Hamlet and Horatio hide, but as soon as Hamlet finds out that this is Ophelia who died, he reveals himself. Ophelia’s funeral procession comes with Laertes in the lead. Hamlet thinking how even those trying to evade God’s punishments cannot escape death.
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Act 5, Scene 1 “That skull had a tongue in it, and could sing once… This might be the pate of a politician, which this ass now o’er-reaches one that would circumvent God”. Hamlet looks at the skull and says “alas, poor Yorick” and thinks about death and mortality. Hamlet comes by with Horatio and talks with one of the gravediggers, who takes out a skull of a jester which Hamlet remembers from his childhood.
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In the fifth act, we have an iconic scene with two gravediggers discussing the death or suicide of Ophelia while preparing her grave. The scene ends with Hamlet dragging the corpse of Polonius away. Gertrude cannot see the ghost, which further fuels her belief that Hamlet has gone mad. The ghost reappears to Hamlet, warning him to not delay his revenge or to upset his mother. He hears something moving behind the curtain, and stabs the tapestry thinking it’s Claudius, accidentally killing Polonius instead. Hamlet arrives and has a loud fight with his mother. Hamlet believes that if he kills Claudius in prayer his soul will go to heaven, therefore deciding to spare his life.Īt Gertrude’s chambers, Polonius is hiding behind some curtains to protect Gertrude from her unpredictable son. On the way he stumbles upon Claudius who is kneeling, attempting to pray and repent. Hamlet’s mother Gertrude, summons Hamlet to her chambers in distress. After studying his reaction, Hamlet is confident that Claudius is guilty of killing his father. The play disturbs Claudius and he storms out of the room, resolving to send Hamlet away to England. Claudius sees Hamlet’s reaction, concluding that he is not mad for love.ĭuring thee Murder of Gonzago play organized by Hamlet, the prince watches Claudius closely and studies his reactions. When Ophelia enters to return Hamlet’s tokens of love, he lashes out at her, and it is unclear whether he is sincere or he is just playing the mad prince. Hamlet not trusting the ghost, and seeking firmer evidence against Claudius. Act 2, Scene 2 “The spirit that I have seen May be a devil… I’ll have grounds More relative than this” The events of this play are similar to what Claudius did with King Hamlet, and Hamlet seeks to study Claudius’s reaction to determine his guilt or innocence. They stage a play about the Trojan War, and Hamlet, being impressed, plots to stage another play called The Murder of Gonzago in front of Claudius. The two scholars came from Elsinore with a troupe of actors, whom Hamlet asks to put on several plays. When Hamlet meets his old friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, he quickly realizes that they are spies. He even speaks to Hamlet himself, but Hamlet fakes being mad and insults Polonius. Polonius tells the King and queen about Hamlet’s behavior and his theory about Hamlet being in love. The royal couple tasked the two to investigate the cause of Hamlet’s strange behavior. Here, in the King and Queen’s chambers, we also meet Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two childhood friends of Hamlet. Next, he and goes to inform Claudius and Gertrude about the prince’s behavior. Polonius tells her to ignore all of Hamlet’s advances, saying says that love has driven Hamlet mad.
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The act opens up with Ophelia rushing to her father and telling him that Hamlet is behaving very strangely.