What happens at the end of Hamlet?
What happens at the end of Hamlet? At the end of Hamlet, the audience witnesses the deaths of Gertrude, Laertes, Claudius, and finally, Hamlet himself. Gertrude drinks the poisoned wine that was...
What are the most important scenes in Hamlet?
- The opening scene. This scene introduces us to what all is happening in the state of Denmark.
- Act 1, scene 2. Because this scene makes us meet the protagonist and it also reveals to us the important characters, the state of affairs in Denmark and lastly opens ...
- Act 1, scene 5. ...
- Nunnery scene Act 3, scene 5. ...
What is the opening scene of Hamlet?
The first scene of Hamlet takes place along the outer walls of Elsinore, Denmark. Horatio, friend of Hamlet and fellow student, accompanies the guards Bernardo and Marcellus on watch to check ...
Which characters die in Hamlet?
How many character die during the course of the play Hamlet?
| A | B |
| a character that survives the play | Horatio |
| drowns in the river | how Ophelia dies |
| According to Polonius, why Hamlet has go ... | he is in love with Ophelia |
| Hamlet | the last character to die in the play |
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What happens to Horatio at the end of Hamlet?
In fact, there is only a single point in the play at which Horatio loses his sensible outlook, and it is but a momentary loss. At the end of the play, when Hamlet is killed in his fight with Laertes, Horatio, in his grief, offers to kill himself with his own sword.
How many people died in the last scene of Hamlet?
six peopleThe ending of Shakespeare's Hamlet contains the deaths of six people, but more importantly contains important literary devices such as puns and foil characters. Furthermore, the truth of Hamlet's turmoil throughout the play is revealed, as well as the many murderous actions of Claudius.
What is the outcome of the fight scene at the end of Hamlet?
What is the outcome of the fight scene at the end? Hamlet, laertes, claudius, and gertrude all die.
What does Hamlet say before he dies?
Hamlet tells Horatio again that he is dying, and urges his friend not to commit suicide in light of all the tragedies, but instead to stay alive and tell his story. He says that he wishes Fortinbras to be made King of Denmark; then he dies.
What happens to Ophelia at the end of Hamlet?
Ophelia (/əˈfiːliə/) is a character in William Shakespeare's drama Hamlet (1599-1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet, who, due to Hamlet's actions, ends up in a state of madness that ultimately leads to her drowning.
Who kills Hamlet in the end?
Claudius and Laertes set Hamlet's ending in motion when they plan to kill Hamlet during a fencing match. Both Hamlet and Laertes are fatally poisoned during the match, and before he dies, Hamlet kills Claudius.
Who survives at the end of Hamlet?
Hamlet's central characters are Hamlet himself, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Polonius, Laertes, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and Horatio. But only Horatio survives when the curtain falls at the end of Shakespeare's play.
Why did Hamlet jump into Ophelia's grave?
Why does Hamlet jump into Ophelia's grave? Because he wants to show his sorrow is as great as Laertes. What does the king say to Laertes to console (make him feel better) him after Laertes and Hamlet are separated? He tells him not to worry; he will soon have the appropriate time in place to kill Hamlet.
Who died at the end of Hamlet?
The play ends with a duel, during which the King, Queen, Hamlet's opponent and Hamlet himself are all killed.
Who all dies at the end of Hamlet?
By the end of the tragedy, Hamlet has caused the deaths of Polonius, Laertes, Claudius, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two acquaintances of his from childhood. He is also indirectly involved in the deaths of his love Ophelia (drowning) and of his mother Gertrude (poisoned by Claudius by mistake).
How many deaths is Claudius responsible for?
That is a total of nine deaths.
How each character dies in Hamlet?
Claudius is stabbed by Hamlet and forced to drink poisoned wine that killed Gertrude. Laertes is wounded and killed by Hamlet. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are killed by Hamlet. Gertrude drinks the wine that was poisoned by Claudius but intended for Hamlet.
What is the main point of Hamlet?
Hamlet is a tragedy of indecision and a commentary on play acting: what is the difference between who we are and who we act like we are? It also fu...
Who survives at the end of Hamlet?
Not many characters survive the play. In fact, Horatio is the only character who witnessed the events at Elsinore to survive the story. Prince Fort...
Why does Hamlet kill himself?
Hamlet is overcome by guilt for Polonius's and Ophelia's deaths, and distraught over his own indecision throughout the play (whether to kill his un...
What is the basic plot of Hamlet?
The basic plot of Hamlet is that a prince is told by the ghost of his dead father that his father was murdered by his uncle, who has now married Ha...
What does Laertes do at the end of Hamlet?
At the end of Hamlet, Laertes challenges Hamlet to a fencing contest, which Laertes and Claudius have already fixed so that Hamlet will die no matter what. Laertes has tipped his fencing foil with poison so that if he but scratches the prince, Hamlet will die of the poison. Claudius adds a poisoned pearl to a cup of wine so that, ...
Why does Laertes let Hamlet know he's a dead man?
Quickly thereafter, she dies. Laertes tips Hamlet off as to why she died; he also lets Hamlet know he's a dead man because of the poisoned sword. Hamlet forces the King to drink from the poisoned cup so that he dies too. Then, as Hamlet dies, he forgives Laertes, tells Horatio to tell his tale, and dies.
What does Gertrude drink?
Gertrude drinks the poisoned wine that was meant for Hamlet. Laertes is wounded with his own foil, which he has tipped with poison to kill Hamlet. When Laertes confesses all to Hamlet, Hamlet kills Claudius and then dies of his own poisoned wound. Young Fortinbras arrives, claims the throne, and promises to restore order to Denmark and honor ...
Why does Claudius add poison to wine?
Claudius adds a poisoned pearl to a cup of wine so that, when Hamlet gets thirsty from the fighting, he will ingest poison in that way too . During the fighting, Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, raises the poisoned cup to toast to her son, and though Claudius tells her not to drink, she does so anyway.
What happened to Laertes and Hamlet?
Laertes and Hamlet resume their contest, and Laertes wounds Hamlet, but they switch weapons during their scuffle, and Hamlet wounds Laertes with the poisoned blade. At the same time, Gertrude falls to the floor, and she cries out, saying that it is the drink that has killed her.
What does Laertes tell Hamlet about Claudius?
The dying Laertes tells Hamlet all about Claudius's dastardly murder plot. At long last, after procrastinating for virtually the whole of the play, Hamlet finally gains his revenge on the man who murdered his father.
What is Laertes's weapon?
Laertes is using a poisoned blade. He wounds Hamlet, then they scuffle and end up swapping swords, and Hamlet wounds him. When Laertes asks forgiveness, pointing blame to Claudius, and Hamlet realizes that he's been betrayed again, Hamlet stabs his uncle with the poisoned blade.
What does Claudius say about Laertes?
In an aside, Claudius murmurs, “It is the poison’d cup: it is too late” (V.ii.235). Laertes remarks under his breath that to wound Hamlet with the poisoned sword is almost against his conscience.
What does Claudius want Hamlet to fence with?
He has come to tell them that Claudius wants Hamlet to fence with Laertes and that the king has made a wager with Laertes that Hamlet will win. Then Osric begins to praise Laertes effusively, though Hamlet and Horatio are unable to determine what point he is trying to make with his overly elaborate proclamations.
What does Hamlet say about Fortinbras?
Hamlet tells Horatio again that he is dying, and urges his friend not to commit suicide in light of all the tragedies, but instead to stay alive and tell his story. He says that he wishes Fortinbras to be made King of Denmark; then he dies.
What happened in the final scene of Hamlet?
In the final scene, the violence, so long delayed, erupts with dizzying speed. Characters drop one after the other, poisoned, stabbed, and, in the case of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, executed, as the theme of revenge and justice reaches its conclusion in the moment when Hamlet finally kills Claudius. In the moments before the duel, Hamlet seems peaceful, though also quite sad. He says that he feels ill in his heart, but he seems reconciled to the idea of death and no longer troubled by fear of the supernatural. Exactly what has caused the change in Hamlet is unclear, but his desire to attain Laertes’ forgiveness clearly represents an important shift in his mental state. Whereas Hamlet previously was obsessed almost wholly with himself and his family, he is now able to think sympathetically about others. He does not go quite so far as to take responsibility for Polonius’s death, but he does seem to be acting with a broader perspective after the shock of Ophelia’s death. Hamlet’s death at the hands of Laertes makes his earlier declaration over Polonius’s corpse, that God has chosen “to punish me with this and this with me,” prophetic (III.iv.174). His murder of Polonius does punish him in the end, since it is Laertes’ vengeful rage over that murder that leads to Hamlet’s death.
What happens if Hamlet wins the first hit?
They select their foils (blunted swords used in fencing), and the king says that if Hamlet wins the first or second hit, he will drink to Hamlet’s health , then throw into the cup a valuable gem (actually the poison) and give the wine to Hamlet. The duel begins. Hamlet strikes Laertes but declines to drink from the cup, saying that he will play another hit first. He hits Laertes again, and Gertrude rises to drink from the cup. The king tells her not to drink, but she does so anyway. In an aside, Claudius murmurs, “It is the poison’d cup: it is too late” (V.ii.235). Laertes remarks under his breath that to wound Hamlet with the poisoned sword is almost against his conscience. But they fight again, and Laertes scores a hit against Hamlet, drawing blood. Scuffling, they manage to exchange swords, and Hamlet wounds Laertes with Laertes’ own blade.
What is the plot Hamlet tells Horatio?
Summary: Act V, scene ii. The next day at Elsinore Castle, Hamlet tells Horatio how he plotted to overcome Claudius’s scheme to have him murdered in England. He replaced the sealed letter carried by the unsuspecting Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, which called for Hamlet’s execution, with one calling for the execution of the bearers ...
Who announces that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead?
Fortinbras marches into the room accompanied by the English ambassadors, who announce that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. Horatio says that he will tell everyone assembled the story that led to the gruesome scene now on display. Fortinbras orders for Hamlet to be carried away like a soldier.
What is the last scene of Hamlet?
The last scene alone reveals the death of six different characters, and that is after the death of Hamlet's father, Polonius, and Ophelia in earlier scenes. Although the ending is steeped in tragedy, Shakespeare ...
What happened to Hamlet in Laertes?
Only a few lines later, Hamlet is scratched by Laertes's poisoned sword, and in the scuffle of the duel, Laertes is also stabbed by his own sword. All of this seems to happen at once, and soon, as he is dying, Laertes reveals that Claudius is behind this plot all along. 'LAERTES: ... The King, the King's to blame.
What did Hamlet say to Horatio about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?
Hamlet then reveals to Horatio that in an act of revenge against Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, he 'devised a new commission, wrote it fair' that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern should be 'put to sudden death' (5.2.33, 47). The deaths of Rozencrantz and Guildenstern occur off-stage, that is, where the audience does not see the action of the murder but rather only hears a report of it from another character.
What did Hamlet kill Claudius with?
Hamlet kills Claudius with both the poisoned sword and poisoned wine, and with his dying breath, turns again to his trusted companion Horatio. 'If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart, Absent thee from felicity a while, And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain. To tell my story' (5.2.298-301).
What does Hamlet say to Laertes before the duel?
The relationship between Hamlet and Laertes within the context of the larger plot is interesting, and Shakespeare draws a connection between the two characters: both Hamlet and Laertes are seeking to avenge their fathers' deaths.
What does Hamlet refuse to drink?
He places poison in a cup of wine which he plans to offer to Hamlet during the course of the duel. However, Hamlet refuses the wine. However, his mother, Gertrude, not knowing the wine is poisoned, raises a toast to her son, and before Claudius is able to stop her, drinks from the poisoned cup.
What does the word foil mean in Hamlet?
He intends to kill Hamlet in the duel with a poisoned sword as a way of avenging Polonious's death. In this way, the characters are foils, that is characters who stand in contrast to one another. However, the word foil has another meaning as well within a fencing context. It is a type of sword used in fencing.
What is the ending of Hamlet?
Claudius and Laertes set Hamlet ’s ending in motion when they plan to kill Hamlet during a fencing match. Both Hamlet and Laertes are fatally poisoned during the match, and before he dies, Hamlet kills Claudius. The ending of Hamlet leaves it unclear whether the events leave Hamlet’s struggles with self-doubt unresolved, or whether they in fact settle his various quandaries. Hamlet has spent the whole play debating whether to avenge his father’s death and/or to commit suicide, and the finale effectively enables him to perform both acts. What’s unclear, though, is the degree to which Hamlet’s final acts are intentional. For instance, when Hamlet agrees to the match, he suspects there’s a plot against him, but it isn’t clear what he expects to get out of the fight. Does he simply hope to die and put an end to his misery? Likewise, it isn’t clear whether Hamlet gets any satisfaction from finally killing Claudius. When he strikes the fatal blow Hamlet calls his uncle “incestuous” (V.ii.), which suggests a preoccupation with Claudius’s marriage to Gertrude rather than his murder of King Hamlet. These ambiguities leave it unclear what psychological state Hamlet is in when he perishes.
What happens in Act 5 of Hamlet?
The infighting at Elsinore grows, eventually spiraling into the deadly violence of Act Five.
What does Hamlet call his uncle?
When he strikes the fatal blow Hamlet calls his uncle “incestuous” (V.ii.), which suggests a preoccupation with Claudius’s marriage to Gertrude rather than his murder of King Hamlet. These ambiguities leave it unclear what psychological state Hamlet is in when he perishes.
What is unclear about Hamlet's final acts?
For instance, when Hamlet agrees to the match, he suspects there’s a plot against him, but it isn’t clear what he expects to get out of the fight.
What is the final act of Hamlet?
The final Act begins with a conversation between two gravediggers as they dig Ophelia ’s grave. They repeat a rumor that Ophelia committed suicide and wonder whether she ought to be buried in hallowed ground. We learn that the king has overridden the objections of the clergy and provided for her burial. After some witty and macabre banter on the nature of gravedigging, Hamlet and Horatio enter. The main gravedigger sends his partner off for a cup of liquor and then commences to dig, singing songs all the while. Hamlet appears fascinated by the gravedigger’s indifference to the gravity of his profession. As the gravediggers throws various skulls out of the grave, Hamlet wonders whom they might have belonged to in life – whether a courtier or a lawyer.
What does Laertes reveal to Hamlet about the burial rites?
In the course of his arguing with the priest, Laertes reveals to Hamlet that the dead body is that of Ophelia. Gertrude steps forward to say farewell to Ophelia. Laertes follows.
What did Hamlet do to the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?
Hamlet then devised a substitute letter asking for the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He happened to have a signet ring in the shape of the seal of Denmark, and so sealed the letter. Hamlet then replaced the letter while Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were asleep.
What happened to Hamlet on his journey to England?
In the letter he found an order for his death. Hamlet then devised a substitute letter asking for the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He happened to have a signet ring in the shape of the seal of Denmark, and so sealed the letter. Hamlet then replaced the letter while Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were asleep. At this point, pirates attacked the vessel, as related previously.
What does Hamlet say about the gravedigger?
The gravedigger informs Hamlet about the length of time it takes bodies to decay in the ground. He then produces a skull from the grave that he says has been lying there for twenty-three years. The gravedigger says that this is the skull of Yorick, the old king’s jester. Hamlet is amazed – he knew Yorick and loved him as a child. He takes up the skull and speaks about Yorick, a topic that leads him to consider the nature of mortality more generally.
What is the procession in Hamlet?
A procession interrupts Hamlet’s reveries – Claudius, Gertrude, and Laertes march toward the grave along with a priest and an entourage bearing a body. Hamlet notices that the burial is less elaborate than usual, signifying that the deceased was a suicide.
How many brothers did Hamlet love?
Provoked by this show of grief, Hamlet then reveals himself. After grappling with Laertes, Hamlet declares that he loved Ophelia more than forty thousand brothers could. The king and queen dismiss his avowal as madness. Hamlet then exits and Horatio follows him.
What does Laertes want to do?
Laertes expresses his desire to return to France, where he was staying before his return to Denmark for Claudius’s coronation. Polonius gives his son permission, and Claudius jovially grants Laertes his consent as well. Turning to Prince Hamlet, Claudius asks why “the clouds still hang” upon him, as Hamlet is still wearing black mourning clothes ...
What does Horatio say about Hamlet?
Horatio says that he came to see King Hamlet’s funeral, to which Hamlet curtly replies that Horatio came to see his mother’s wedding. Horatio agrees that the one followed closely on the heels of the other. He then tells Hamlet that he, Marcellus, and Bernardo have seen what appears to be his father’s ghost.
What does Claudius say when Hamlet loses his father?
When a son loses a father, he is duty-bound to mourn, but to mourn for too long is unmanly and inappropriate. Claudius urges Hamlet to think of him as a father, reminding the prince that he stands in line to succeed to the throne upon Claudius’s death.
What does Claudius say about Hamlet?
Turning to Prince Hamlet, Claudius asks why “the clouds still hang ” upon him, as Hamlet is still wearing black mourning clothes (I.ii.66). Gertrude urges him to cast off his “nightly colour,” but he replies bitterly that his inner sorrow is so great that his dour appearance is merely a poor mirror of it (I.ii.68). Affecting a tone of fatherly advice, Claudius declares that all fathers die, and all sons must lose their fathers. When a son loses a father, he is duty-bound to mourn, but to mourn for too long is unmanly and inappropriate. Claudius urges Hamlet to think of him as a father, reminding the prince that he stands in line to succeed to the throne upon Claudius’s death.
What is Hamlet's first soliloquy about?
In this scene Hamlet mainly focuses on the appalling conditions of life, railing against Claudius’s court as “an unweeded garden, / That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature / Possess it merely” (I.ii.135–137). Throughout the play, we watch the gradual crumbling of the beliefs on which Hamlet’s worldview has been based. Already, in this first soliloquy, religion has failed him, and his warped family situation can offer him no solace.
What is the result of all this blatant dishonesty?
The result of all this blatant dishonesty is that this scene portrays as dire a situation in Denmark as the first scene does. Where the first scene illustrated the fear and supernatural danger lurking in Denmark, the second hints at the corruption and weakness of the king and his court. The scene also furthers the idea that Denmark is somehow unsound as a nation, as Claudius declares that Fortinbras makes his battle plans “ [h]olding a weak supposal of our worth, / Or thinking by our late dear brother’s death / Our state to be disjoint and out of frame” (I.ii. 18–20 ).
What does Claudius say about Hamlet's decision to stay?
Claudius claims to be so pleased by Hamlet’s decision to stay that he will celebrate with festivities and cannon fire, an old custom called “the king’s rouse.”. Ordering Gertrude to follow him, he escorts her from the room, and the court follows.
How does Horatio react to the ghost?
His reaction to the ghost functions to overcome the audience’s sense of disbelief, since for a man as skeptical, intelligent, and trustworthy as Horatio to believe in and fear the ghost is far more impressive and convincing than if its only witnesses had been a pair of superstitious watchmen. In this subtle way, Shakespeare uses Horatio to represent the audience’s perspective throughout this scene. By overcoming Horatio’s skeptical resistance, the ghost gains the audience’s suspension of disbelief as well.
What does the ghost on Elsinore Castle mean?
The supernatural appearance of the ghost on a chilling, misty night outside Elsinore Castle indicates immediately that something is wrong in Denmark. The ghost serves to enlarge the shadow King Hamlet casts across Denmark, indicating that something about his death has upset the balance of nature.
What does Horatio think of the ghost?
Horatio is skeptical, but the ghost suddenly appears before the men and just as suddenly vanishes. Terrified, Horatio acknowledges that the specter does indeed resemble the dead King of Denmark, that it even wears the armor King Hamlet wore when he battled against the armies of Norway, and the same frown he wore when he fought against the Poles. Horatio declares that the ghost must bring warning of impending misfortune for Denmark, perhaps in the form of a military attack. He recounts the story of King Hamlet’s conquest of certain lands once belonging to Norway, saying that Fortinbras, the young Prince of Norway, now seeks to reconquer those forfeited lands.
Who is the watchman in Elsinore Castle?
On a dark winter night outside Elsinore Castle in Denmark, an officer named Bernardo comes to relieve the watchman Francisco. In the heavy darkness, the men cannot see each other. Bernardo hears a footstep near him and cries, “Who’s there?” After both men ensure that the other is also a watchman, they relax. Cold, tired, and apprehensive from his many hours of guarding the castle, Francisco thanks Bernardo and prepares to go home and go to bed.
Who does Horatio tell about the apparition?
Horatio suggests that they tell Prince Hamlet, the dead king’s son , about the apparition. He believes that though the ghost did not speak to him, if it is really the ghost of King Hamlet, it will not refuse to speak to his beloved son. Read a translation of Act I, scene i →.
