Turning Points Hamlet 36: Exeunt, Bearing Off the Dead
Act V, Scene 2g: A) Fortinbras reacts with shock and horror to the scene of carnage at the Danish court.
This beat heightens our sense of the tragedy’s awful impact. We might feel a little better about this Fortinbras guy now that we see that his reactions to the events parallel ours. Still, this is a down emotional moment.
B) An ambassador arrives with the news that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead.
Here Shakespeare sounds an ambiguous note: Hamlet was sure that R & G deserved the fate he arranged for him, but we never quite see them through his eyes. Their deaths seem out of scale with their crimes, a fact Tom Stoppard will later make brilliant absurdist hay of in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Hamlet has achieved one of his procedural aims, so it warrants an up arrow. At the same time, the unease we feel at this particular victory deserves an emotional down arrow. It doesn’t erase our empathy for Hamlet, but does remind us of his personal imperfection, and of the collateral damage done by these events. Neither strictly speaking a dramatic or procedural interaction, this post-facto bit of wrap-up exposition is marked by our infrequently-used commentary icon.
C) Keeping his promise to Hamlet, Horatio begins to tell his story.
This might be chalked up as a posthumous victory for Hamlet, as his friend makes good on his vow, rather than killing himself. I’m surprised to see a procedural up arrow here, but here it is, nonetheless. As nothing impedes Horatio, this gets a decision point icon.
D) Fortinbras claims the throne; Horatio indicates that he’ll later explain that this would be in accordance with Hamlet’s wishes.
This beat also reiterates an earlier one, putting a period on Hamlet’s second posthumous victory. Another procedural up arrow. It’s surprise discoveries like this that make the whole breakdown process seem worthwhile.
E) Fortinbras commands a hero’s funeral for Hamlet.
Hamlet didn’t ask for a splendid funeral, so this isn’t a procedural victory. We’re glad that he’s being treated with respectful fanfare, but mourn his passing. Thus we end the play on a mixed emotional moment, with dramatic arrows crossed.
If you look at the combined beats from Hamlet’s death onwards, you see a downward curve that bottoms out in the ambiguous announcement of R&G’s death, and then moves steadily upward to the end. That’s your diagram of catharthis, right there-the wrenching demise of our doomed hero, followed by the release of purged emotion.
And whew, that’s the end, at last. Speaking of denouements, though, starting next week after the film festival we’ll take a step back and see what broad observations we can make, having completed our map.