¶ … Ophelia's burial and funeral. At the beginning of the scene, two clowns (gravediggers) make jokes about death and also wonder whether Ophelia was a good Christian woman and worthy of burial in a Christian cemetery. Finally, the two gravediggers make a joke about the "houses" they build lasting "till doomsday," referring to the eternity and finality of death. This message about mortality continues as Hamlet enters the scene and speaks with the gravediggers. Until this point, Hamlet has no idea that it is Ophelia who is about to be buried. When he figures it out, Hamlet goes crazy and professes his undying love for Ophelia. In the final scene of the play, Hamlet confesses to having Rosencranz and Guildenstern killed. Hamlet also tells Horatio that he sympathizes with Laertes, because both Hamlet and Laertes seek revenge for the death of their fathers. Claudius has arranged for Laertes and Hamlet to fight in a duel and plans to poison Hamlet if Hamlet should win. However, Gertrude ends up drinking from the poisoned cup and Hamlet ends up killing Laertes with the poisoned sword. In their final moments, both Gertrude and Laertes realize the truth of Claudius's treachery and forgive Hamlet. Hamlet has been wounded too, and as he dies, he proclaims Fortinbras as the new King of Denmark.
2. Quotes:
Scene 1: "I lov'd Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers / Could not with all their quantity of love / Make up my sum. What wilt thou do for her?" (V.1.214). Spoken...
Spoken by Laertes, this line reveals that Laertes was essentially a good-natured person who did not want to kill anyone. Because much of this scene shows how Hamlet sympathizes with Laertes, Shakespeare may also be trying to show that like Laertes, Hamlet is also a good person at heart who was briefly consumed by the desire for revenge.
3.a. There are no genuinely confusing points in this reading, because Shakespeare wraps up all elements of the play neatly. However, the audience does not know Fortinbras enough to know whether Hamlet's choice for the throne is a good one.
b. Hamlet decided that his own life was worth more than Rosencranz and Guildenstern's together. By tricking the messenger into having them instead of Hamlet murdered, Hamlet commits a more cold-blooded murder than the one against Polonius, which was a murder committed out of desire to avenge his father. The murder of Rosencranz and Guildenstern was more selfish in nature.
4. Questions
Higher-level 1: Why do you think Shakespeare devotes an entire scene (Act V, scene i) to Ophelia's funeral, when Ophelia is a minor character?
Higher-level 2: The grave-diggers briefly mention the fact that suicide is considered a Christian sin and therefore if Ophelia committed suicide, she would not…
