Hamlet

Hamlet:... How long hast thou been a Graue- maker? Gravedigger: Of all the dayes i'th' yeare, I came too't that day that our last King Hamlet o'recame Fortinbras. Hamlet: How long is that since? Gravedigger: Cannot you tell that? euery foole can tell that: It was the very day, that young Hamlet was borne, hee that was mad, and sent into England. Original editions (1603, 1623)

(…) Gravedigger: Why heere in Denmarke: I haue bin sixeteene heere, man, and Boy thirty yeares. Hamlet: How long will a man lie i'th' earth ere he rot? Gravedigger: In faith, if he be not rotten before he die (…) he will last you some eight yeare, or nine yeare. A Tanner will last you nine yeare.

Hamlet: Why he, more than another? Gravedigger: Why sir, his hide is so tan'd with his Trade, that he will keepe out water a great while. And your water, is a sore Decayer of your horson dead body. Heres a Scull now: this Scull, has laine in the earth this dozen yeares. Hamlet: Whose was it? Gravedigger: A whoreson mad Fellowes it was; Whose doe you thinke it was? Hamlet: Nay, I know not. 12

Gravedigger: A pestilence on him for a mad Rogue, a pour'd a Flaggon of Renish on my head once. This same Scull, Sir, was Yorick’s Scull, the Kings jester. Hamlet: This? Gravedigger: E'ene that. Hamlet: Let me see. Alas poore Yorick, I knew him Ho-ratio, a fellow of infinite Iest; of most excellent fancy, he hath borne me on his backe a thousand times: And how abhorred my Imagination is, my gorge rises at it. Heere hung those lipps, that I haue kist I know not how oft.

1.Hamlet returns to Elsinore with Horatio. 2.They meet a grave-digger who prepares the grave for Ophelia’s funeral. 3.Discussions: the man is 30 years old and he started this job 16 years ago (when Hamlet was born). 4.The grave-digger gives Hamlet a skull that was in the earth for years (still smells bad and it is not completely eaten by worms) 5.Yorick’s skull – the king’s joker. 6.Hamlet says: He carried me on his back a thousand times (he was 3-4 years old)

7. Ophelia’s funeral – Hamlet fights with Laertes. 8. Hamlet declares he loved Ophelia – and he tells Laertes ‘you are unfair to me, sir’ (message: you judge me before you know the truth) and he knows that Laertes works for the king (‘if you act like a dog’) 9. Hamlet explains to Horatio what happened to R&G and shows him the letter written by Claudius 10. Horatio: ‘what kind of king is your uncle?’ Answer: ‘He killed my father and sleeps with my mother, he has destroyed my happiness and has tried to take my life.’

11. Hamlet and Laertes are similar: both lost their father and Ophelia. Hamlet says he will try to be friends with Laertes again (like before). 12. Osric – comes to invite Hamlet to a friendly fight and praises Laertes a lot. Hamlet realizes something is not right about this (it is another secret plan) (‘but what’s the reason for your wonderful description of him?’ + ‘what if I say no?’) 13. Hamlet accepts this fight even if he has a bad feeling (depressed: he does not care what happens to him – he lost Ophelia) 14. Fight scene

15. Laertes refuses to forgive Hamlet. 16. Hamlet wins 1 st and 2 nd rounds. 17. Gertrude drinks the poisoned cup. 18. Hamlet refuses the cup two times (from Claudius and from Gertrude). 19. Laertes cuts Hamlet (minor wound). 20. They switch swords during the fight. 21. Hamlet cuts Laertes (deep wound). 22. Queen dies (1). 23. Laertes confesses that the king is guilty for all this. 24. Hamlet kills Claudius. (2)

25. Hamlet accepts to forgive Laertes. 26. Laertes dies (3). 27. Horatio is ready to show his loyalty by drinking the poison cup and die with his friend. 28. Hamlet asks Horatio to tell his story 29. Warlike noise outside: Fortinbras has come with his soldiers to conquer Elsinore. 30. Hamlet’s last wish: Fortinbras king. 31. Hamlet’s last words: ‘The rest is silence.’ 32. Hamlet dies (4). 33. Fortinbras acts like a king already – receives the messengers from England: R&G are dead. 34. Fortinbras king. Hamlet’s funeral.