Act 5.1

   In the beginning of Act 5, the main characters are the gravediggers, or clowns. This scene took place in a graveyard, setting the stage for Ophelia's "funeral." I feel like Shakespeare included the gravediggers in the scene to add some humor to the play. Clowns are meant to be funny, but sometimes they are just crazy. These clowns, however, are very witty and argumentative. I think they are also in the scene to give back round and fill the reader in with what is going on without having to use the main characters. And as a side note, did anyone else notice the many different Biblical references in this scene? Because I noticed a few. For example, the gravedigger says, "How dost thou understand the Scripture? The Scripture says Adam digged" (5.1.36-38). Also Hamlet says, "How the knave jowls it to the ground, as if 'twere Cain's jawbone, that did the first murder!" (5.1.77-78).

    Anyway, back to the original subject, the gravedigger plays a very important part in this scene. In my opinion, I think the gravedigger's purpose is to reveal to Hamlet something he had never thought about before, yet it is somewhat obvious. In other words, the gravedigger caused Hamlet to have an epiphany. Hamlet essentially realized that everyone dies. Whether that person was a king when he was alive, or just a great warrior, it does not matter because that person is now dead. Everyone will die, no matter who he or she is. And those who die become the dust of the earth, nothing more and nothing less. And this is the epiphany that Hamlet had (5.1.209-218). He thought this after the gravedigger threw up a skull out of a grave. And then another. Then the gravedigger was talking to Hamlet about another skull that had been in the grave for twenty-three years. The skull once belonged to Yorick, who was a good friend of Hamlet's. From the moment Hamlet saw Yorick's skull, he became emotional and started reminiscing (5.1.185-194).  He just seemed to be at such a disbelief that Yorick could be dead, after once being so full of life.