Active Reading Journal: "Hamlet" Act V

Hamlet with the skull of Yorick Selous

In Act V Scene I there are two gravediggers digging Ophelia's grave discussing her means of death. Horatio and Hamlet enter talking of the gravediggers. They then begin to talk about the skulls that were thrown out of the graves. When the King, Queen and a pack of people come for the funeral Hamlet decides to hide and watch. Laertes is very upset and jumps into his sisters grave asking to be buried with her. Hamlet reveals himself in all of the commotion and jumps in with Laertes. The two begin to fight and are broken up, but Hamlet challenges Laertes to a deul.

In Act V Scene II Hamlet finally fills Horatio in on everything that happens. Hamlet then comes accross a letter that demands for his death, and with a few slight changes it now demands for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's deaths. Hamlet basically apologizes for killing Laertes father, but they can't end the duel because that's just weird, as everyone came out for the event. In the end a whole whack of people died. Including:  Laertes (by his own poisonous sword), Claudius (he was stabbed with the same poisoned sword and had to drink poisoned wine), Gertrude (accidentally drank poison), and Hamlet (he was also stabbed).