Hamlet
Act 5
Scene 1
Grave-digger and another man preparing Ophelia’s grave
Hamlet enters and reflects on the fact that all classes of
people end up in the same place when they died
The funeral party arrives and he learns it is her grave
Laertes laments wildly and demands to be buried with her,
this provokes Hamlet’s feelings of rivalry, he tries to outdo
him
Claudius reminds Laertes of their agreement and asks
Horatio to look after Hamlet
Scene 2
Hamlet stole Claudius’s letter and changed it to order
the execution of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Joined by Osric who announces the match
Hamlet agrees to participate
During the match Hamlet apologizes
Laertes accepts but still is fighting for honor
Hamlet strikes him twice but it turns into a bloodbath
Gertrude drinks the poisoned wine
Laertes stabs Hamlet with the poisoned rapier
In a scuffle, they exchange rapiers and Hamlet poisons
Laertes
Laertes confesses and implicates the king
Hamlet stabs the king and makes him drink the wine
Even though he has avenged his father’s death it is
almost an afterthought
Hamlet asks Horatio to report the events
Fortinbras arrives on his way back from Poland and
Hamlet’s final action is to declare that Fortinbras
should rule Denmark
An ambassador declares that Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern are dead
Fortinbras’s soldiers prepare a military funeral for
Hamlet
“The rest is silence.”