s happened. Ophelia, having lost her true love and her father, follows suit with her wits and is drowned in a fit of madness. At the funeral of his dear ladylove, Hamlet fights with Ophelia’s brother, Laertes, who is also seeking justice for the death of his own father at Hamlet’s hand. Hamlet begs forgiveness of Laertes, but Claudius reveals to Laertes who killed his father and conspires with him to slay Hamlet in an unfair fencing match, with a reserve plan of poison wine should the fencing match prove futile. The two youths inadvertently switch swords, and Laertes falls dead by his own treachery, while the Queen unknowingly drinks the wine and meets her own death. Thus, Ophelia being dead, along with Polonius, the Queen, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and Laertes, Hamlet finally finds the courage to do the ghost’s bidding and avenge his father’s murder, which, if he had braced his mind and heart to do long before, all these lives would have been spared, and none would have suffered save the wicked Claudius, who well-deserved to die. Being weary with pain and sadness, Hamlet himself dies by his own hand, at last finished with the struggles he has faced, struggles in which there are no victors, as well said by Laertes in his last words: “It is here, Hamlet: Hamlet, thou art slain; No medicine in the world can do thee good.” And by Hamlet in his: “Heaven make thee free of it! I follow thee. Things standing thus unknown, shall live behind me! And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain to tell my story.” ...
