Hamlet Act 5
Scene One
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The First Clown and the second clown are
gravediggers—they serve as comic relief after
a key tragic scene where Gertrude describe
Ophelia’s drowning
They discuss whether or not Ophelia deserves
a Christian burial because she committed
suicide
Hamlet is appalled at their comical
conversation given the serious nature of the
business at hand (gravedigging)
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Lines 78-115—possibilities of the skull—in
death we look the same
Lines 187-223 reflects upon Yorick, his own
court jester and how each man, regardless of
his greatness, returns to the dust from which
he came.
Laertes, queen, king etc enter and Laertes
and Hamlet jump in the grave and fight
because of Hamlet’s role in killing Polonius
and scorning Ophelia
Hamlet is restrained and Claudius reassures
Laertes by reminding him of their plan to kill
Hamlet using the duel, poison sword and
poisoned wine
Scene Two
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Hamlet and Horatio talk about Hamlet’s trip to England
with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern—he steals a note that
they were taking to the king and changes it to cause
R&G’s death
Osric enters and proposes the duel (comic relief b/c
Hamlet makes fun of Osric’s hat etc.
The rules of the duel are proposed—and they are called to
the hall by the king
LINES 221-226: there’s a special providence in the fall of a
sparrow—let be—fatalism of the situation
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Hamlet asks for forgiveness from Laertes—by
nature, Laertes forgives, but his honour must
be satisfied CHARACTER: Laertes is an
honorable character whose intentions are
generally good
They duel—Laertes finally hits Hamlet with his
sharp foil and the queen falls, having drunk
from the poisoned cup that was offered to
Hamlet
Laertes falls and reveals the plot against
Hamlet—Hamlet stabs the king and he dies
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Hamlet has already been hit with the poisoned
sword and realizes his fate and he asks Horatio
to tell the story of what happened (in the
distance, we have hearing sounds of battle)
Young Fortinbras has come with his soldiers
and ambassadors of England
Hamlet dies “the rest is silence”
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Fortinbras is surprised at the carnage
already in the room—Horatio does his job
and tells Fortinbras about the situation
Fortinbras reveals his noble nature by
asking for a hero’s funeral for Hamlet
The circumstances caused Hamlet’s
downfall and the chaos and carnage that
was a part of it.
Themes in Hamlet
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Certainty in life and death is impossible
Remaining in thought or taking action can
lead to very different outcomes
Death is mysterious and far-reaching in
consequence
A society can become a Diseased Body
when nature is out of balance/humanity
turns to evil deeds