The Gravediggers

The penultimate scene of the play begins with the Sexton and a fellow Gravedigger digging a grave for the late Ophelia. They debate whether she should be allowed to have a Christian burial, because she committed suicide. This quickly leads them into a discussion of the impact of politics on the decision, and the two parody lawyer speech. They present Ophelia's case from both positions: if she jumped into the water, then she killed herself, but if the water effectively jumped on her, then she did not. The Sexton laments the fact that the wealthy have more freedom to commit suicide than the poor. The pair get off the subject of suicide almost as quickly as they began it, however, as the Sexton begins to goad and test the Gravedigger, confusing him with the double meaning of the word "arms" (as in weapons and appendages). The dialogue between the two ends when the Sexton is unsatisfied by the answer to the riddle "What is he that builds stronger than either the mason, the shipwright, or the carpenter?" (V.i.39–40) that the Gravedigger gives, and consequently sends him off to bring back alcohol. . The Gravedigger exits as Hamlet and Horatio enter, and the Sexton begins to sing a song on the topics of love and graves as he digs, throwing skulls up and out of the grave. Hamlet considers this behavior inappropriate and disrespectful towards what used to be someone's, and possibly an important someone's, body in such a way. He decides to ask the Sexton whose grave he is digging, but the Sexton evades the question with clever wordplay and riddles, changing the topic to that of Prince Hamlet (the Sexton fails, or pretends to fail, to recognize Hamlet) and his recent supposed bout of insanity. The Sexton then claims that one of the skulls belonged to Yorick, the king's jester and Hamlet's caretaker. Hamlet asks if this could really be so, and the Gravedigger responds with, "E'en that," (V.i.159), marking his last line in the play. ==Jokes==

When together, the Gravediggers speak mainly in riddles and witty banter regarding death, with the first asking the questions and the second answering. SextonWhat is he that builds stronger than either the mason, theshipwright, or the carpenter? GravediggerThe gallows-maker, for that frame outlives a thousandtenants. (V.i., 38–41) And later in the scene: SextonAnd when you are askedthis question next, say “A grave-maker.” The houses thathe makes last till doomsday. (V.i., 53–55) ==Songs==

While digging Ophelia's grave, the Sexton sings to himself: SextonIn youth when I did love, did love, Methought it was very sweetTo contract–o–the time, for–a–my behove, Oh, methought, there–a–was nothing–a–meet. (V.i.57–58) SextonBut age with his stealing steps Hath clawed me in his clutch,And hath shipped me into the land As if I had never been such.(throws up a skull) (V.i.63–64) SextonA pickax and a spade, a spade, For and a shrouding sheet,Oh, a pit of clay for to be made For such a guest is meet.(throws up another skull) (V.i.95–98) Note: this song is full of reworkings or misquotes from Thomas Vaux, 2nd Baron Vaux of Harrowden's poem. "The Aged Lover Renounceth Love" == Analysis of the scene ==

Many important themes of the play are discussed and brought up by the Gravediggers in the short time they are on stage. The manner in which these themes are presented is notably different from the rest of the play. While the rest of the play is set solely in the fictional world of Hamlet's Denmark, this scene helps make sense of the themes by simultaneously bringing the focus to the audience's world. "By using recognizable references from contemporary times, the clown can, through the use of the oral tradition, make the audience understand the theme being played out by the court-dominated characters in the play." For example, although the Sexton is definitely in the fictional world of the play (he is digging Ophelia's grave), he also asks his fellow to "go, get thee to Yaughan, fetch me a stoup of liquor". This does not appear in all versions and means little to us now, but it is "generally supposed that [Yaughan] was a nearby inn-keeper [to the theatre]". Likewise, the Sexton is in the same world as the English audience of the time when he jokes "...[insanity] will not be seen in [Hamlet] there [in England]; there the men are as mad as he". This gives enough of a distance from Elsinore [for the audience] to view what the clowns say as discreet parallels, not direct commentaries. ) == Performance ==

During the Interregnum, all theatres were closed down by the Puritan government. Still, during this time playlets known as drolls were often performed illegally, including one based on the two clowns, called The Grave-Makers, based on Act 5, Scene 1 of Hamlet. Film In most of the movie adaptations of Hamlet, the part of the First Gravedigger (and at times the Second Gravedigger) is played by an extremely established actor or comedian. The following are the actors that portrayed the Gravedigger in the most notable cinematic productions: • Stanley Holloway in Hamlet (1948), directed by Laurence Olivier • Roger Livesey in Hamlet (1969), directed by Tony Richardson • Trevor Peacock in Hamlet (1990), directed by Franco Zeffirelli • Billy Crystal in Hamlet (1996), directed by Kenneth Branagh • Jeffrey Wright in Hamlet (2000), directed by Michael Almereyda • Mark Hadfield in Hamlet (2009), directed by Gregory Doran ==Notes==