Who dies at the end of Act 4 in Hamlet
Sarah Rodriguez
Published Feb 14, 2026
Summary and Analysis Act IV: Scene 7. Claudius confirms that Hamlet killed Polonius
Who drowned at the end of Act 4?
The bad news just keeps on coming, one disaster after another. Your sister’s drowned, Laertes.
Who died at the end of the play Hamlet?
Hamlet feigns madness, contemplates life and death, and seeks revenge. His uncle, fearing for his life, also devises plots to kill Hamlet. The play ends with a duel, during which the King, Queen, Hamlet’s opponent and Hamlet himself are all killed.
What happens to Ophelia at the end of Act 4?
Ophelia, mad with grief, has drowned in the river. Anguished to have lost his sister so soon after his father’s death, Laertes flees the room.What Happens in Hamlet Act 4 Scene 4?
Summary and Analysis Act IV: Scene 4. On his way to England, Hamlet observes Fortinbras leading his troops through Denmark toward Poland. He questions a captain and learns that the Norwegians plan to wage war over a worthless patch of land in Poland. … This soliloquy represents Hamlet’s last flirtation with words.
What happened in Act 4 Scene 7 of Hamlet?
Summary and Analysis Act IV: Scene 7. Claudius confirms that Hamlet killed Polonius, though seeking to take Claudius’ life. … Now knowing that Hamlet is still alive, Claudius offers Laertes an opportunity to show his love for Polonius by joining him in a plot to kill Hamlet by engaging in swordplay with him.
Who killed Polonius?
Hamlet, realizing that someone is behind the arras and suspecting that it might be Claudius, cries, “How now! a rat?” (III. iv. 22). He draws his sword and stabs it through the tapestry, killing the unseen Polonius.
Was Ophelia's death an accident?
I will argue that, despite the 300-year expanse between these two audiences, both emerged with the same conclusion: Ophelia’s death was accidental. However, cultural and scientific changes affected the reasons why each came to that conclusion.What happened in Act 4 Scene 5 of Hamlet?
Act 4 Scene 5 of Hamlet shows how far-reaching Hamlet’s crime of killing Polonius has become. Ophelia and Laertes are beside themselves with grief, and Laertes, along with most of Denmark, is convinced that Claudius is to blame. Claudius knows that this is a disaster and feels as if he is being killed himself.
Who delivers the news of Ophelia's death?MyShakespeare | Hamlet 4.7 Performance: Gertrude Announces Ophelia’s Death.
Article first time published onHow does Gertrude react to Ophelia's death?
When Hamlet accidentally kills Ophelia’s father, and she becomes mad, Gertrude tries to calm her. Also, Gertrude reports Ophelia’s death in one of the most lovely, poignant, poetic speeches in all of Shakespeare. She uses nature, water, and flower imagery to show how she is now free of the cruel human world.
What happens to Ophelia at the end?
Enraged and grief-stricken, Gertrude grabs Hamlet’s sword and kills Claudius, just as the Norwegians storm the castle, accompanied by Mechtild. Gertrude poisons herself with Claudius’s venom and she dies in her sister’s arms. The film closes with Ophelia living peacefully in exile with her and Hamlet’s daughter.
Who survives at the end of Hamlet?
Claudius and Laertes set Hamlet’s ending in motion when they plan to kill Hamlet during a fencing match. Both Hamlet and Laertes are fatally poisoned during the match, and before he dies, Hamlet kills Claudius.
Who is not dead at the end of the play Othello?
Notably, Iago is left wounded but alive at the end of the play. Cassio is charged with determining Iago’s punishment, and urges “the time, the place, the torture, oh, enforce it” (5.2.). The ending symbolizes the culmination of the violent forces put in motion by Iago at the start of the play.
Who survives the play Hamlet?
Hamlet’s central characters are Hamlet himself, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Polonius, Laertes, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and Horatio. But only Horatio survives when the curtain falls at the end of Shakespeare’s play.
What happens in Romeo and Juliet Act 4 Scene 4?
Summary: Act 4, scenes 4–5 Capulet sends the Nurse to go wake Juliet. She finds Juliet dead and begins to wail, soon joined by both Lady Capulet and Capulet. … The friar reminds them all that Juliet has gone to a better place, and urges them to make ready for her funeral. Sorrowfully, they comply, and exit.
What is Hamlet ashamed of in Act 4?
Hamlet is shocked by Fortinbras’s army’s willingness to march onward in pursuit of such a small, petty goal. He feels ashamed that even though he himself has good reason for revenge, he’s been unable to muster the action of even Fortinbras’s hired mercenaries.
What happened to Ophelia in Act 4 Scene 5?
Summary and Analysis Act IV: Scene 5. A court gentleman reports that Ophelia has become pitiably insane. … He recounts his torment over the slaying of Polonius, the secret burial to avoid uprising, the madness of Ophelia, and the arrival of her brother, Laertes, who means to incite rioting over his father’s death.
Who did Hamlet stab?
When Hamlet enters, he’s in such a rage that Gertrude cries for help. Hearing this, Polonius echoes her cries for help, revealing his hiding place in the process. Hamlet, thinking that Polonius is actually Claudius, stabs blindly through the curtain, killing Polonius on the spot.
Who kills Claudius?
In Act 5, Scene 3, Hamlet does kill Claudius. What makes Hamlet finally kill Claudius after so long? Hamlet is finally able to kill Claudius because Gertrude has now died. Because Gertrude is the object of Hamlet’s desire, and she has now died, Hamlet’s desire for his mother has also died.
Why does Hamlet stab the curtain?
Explanation: In Act 3, scene 4, Hamlet is called to his mother’s chamber so that she can question him about his actions during the play that he put on. … Hamlet thinks that the man hiding there is Claudius, whom he wants to kill, so he stabs Polonius through the curtain.
Who dies in Hamlet Act 5?
Laertes, Hamlet and Claudius die, leaving Horatio to lament his loss.
Who arrives at the end of the play what is his reaction to what he finds in Denmark?
What is his reaction to what he finds in Denmark? Fortinbras and a messenger from England. Fortinbras is saddened by the chaos and death. 10.
What does Gertrude tell Hamlet as she dies?
Was Gertrude’s death an accident or a suicide? … Gertrude’s exact words are, “The Queen carouses to thy fortune, Hamlet” and then after Claudius commands her not to drink, she says, “I will, my lord. I pray you pardon me” (5.2. 265-268).
What happened in Act 4 Scene 6 of Hamlet?
Summary: Act IV, scene vi In the letter, Hamlet says that his ship was captured by pirates, who have returned him to Denmark. He asks Horatio to escort the sailors to the king and queen, for they have messages for them as well. He also says that he has much to tell of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
What is the purpose of Act 4 Scene 6 in Hamlet?
The function of this scene is to get Hamlet back to Denmark so that the story can continue. So long as he is away from home, he cannot be working on his plan to avenge his father’s murder and kill Claudius, so Shakespeare has to figure out some way to return him to Elsinore.
What happened in Act 4 Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet?
Lesson Summary In Act 4, Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet, Juliet’s nurse finds Juliet in her bed, appearing to be dead. Her parents and Paris also believe she is dead and are extremely distressed. Lord Capulet personifies death, referring to it as if it was a person, Juliet’s bridegroom.
Why was Ophelia's death Doubtful?
Ophelia’s failure to act in her own behalf must necessarily puzzle the “official” world of the play. Her death is “doubtful” (V. L227) because she is as bereft of motivation as she dies as is the infant being baptized. … As to peace- parted souls” would “profane the service of the dead,” claims the Priest (V.i.236-238).
Was Ophelia murdered?
No, it was a suicide, probably unintentional. The answer is that the script does not give any direct reference to Ophelia’s death being a murder in Hamlet. However it is an interesting choice that Gertrude and/or Claudius might play.
What is the rumor about Ophelia's death?
Ophelia’s death was more likely to have been an accident than suicide. Because of the strong religious sanction against suicide, Ophelia would not want to risk damnation. Her death by drowning is not shown onstage but is reported by Gertrude, who says that she fell while trying to hang floral garlands on a tree branch.
Why do the gravediggers question Ophelia's burial in this cemetery?
In the churchyard, two gravediggers shovel out a grave for Ophelia. They argue whether Ophelia should be buried in the churchyard since her death looks like a suicide. According to religious doctrine, suicides may not receive Christian burial.