Hamlet Act 5 Scene 1 Analysis
Act 5 Scene 1
We open with grave diggers talking about Ophelia's suicide. Hamlet and Horatio start talking about the gravedigger's casual attitude to the skulls of the dead. Hamlet and the gravedigger banter a little. Hamlet asked the gravedigger about himself. The gravedigger digs up a skull of Yorick, the jester. Hamlet recalls Yorick from his childhood.
Claudius, Gertrude, Laertes, along with a priest comes to bury Ophelia. Laertes asked the priest to do more rites. Hamlet jumps out and Laertes fights him. Hamlet tells Laertes that he would do anything for Ophelia. Hamlet leaves along with Horatio. The king reminds Laertes about their plans.
I really liked what one of the grave diggers said. One asked the other: "What is he that builds …show more content…
stronger than either the mason, the shipwright, or the carpenter?" The other one replied with: "The gallows-maker, for that frame outlives a thousand tenants." I really appreciated the cynicism behind the statement. Act 5 Scene 2
Hamlet talks about what happened to him on his journey.
Hamlet explained to Horatio that he wrote another letter telling them to kill the messenger instantly as soon as they read it. Hamlet implements Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as the messenger.
A courtier comes and informs that the king put a large bet on Hamlet to duel Laertes. Hamlet interrogated Osric, a courtier, and then accepted. They come down and the queen asked Hamlet to talk to Laertes before the match.
Hamlet asked Laertes to forgive him because he can't be faulted for being mentally ill. Laertes said he must defend his honor. They pick weapons and gets ready to fence. Claudius drinks to Hamlet's health and they duel. Hamlet gets one hit on Laertes. The king tries to get Hamlet to drink the poison. Hamlet declines and gets another hit on Laertes. The queen picks up the poisoned drink and drinks to hamlet's health.
Hamlet and Laertes duel again. Laertes is having second thoughts. They wound each other. The queen falls down. Laertes has been poisoned by his own sword. The queens yelled that she had been poisoned. Queen Gertrude died. Laertes told Hamlet that he betrayed him and the king is responsible. Hamlet then picked up the poisoned drink and forced Claudius to drink it. Claudius
died.
Laertes tells everybody that Claudius mixed the drinks. He begs of Hamlet to forgive him as he forgave Hamlet. Laertes died. Hamlet is dying and ask of Horatio to tell everybody about what happened. Horatio picks up the cup to drink. Hamlet tells him to delay dying and tell Fortinbras that he gets Hamlet's vote. Hamlet died.
Fortinbras and the English ambassador arrived at a bloodbath. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead as ordered. Horatio explains to them what happened. They all leave carrying Hamlet's body.
This scene is a doozy. A lot of the characters are dead now. I felt bad for some of them. Especially Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. I felt like they didn't deserve to die. The scene is an emotional rollercoaster.
Conclusions
Hamlet is an excellent story by Shakespeare. I still prefer Macbeth but Hamlet easily ranks second or third. I read Hamlet before in middle school but didn't really appreciate it up until now. The story was very evenly paced. It didn't feel too slow or too fast. The plot was definitely gripping. I had to go back scenes to write the journal entry.
We open with grave diggers talking about Ophelia's suicide. Hamlet and Horatio start talking about the gravedigger's casual attitude to the skulls of the dead. Hamlet and the gravedigger banter a little. Hamlet asked the gravedigger about himself. The gravedigger digs up a skull of Yorick, the jester. Hamlet recalls Yorick from his childhood.
Claudius, Gertrude, Laertes, along with a priest comes to bury Ophelia. Laertes asked the priest to do more rites. Hamlet jumps out and Laertes fights him. Hamlet tells Laertes that he would do anything for Ophelia. Hamlet leaves along with Horatio. The king reminds Laertes about their plans.
I really liked what one of the grave diggers said. One asked the other: "What is he that builds …show more content…
stronger than either the mason, the shipwright, or the carpenter?" The other one replied with: "The gallows-maker, for that frame outlives a thousand tenants." I really appreciated the cynicism behind the statement. Act 5 Scene 2
Hamlet talks about what happened to him on his journey.
Hamlet explained to Horatio that he wrote another letter telling them to kill the messenger instantly as soon as they read it. Hamlet implements Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as the messenger.
A courtier comes and informs that the king put a large bet on Hamlet to duel Laertes. Hamlet interrogated Osric, a courtier, and then accepted. They come down and the queen asked Hamlet to talk to Laertes before the match.
Hamlet asked Laertes to forgive him because he can't be faulted for being mentally ill. Laertes said he must defend his honor. They pick weapons and gets ready to fence. Claudius drinks to Hamlet's health and they duel. Hamlet gets one hit on Laertes. The king tries to get Hamlet to drink the poison. Hamlet declines and gets another hit on Laertes. The queen picks up the poisoned drink and drinks to hamlet's health.
Hamlet and Laertes duel again. Laertes is having second thoughts. They wound each other. The queen falls down. Laertes has been poisoned by his own sword. The queens yelled that she had been poisoned. Queen Gertrude died. Laertes told Hamlet that he betrayed him and the king is responsible. Hamlet then picked up the poisoned drink and forced Claudius to drink it. Claudius
died.
Laertes tells everybody that Claudius mixed the drinks. He begs of Hamlet to forgive him as he forgave Hamlet. Laertes died. Hamlet is dying and ask of Horatio to tell everybody about what happened. Horatio picks up the cup to drink. Hamlet tells him to delay dying and tell Fortinbras that he gets Hamlet's vote. Hamlet died.
Fortinbras and the English ambassador arrived at a bloodbath. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead as ordered. Horatio explains to them what happened. They all leave carrying Hamlet's body.
This scene is a doozy. A lot of the characters are dead now. I felt bad for some of them. Especially Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. I felt like they didn't deserve to die. The scene is an emotional rollercoaster.
Conclusions
Hamlet is an excellent story by Shakespeare. I still prefer Macbeth but Hamlet easily ranks second or third. I read Hamlet before in middle school but didn't really appreciate it up until now. The story was very evenly paced. It didn't feel too slow or too fast. The plot was definitely gripping. I had to go back scenes to write the journal entry.