Hamlet- Act V

Scene 1: Two gravediggers are talking about Ophelia killing herself. She will be given a Christan funeral, but they think only because she is rich. Hamlet and Horatio then enter. One gravedigger leaves, and the other starts singing. Hamlet and Horatio find it odd that he is singing while grave-digging. Hamlet thinks the grave is for a lord and asks the gravedigger whom the grave is for. The gravedigger doesn't answer right away and says that he began his job when Fortinbras was killed. It was the same day that Hamlet was sent to England to be killed. He said that the court jester's skull didn't rot for 23 years. Hamlet knows this person. Claudius, Gertrude, Laertes, a Priest, and a coffin then enter. Hamlet watches them. Laertes discusses with the priest about giving Ophelia more rights, but he says he can't because she is already have a gave in the church's graveyard by the king's order even though her death was suspicious. Laertes then jumps into her grave and tells them to pile the dirt on him. Hamlet then jumps into the gave after he finds out that it is Ophelia's body and asks who is the one grieving. Laertes and Hamlet then get into a fight. Hamlet says that he is sadder than Laertes over Ophelia's death because he had such a great love for her. Hamlet then leaves, and Claudius has Horatio follow him. Claudius also remind Laertes about their plan and says a monument will be built for Ophelia.

Scene 2: Hamlet tells Horatio he has discovered Claudius' plans to kill him. He opened the document with the plans it in. He then wrote a new letter in which he told the King of England to kill the ones delivering the letter instantly, so they couldn't confess their sins. He also wrote of his desire for a friendship between the two countries sealing it with his father's ring. Hamlet asks Horatio's advice if is would be right to kill Claudius now. Hamlet feels bad over fighting Laertes because their situations are similar. Osric, a messenger, then enters and says Hamlet the king has a message for him. They have a sort of disagreement over if he should or shouldn't wear his hat. Osric then tells Hamlet about how good Laertes is at fencing. He says the king has bet on it. Hamlet says he will fight Laertes if they bring him a sword. Hamlet thinks he will win, but also thinks that there will be a bad consequence. Claudius, Gertrude, Laertes, and Osric then enter. Laertes and Hamlet shake hands and then begin to fight. Laertes has a handicap because he is so good. Claudius drops a pearl into a cup meanwhile since Hamlet has hit Laertes once. He wants Hamlet to drink it, but he declines wanting to wait until his round is done. The Queen doesn't believe that Hamlet will win and gives him her handkerchief. She then toasts to his luck and drinks out of the cup with poison in it. Claudius tells her not to, but she does anyway. Laertes then wounds Hamlet, and they switch swords. Next, Hamlet stabs Laertes, and Gertrude falls. Laertes says he has been killed by his own tricks. Gertrude says that the drink has poisoned her. Hamlet wants to know who poisoned the drink. Laertes says it was him. He tells Hamlet that both he and Hamlet will die because the sword is poisoned. Laertes says that the King is to be blamed. Hamlet then forces Claudius to drink the poison, and then Laertes dies after asking for forgiveness. Hamlet asks Horatio to tell the story of what happened. Horatio wanted to kill himself, but he doesn't because Hamlet needs him to tell the story. Hamlet also says he wants Fortinbras to get the crown. Hamlet then dies. Fortinbras enters and his ambassador says that the king's orders have been fufilled and Rosencrantz and Guildnstern have been killed. A military funeral is ordered for Hamlet by Fortinbras.

Response: Hamlet sees to change what he thinks and his emotions very quickly. Before in the play, Hamlet told Ophelia that he didn't love her, but when he finds out that she has died and tell Laertes that he loved Ophelia more than 40,000 brothers could have loved her. Now Hamlet says he has a great love for Ophelia, but before he said he had no feelings for her. This really makes you think that Hamlet was just telling Ophelia he didn't love her because he didn't want his future actions to hurt her. Hamlet still hates Claudius to the end. He says that Claudius whor'd his mother which is not a very nice comment. He also makes Claudius drink the poison while he tells Claudius that he is incestuous, a murderer, and damned. Hamlet also tells Laertes that he was mad and wasn't really acting like himself. Hamlet could be pretending that he is no longer crazy, but still is. A real crazy person though wouldn't be able to know that they were crazy. At the end of the play, the King uses the word union to mean pearl and so does Hamlet in the end when he makes the King drink the poison. Hamlet says "Is thy union here? Follow my mother" (300-301). Union could also be a pun for marriage and dying at the same time because Gertrude and Claudius both died. Even when Hamlet is dying after his mother has died, he it seems to have a hate for her because he calls her a wretched queen. Hamlet was obviously very angry at his mother for marrying Claudius because he still could not forgive her even after she had died.