Scott.
I come back and watch this like once a month
Omg...so amazing!!! God bless you Scott!!!!!!!! It is a breath of cold water to a man in the desert...
Wonderful ❤
The first time I've heard this in a way that makes you feel like the actor is actually contemplating the question "to be or not to be"
I've always known he was a good actor but damn...
I am hypnotized every time I watch this, and each viewing I seem to understand the prose a bit more. Andrew is a brilliant actor ❤️
It's not prose, it's verse.
I.... Just..... This is the first time in my entire life that the phrase "to be or not to be" actually had any gravity. It's always just been a cliche from Shakespeare that we all grew up hearing. But this man in this version gave it so much life. It had the weight of a truly existential question rather than just the passing of another common phrase.
Amazingly beautiful and poignant performance by Andrew Scott .. he speaks directly from his heart .. and his expressions and hand gestures are heartbreaking .. purely raw emotion ., he is not merely acting or playing a role here ,. Way more than that ., Andrew Scott has become Hamlet ., he is brilliant ..
Have seen this play many times .. and this soloquey given by many actors, great and small ..
What I have just witnessed watching this beautiful video today was masterful ..
Thank you for sharing this unforgettable performance by Andrew Scott .. an excellent actor .. and a totally beautiful man ..
Jen999💙
Thank you for uploading… Simple change in cadence and inflection makes a huge difference in Shakespeare. The way he does it makes it much more accessible to people and helps them understand the meaning behind the words. How something is said is just as important as what is said..... and he says it beautifully
This is really good. Shakespeare is for all time and this captures that liquidity. It is acted in a modern way, but with the same words, which gives a a fluidity, never seen before. It really works.
I never had the chance to study Shakespeare at school but have loved him... though have struggled to understand so much of it. But this performance brings it to life, accessible and absorbing. Absolutely wonderful!
He’s such an Amazon talent. Everything he does rings absolutely true.
I studied this deeply in college and only here 20 years later do I finally understand what it means.
best ever version of this speech. and i have heard many. Really really good! Thank you. xx
love his expression when he realises "there's the rub"!!!!!!!!
I've saw this video. I came back later, and a few week later, again. Here I am again, still amazed. As always there are a few subtilities I realise i've missed last time. Non being english doesn't help to understand. But it's not only about the meaning. It's about beauty. Discovering the beautifulness of a sentence I can now hear. Being punch by the beautifulness of the incertitude. The stupidity of life, but also of death, all of that said beautifuly. The terrible beautifulness of a tired man.
Incredibile piece of art, given beautifuly to us.
Mr. Scoot, I can't take my eyes off of you, and neither could I when you portrayed Moriarity. Bravo!
I'm honestly in love with this interpretion. There is just something about Andrew Scott's acting that makes his Hamlet so raw, so powerful. He doesn't rush the words nor make the act grandiose. He let's the silence in, making it look like a real monologue. So when we watch his performance at the stage, we don't feel like the man in front of us is reciting certain lines from somewhere but actually living them, thinking them at the moment. We feel like he welcomes us in his head while we watch a furious and confused young man who is at the brink of insanity questioning things and cycling around the idea of death, of suicide. --To put it simply, his delivery and performance here is truly amazing . Really helps us to understand Hamlet's character more.
Here in 2022 because this video makes me feel like someone understands how I feel ❤
honestly andrew's best performance. this video solidified my love for him and his incredible talent
Amazing! You played very engaging and outwardly. You ASK these questions to the audience and this draws so much focus in on you by itself! And an actual thinking process happens in your head, not just reciting lines as I find most "to be or not to be"-monologues are. Brilliant performance!
I never knew the meaning of this soliloquy until today, and it’s words bring me comfort now, because i know that I am not alone. we are all experiencing this incongruous life with the unknowledge of what comes next.
Andrew Scott never fails me since I’ve seen him first time in Sherlock Holmes Series …
This is my favourite Hamlet of all time, he speaks so naturally, I am enthralled, completely.
This is a hell of a thing. Slowing the tempo to emphasize each word. Brilliant sir!
Brilliant, Everytime points of such verses touches my life.
This is the Ultimate performance. I keep coming back to it.
This was such a beautiful performance. I got emotional watching it.
This is inspiring me to actually try to learn this monologue and actually bring it into my repertoire lol
My god this is some fantastic acting
Andrew is brilliant! Always a fantastic performance.
Awsome! I've seen and heard plenty of interpretations of this soliloquy. This one is just awsome, giving perfect sense to Shakespeare's words with simplicity and truth. Thank you for putting this online.
I apreciate how he has that "I'm crazy" vibe to how he said it. Which I think is right since at this point Hamlet was at the precipice of madness.
He has never ever disappointed me. What amazing actor!
Wow that was GREAT! I remember as a young man I memorized and performed this monologue for a grade in my High School drama class. I recited it but I didn’t feel it. Re visiting as a grown man, it makes me cry.
For the first time in 44 years i actually understand, so brilliant:)
I'm really happy he's won the awards he has, he deserves it
U cant fool me. That Moriarty
u are fooled. It's Hot Priest.