Hamlet Act IV & V
- Absolom De Vera
- Dec 14, 2021
- 1 min read
~December 14, 2021~
Act IV & V was pretty intense because so many people died, including Hamlet, Laertes, Gertrude, Ophelia, and Claudius, which I did not expect to happen. I imagined that only Hamlet and a couple of others would have died.
To tie Act IV & V into my theme of choice, Hamlet had the option to kill Claudius and Polonius. Unfortunately, Hamlet did not take the opportunity to kill Claudius, which backfired in Act V. Since Hamlet did not kill Claudius, Hamlet, Laertes, Gertrude, and Claudius himself end up dying. The plan to kill Hamlet and make it seem like an accident was unsuccessful as we discover that Gertrude was poisoned to death by drinking from the cup. As a result, Hamlet forces Claudius to drink from the same cup that killed Gertrude, killing Claudius. Moreover, as Laertes stabbed Hamlet, Hamlet realized that the tip of the sword was covered with poison, and so he grabbed Laertes' sword and stabbed him back, killing them both.
Also, Hamlet killed Polonius, which affected Laertes, having that desire to kill Hamlet, and Ophelia, killing herself because of Hamlet's actions.
As you can see, Hamlet's choices had consequences to them. If Hamlet decided to kill Claudius, Hamlet, Gertrude, and Laertes could have survived. Moreover, if Hamlet had decided not to kill Polonius, Ophelia would probably still be alive. However, that is not the case, and Hamlet decides to keep Claudius alive and murder Polonius, ultimately determining Hamlet's fate.
Some sources I used to help my understanding:
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