Hamlet: ACT V, SCENE I *paraphrased*

Hamlet- Whose grave is this, sir?

Clown- Mine,sir. I am digging it

Hamlet- Who are you digging it for?

Clown- For no man, sir.

HAmlet- What woman then?

Clown- For no woman either.

Hamlet- Who is to be buried in it?

Clown- One that was a woman, sir. But rest her soul shes dead.

Hamlet- You are so careful with words. How long have you been digging graves?

Clown- I started on the day our last King Hamlet defeated Old Fortinbras.

Hamlet- How long ago was that?

Clown- Dont you know? Any fool knows that. It was the day young Hamlet was born. He that is
mad and has been sent to England.

Hamlet- Why was he sent to England?

Clown- Why, because he was mad, and he shall recover his wits there. Or, if he does not, it won't matter there.

Hamlet- Why?

Clown- No one will notice it there, for the men in England are all as mad as he.

Hamlet- Say, How long will the man lay buried in the earth before he rots?

Clown- Eight or nine years. A tanner will last nine.

Hamlet- Why does he last longer then the others?

Clown- Why,sir, his hide is so tan with his tradethat it keep s out the water a long time, and your water is a great decayer of your body. This skull has been here in the earth for twenty threes years. He was certainly a joker! He poured some wine over my head once.

Hamlet- Whose skull is that?

Clown- This is Yoricks skull, The Kings jester.

Hamlet Act II

Act II opens up in Polonius's house with him talking to his daughter Ophelia. She is madly in love with Prince Hamlet and Polonius "believes" that Prince Hamlet is in love with Ophelia also. They discuss Prince Hamlet and Polonius goes to the castle to talk to Claudius and tell him his idea of getting Prince Hamlet and Ophelia together. Especially beings that Prince Hamlet is still upset and morning his father, Claudius believes that it will be an even better chance for Ophelia to be with Prince Hamlet. When Polonius enters Claudius's castle he tells him quickly of his plan of getting Prince Hamlet and Ophelia together and Claudius and Gertrude love the idea. Polonius runs to Prince Hamlet and starts talking to him immediately about Ophelia. ( Act II, scene II, page 56, lines 185 - 190 ) Polonius says "How say you by that? Still harping on my daughter. Yet he knew me not as first. He said I was a fishmonger. He is far gone, far gone! And truly in my youth I suff'red much extremity for love-very near this. I'll speak to him again.-What do you read, my lord"? Prince Hamlet isn't very impressed with the fact that Polonius barged into his house and is trying to throw Ophelia at him. Polonius thinks that Prince Hamlet is madly in love with Ophelia when the reality of it is that Ophelia is madly in love with Prince Hamlet. The Prince is still in his "ill" state one can say. He is still mourning his father and still coping with the idea that his mother remarried to his father's brother. His uncle is now his father! Ontop of all that Polonius is trying to throw his daughter at him. The Prince is to overwhelmed to deal with that so he walks away. Goes outside and starts to talk to himself about everything that just occurred, trying to compromise it all and make some sense out of it. ( Act II, scene II, page 72, lines 615 - 620 ) Prince Hamlet says "I know my course. The spirit that I have seen May be the devil; and the devil hath power T' assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps Out of my weakness and my Melancholy, As he is very potent with such spirits, Abuses me to damn me. I'll have grounds More relative than this. The play's the thing Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King." During this time when Prince Hamlet is talking on his own, he is basically blowing off steam but is going to listen to his father's ghost. He gave his father his word and he will go by it.