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.”