The confrontation between Hamlet and Laertes at the end of the play is remarkable because of the lack of emotion with which both parties seem to approach the duel (see their exchange in V.ii.211-263, in which the language is utterly bureaucratic and emotionless). Similarly, the plot centering on Hamlet’s revenge on Claudius (which is ostensibly the main point of the play, especially given the expected conventions of revenge tragedy) is also resolved in a way that feels hollow, anti-climactic, and unsatisfying.
So, my question to you is: what do we make of this ending? Yes, it is bloody, but the blood seems unsatisfying. What is lacking that would otherwise make the ending more climactic? Why did Shakespeare choose to structure the play in this way? Finally, what do we make of Fortinbras giving Hamlet a soldier’s funeral?
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