HAMLET
William Shakespeare
ESSAY REVISION
The Ending
ACT 5
RESOLUTION TO CONLFICT
• In the end of the play, Ophelia dead by her
maddness, Hamlet kills Laertes by swapping the
poisoned fencing sword Laertes has and hitting
him with it. Hamlet also dies at the very end
because he was originally hit by Laertes sword.
The Queen drinks the drink Claudius prepared
for Hamlet with the poison and dies. Fortinbras
takes over Denmark. Hamlet has good
ceremony as respected man – Horatio lives to
tell the tale.
Resolution Of the Themes
CORRUPTION
Ophelia
•
In the end of the play, we see the result of Ophelia being a continuous victim of the theme of
corruption within this play. We can see firstly the way in which the gravedigger has a lack of respect
for the dead bodies
“Hamlet: ‘Tis e’en so, the hand of little employment hath the daintier sense.” – ACT 5, SCENE 1 Hamlet
is shocked by the lack of respect and the brutality of the grave digger towards the bodies, which is
in a sense corrupt because you’d expect dead bodies to be treated with dignity as Hamlet points
out.
We then see Ophelia has no ceremony at her deathbed. This is surprising because Polonius is the
Kings advisor and she is his daughter– this would then lead us to expect, in those days, for her to
have a large ceremony as she is somewhat a “proper lady”. However, instead because the Priest
suspects that she killed herself he refuses to give her a ceremony (in those days suicide was
regarded an outrage as a loss of faith and you would be unable to be buried on sanctified ground or
have a ceremony – Ophelia does get to be buried on the sacred grounds though)
Laertes is outraged by the fact his sister is not given a ceremony.
“Laertes: What ceremony else?” ACT 5, SCENE 1
The Priest explains the fact it’s suspected Ophelia committed suicide, she is therefore lucky she is
even buried on sanctified ground.
“Priest: Her death was doubtful;
And but that great command o’ersways the order,
She should in ground unsanctified been lodg’d” ACT 5 SCENE 1
The conclusion of Ophelia’s corruption is simply a death with no funeral.
Ophelia
Ophelia has been a victim of the corruption around her throughout the entire
play. She is a character who has done nothing wrong but has been effected
by others.
The first example of this is in ACT 1 SC 3, where Ophelia is told by her father
she can’t see Hamlet anymore – the man she is in love with. He in a sense
is quite cruel to Ophelia in the way he speaks to her and talks down to her
for thinking Hamlet loves her
“Polonius: ..you speak like a green girl,
Unsifted in such perilous circumstance.
Do you believe his tenders, as you call them?”
“Polonius: That you have ta’en tese tenders for true pay
Which are not sterling.”
Polonius then bans Ophelia for seeing Haml – truly corrupt as he is banning her
from doing as she pleases and she must agree as she is his daughter (in
those days daughters always followed their fathers command)
“Polonius: I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth
Have you slander any moment leisure
As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet.
Look to’t, I charge you.”
• Ophelia
Corruption also exists when Polonius forces Ophelia to betray Hamlet by
arranging for her to “bump into” him and allow for Polonius and the King to
watch their conversation so they can see if the reason for Hamlet’s
madness is love for Ophelia. This is cruel and corrupt as they force her and
watch secretly – secret corruption theme. ACT 3 SCENE 1
Polonius even admits what they are forcing Ophelia to do is wrong
“Polonius: ‘Tis too much prov’d, that with devotion’s visage
And pious action we do sugar o’er
The devil himself.” – this means Polonius admits in attempting to do good they
are really doing bad by forcing the bump in – CORRUPT THEME, OPHELIA
VICTIM OF CORRUPTION THRO’OUT.
Hamlet then blames Ophelia and is mean to her, not realising Ophelia was
forced only knowing that she has betrayed him somewhat. Ophelia in a way
had no choice and so it is unfair and corrupt she is blamed – continously
victimised.
“Hamlet: I loved you not.”
Ophelia
Hamlet accidentally kills Ophelia’s father Polonius in trying to kill Claudius. This then
leads to Ophelia going mad and shows how she is continuously a victim of corruption
as she is innocent in her fathers death. She ends up drowning in a river because she
is so mad that she accidentally drowns herself.
“Laertes: Hadst thou thy wits” ACT 4 SCENE 7
“Gertrude: As one incapable of her own distress”
“Gertrude: Drown’d, drown’d.”
Resolution Of the Themes
CORRUPTION
• Laertes
A victim of corruption end of play, Laertes tricked into killing Hamlet by Claudius
– he kills him because Hamlet killed his father (Polonius which is also
corrupt because he was spying and this is wrong – sugar coat quote in
ophelia section he dies corrupt too) and led to his sister’s madness – King
spurred him to kill Hamlet though by in a way winding him up, questioning
“true” love for his father etc. more of the corruption theme and corruption of
Claudius – who is a corrupt character.
ACT 4 SCENE 7
“King: Laertes, was your father dear to you?”
In the end Laertes makes it up with Hamlet and accepts the fact Claudius has
tricked him.
Resolution Of the Themes
CORRUPTION
CLAUDIUS
•
In the end of the play Claudius has not changed – still corrupt. Dies corrupt
because he dies by trying to act badly towards Haml.
• A5 SC2 “Hamlet: Here, thou incestuous, murd’rous, damned Dane,
Drink off this potion. Is thy union here?
Follow my mother.”
Claudius symbolises corruption thro’ought.
Firstly – murder of his own brother for power etc.
When Claudius is regretting the murder (which does not last long, only lasts in
confession time, he then goes back to more plotting on how to get rid of
Haml.
“Claudius: Of those effects for which I did the murderMy crown, mine own ambition, and my queen.”
- He cant truly be remorseful, not willing to give up what he gained from it.
THUS dies in sin and corruption.
Resolution of themes
KNOWING WHAT TO DO/CONSCIENCE
•
Hamlet is a changed character in the end of the play. Thro’out the play Hamlet would
constantly procrastinate and never act – there are 4 soliloquy's of him doing this. He
considers everything that may happen in the result of his action. He considers death
in particular, and says the reason no one kills themselves is for fear of unknown and
Hamlet is too scared to kill himself because of this
• TO BE OR NOT TO BE, ACT 3 SCENE 1: “Hamlet: The undiscover’d country, from
whose bourn
No traveller returns”
However, in the end of the play Hamlet has changed – he no longer feels the need to
procastinate and is more accepting of fate – he can’t change his future, what will be
will be. Before Hamlet goes to fence with Laertes he says
“Hamlet: There’s a divinity that shapes our ends”
“Hamlet: If it be now, ‘is not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now”
Irony – if Hamlet had taken this instinctive approach earlier a different resolution to the
play would have been seen – perhaps Polonius wouldn’t have died, Ophelia not mad
and dead, Laertes not dead, Hamlet not dead, Queen not dead with the King dead.