| complete change of scene – moment of sadness contrasted with only comedy in the play | enter two clowns |
| The clowns try to have an intellectual conversation but instead Shakespeare undermines them. Instead of ‘ergo’ | Argal |
| Hamlet’s death is becoming inevitable – before he was happy to talk about death but no loner | Has this fellow no feeling of his business? ‘A sings in grave-making. |
| hamlet talks aout the skull- says it was once a person | the skull had a tongue in it and could sing once |
| Death is the great leveller- the grave diggers action’s would be revolutionary if these high status people were alive | Here’s fine revolution |
| repetition of … two meanings both key themes in play | Thou dost lie in’t / ’tis a quick lie sir |
| After you die you become nothing – genderless | one that was a woman |
| Gravedigger started working when Hamlet was born – tragic inevitability. Hamlet is aware he is playing the role of tragic hero | It was the very day that young Hamlet was born |
| 3 types of jester in 1 scene. Hamlet knew this one – striking image of mortality | G: Yorick’s skull, the King’s jester H: This? |
| Irony – nothing is infinite | I knew him, Horatio. A fellow of infinite jest |
| Yorick has decayed – even Hamlet’s happy childhood memories have been affected by death | where be your jibes now |
| Hamlet aspires to be great like Alexander – if he ended up dead what is the point for Hamlet | Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returneth to dust |
| Hamlet’s frustration / powerlessness | to what base uses we may return Horatio! |
| Irony – Hamlet doesn’t know that Laertes is planning to kill him. Calls him a… | a very noble youth |
| The priest thinks that Ophelia’s death was questionable. thinks the king is using his powers | Her death was doubtful… Flints and pebbles should be thrown on her |
| “my grave is like to be my wedding bed” – Romeo and Juliet image. Thwarted possibility | I thought thy bride-bed to have decked, sweet maid, and not have strewed thy grave |
| Hamlet says he loved Ophelia | I loved Ophelia – Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum |
| Hamlet accuses Laertes of only coming to Ophelia’s funeral to outface him | To outface me with leaping in her grave? |
| Claudius makes sinister allusion to sending Hamlet to his grave | This grave shall have a living monument. An hour quiet thereby shall we see. |
Hamlet Act 5 Scene 1
August 15, 2019