DRJ #4: Hamlet, Acts IV and V

My initial reaction to Acts IV and V is “Wow, that was a lot of action”!  These two scenes are the most action packed of the entire play.  The only character that reminds me of anyone in my life would be Horatio, as a true friend to Hamlet.  Horatio continues to be a solid, stable character with no real flaws revealed like the other characters in the story.  These two acts kind of remind me of a soap opera.  With all of the action going on simultaneously and the plotting behind closed doors.

Laertes is a supporting character that is marked with an emotionally driven purpose of revenge in Acts IV and V.  He is focused on one thing, which is to avenge his father’s death and his sister’s madness.  I find it interesting that Laertes has taken on the same life purpose as Hamlet.  They are both now living to seek revenge for the death of their fathers.  It’s ironic that up until these last two acts we have seen Hamlet expressing despair and hopelessness with thoughts of suicide.  Now, he is keenly intent on carrying out his plan for revenge, which is also true of Laertes.  Laertes never waivers in his intent which does mark a difference between he and Hamlet and also shows us that Laertes is the stronger character.  We see that he is not going to allow anyone, not even the King to misguide him from his purpose.  For example in Act IV, Scene VII, Laertes tells Claudius “So you will not o’errule me to a peace”.  He made it known to the King that he wanted to carry out his plans for revenge no matter what and the King should not try to change his mind and make him come to peaceful terms with Hamlet.

I would say the theme for these final acts of the play is Life and Death.  Shakespeare once again uses the plot to support this theme.  In the beginning of Act IV we have Gertrude and Claudius dealing with the fact that Hamlet has killed Polonius.  Hamlet talks about how dead people become food for worms.  Throughout these two acts there is repeated mention of death and what happens to people after they die.  Ophelia has now gone mad over her father’s death.  Act V begins with the gravediggers digging Ophelia’s grave and discussing how she died and whether or not she deserves a Christian burial since it was a suicide.  When Hamlet encounters the gravediggers he engages in a lengthy discussion about what happens to people after they die.  Hamlet asks how long a body will lay in the ground before it rots.  He concludes that death brings every person to equal qualities.  Act V also has the plotting of Hamlet’s death by Claudius and Laertes, and Hamlet setting a plan in motion for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to be killed by the English King.  In the end everyone’s life was ended except Horatio’s.