Act 5 Scene 1:
In the churchyard two gravediggers talk while they are digging Ophelia’s grave. They are arguing about whether she should receive a christian burial because it seems like she has killed herself. According to the burial rules at the the time if you commited suicide you were not able to receive a proper christian burial. They then talk about why she drowned herself, one says it is self defense, whilst the other says that it was “self offence” ( shakespeare changed “se defendendo” to “se offendendo”). One of the gravediggers says that if Ophelia had not have been rich, she wouldn’t have been buried. One of the Gravediggers cleverly asks “What is he that builds stronger than either the mason, the shipwright, or the carpenter?” the second gravediggers answers that it is the gallows-maker because they outlive a thousand inhabitants, the first one corrects him by saying that it is the grave maker as his “houses ” last until doomsday.
Hamlet and Horatio enter in the distance, watching the gravediggers work. hamlet asks a question in which he says doesnt the gravedigger realise what he is doing, he’s singing while digging a grave. Horatio replies that the gravediggers have got so used to the skulls they don’t get bothered by them anymore. Hamlet looks at the skulls and wonders what they could have done in the past, he says “Why may not that be the skull of a lawyer?”. In the rest of the speech he talks about how the person could have once been a great landowner who had deeds, contracts tax shelters etc. After talking slight bit more to Horatio Hamlet goes over to the gravedigger and ask him who’s grave it is that he is digging, the gravedigger replies saying that it is his own since he is digging it. Hamlet agrees that it is the gravediggers grave because he is the one who is lying in it. the gravedigger then says that it belongs to no man, no woman, because the occupant of the grave must be dead and those are living people. He at last admits that it is a woman and says “One that was a woman, sir, but, rest her soul, she’s dead.” Hamlet asks the gravediggers how long he has been doing his job, without realising that the person he is speaking to is hamlet, the gravedigger says that he has been doing his job since the previous king Hamlet defeated Fortinbras, which was the same day that young Hamlet was born. After conversing about himself, Hamlet picks up a skull and ask whose it was. The gravedigger replies saying it is the skull of Yorick, king Hamlets jester. Hamlet tells Horatio that he used to know him as a kid, Hamlet comments saying he was very funny, but is appalled by the sight of his skull. He realises that all people eventually come to an end, he even tells yorick to tell his mother that no matter how much makeup she wears that she will end up just like yorick. Hamlet imagines that Alexander the great looks and smells exactly the same, he asks this to Horatio. He even imagines that the ashes of Alexander the great being used the patch up the wall.
The funeral procession for Ophelia appears in the graveyard, which includes Claudius, Gertrude, Laertes and a priest. Hamlet who is wondering who the procession is for, notices that the funeral rites seem “maimed” indicating the dead man or woman has taken their own life. Hamlet and Horatio step aside and hide. As Ophelia is laid into the earth, hamlet realises it is her that died. At the same time Laertes become infuriated with the priest, who has said in order to give Ophelia a proper burial it would be against the dead. Laertes jumps into the grave to hold her once again. Hamlet who is outraged and grief stricken, hamlet bursts out, declaring his love for Ophelia. He then jumps into the grave with Laertes and fights with him. They get separated, even after this hamlet says that he loved Ophelia more than forty thousand brothers combined. He then cries that he would do things for Ophelia that Laertes could not even dream of- he would eat crocodile for her, get buried alive with her. In this part of the scene Laertes and Hamlet argue who love Ophelia more. Gertrude says that he’s mad, but will calm down in a while. Hamlet walks off, Laertes follows after claudius tells him to be patient.
Act 5 Scene 2:
The next day at Elsinore castle, Hamlet tells Horatio how he overcame Claudius’ plan of having him murdered in England which he found out about by reading the letter. He replaced the sealed letter, with one that he wrote calling for the execution of the bearers of the letter instead of the previous letter for his execution. He managed to make the seal with his fathers signet ring. Hamlet tells horatio that he doesn’t have sympathy for Guildenstern or Rosencrantz as they have betrayed him and took order form Claudius, but he does feel sorry for being so hostile towards Laertes. He says that Laertes desire for revenge is very similar to his own situation, so he’ll be nice to him.
This conversation is interrupted by Osric, a courtier although an idiotic one. Osric tries to flatter Hamlet and agrees with everything that hamlet says even when he contradicts himself, he first agrees that it is hot and then cold. Osric came to tell them that Claudius wants Hamlet to fence with Laertes and that he has wagered with laertes that hamlet will win. Osric then begins to praise laertes and only says good things about him, although Hamlet and Horatio do not really know what he is trying to say in his overly elaborate language. they continue with the conversation, luckily Osric runs out of his elaborate language they talk about the fight ahead, one of the things is the mount that’s being bet, which is six Barbary horses as well as what weapons there are. Osric exits after a long conversation, a lord enters. The lord asks Hamlet whether he is ready to come to the match as the king and queen are expecting him to be there soon. The lord also says that his mother said that he should say something nice or have a nice conversation with Laertes before the match. Horatio tries to convince hamlet not to fight,but against his will Hamlet decides to fight anyway. The court marches into the hall, Hamlet and Laertes shake hands on command form Claudius, Hamlet asks for forgiveness and claims that it was his madness and not did not want to actually murder Polonius, it was against his own will. Laertes does not accept the apology, until he has been advised by an expert i matters of honour advises him on the matter. but will accept Hamlet’s offer of love. Hamlet replies that he is grateful for his love and that they should play the friendly fencing match. Hamlet then plays a compliment in which he says that that Laertes will outshine him like a star in the darkest night because he is so bad at fencing compared to Laertes. Laertes replies and says that Hamlet is making fun of him, but hamlet comment that he is not.
Hamlet warns the king that he has bet on the weaker fencer, the king tells hamlet that Laertes has a handicapand will have to outdo hamlet by 3 hits. The two boys ( Hamlet and Laertes) select the rapiers that they are going to use, Laertes selects the sharpened ( and poisoned) one that has been made for the plan, while Hamlet has a the accustomed rapier that is used. Claudius announces that if Hamlet makes the first or second hit that he will drink to his health, he will then throw a pearl in his drink (which is actually the poison) and the soldiers will salute him. The Duel begins, Hamlet gets the first hit, Laertes argues that it wasn’t, the referee ( osric) says that it was. Hamlet is offered the wine that the king promised, he declines. Hamlet hits Laertes once again. His mother Gertrude offers her handkerchief as hamlet it is sweating and starting to get out of breath. She drinks from hamlets Goblet, oblivious to the fact that the pearl was poisoned and the drink is therefore poisoned. Claudius tries to stop her form drinking the wine, but she ignores him saying she’ll drink if she wants to. Claudius stands aside and tells the audience that she has drunken the poisoned wine and that it is too late to do anything. Hamlet still declines the drink as his mother wipes his face. Laertes steps aside to Claudius, telling him that he is going to hit Hamlet with the sharpened sword, which claudius doubts. He then steps aside again and talks to himself (and the audience) saying that hitting Hamlet is almost against his conscience. They fight again, this time Laertes manages to hit Hamlet and draws blood, they scuffle and manage to swap swords, Hamlet now with Laertes sword manages to hit Laertes and also poison him.
The queen who has drunken the poisoned wine collapses. Laertes, who is now poisoned by his own sword says ” I am justly killed with mine own treachery.” and also collapses. Hamlet asks how the queen is, Horatio says that she fainted at the sight of blood, the queen cries out that the wine has been poisoned, shortly after this she dies. Hamlet orders for the doors to be locked so the killer can be found. Laertes tells Hamlet that he is the one to blame(at the end he says the king is), he also tells hamlet blade he is holding has been poisoned, so both he and hamlet will die within half an hour. Laertes continues talking, saying that the plan that the king had made has now backfired and blames the king for his mothers death and the poisoned sword. Hamlet who is infuriated by this stabs Claudius with the poisoned and sharpened sword. After this he forces Claudius to gulp down the poisoned wine. Laertes tells Hamlet that the king got what he deserved, after this he asks for forgiveness from hamlet, then Laertes says that he does not blame Hamlet for his death or his fathers death. Laertes says that he is not responsible for Hamlet’s death. Hamlet makes a speech saying that he is dying, he starts saying his goodbyes to horatio, the queen and the the audience(although he isn’t dead yet), he demands that Horatio will tell people what has happened. Horatio says that he is more like an ancient roman than a modern Dane. By this he means that he would rather commit suicide in honour of Hamlet then live on and tell the story. Hamlet stops his friend, Horatio form drinking the wine that he has just picked up and says that if he is a true friend that he will give it to him. He even says that if Horatio ever loved him that he should postpone the (sweet?) relief of death long enough to tell the story of ehat has happened.
The sound of cannons and marching of an army echoes through the hall, Osric storms in and tells the people that young Fortinbras has returned triumphantly from poland, he is firing the cannons to greet the English ambassadors. Hamlet tells Horatio that he is dying again, this time serious, he tells Horatio that he is not going to live to hear the news from England and that he hopes for Fortinbras to win the election for the crown, he also says to tell him that Fortinbras has got his vote. Horatio says that his noble heart has broken as well as telling his now dead friend goodnight. He also says that angels will sing him to sleep.
Fortinbras and an English ambassador walk in to the hall. Fortinbras asks what does he see. Horatio replies with the question “what is it ye would see If aught of woe or wonder, cease your search.” He basically says what is it you have come to see, if it is a tragedy it is the right place. The English ambassador then announces that Rosencrantz and Guildestern have been killed, he says that it is a shame that the people who should have heard it are now dead. Horatio corrects the ambassador saying that it was not the king who ordered the deaths of them. He continues by saying that they have came so soon after the deaths of so many, he should order their men to display the corpses on a high platform and tell the world what happened. Fortinbras orders four captains carry Hamlet’s dead body on stage, like a soldier. He then comments that Hamlet would have been a great king if he had got the chance to prove himself. He then swaps topics and continues about Hamlets passage, he says military music and rites will speak for his heroic qualities. Fortinbras demands that the bodies are picked up, he then comments that a sight like this suits a battlefield, but here at a court it shows all that went wrong. Horatio is then told to tell the soldiers to shoot in honour of Hamlet.
React!