Forgiveness
Much of the last section of the play covers the theme of revenge, but under it lies a theme of forgiveness. In Hamlet’s monologue to Laertes, Hamlet pleads for forgiveness, confessing that he had wronged Laertes by killing Polonius and ultimately playing a part in Ophelia’s death as well. As a friendly gesture, Laertes then tells Hamlet that he will receive the “offered love like love” (Act 5, Scene 2, line 266). Laertes then shows greater hints of repentance and forgiveness when, as an aside, says “And yet it is almost against my conscience” (Act 5, Scene 2, line 324) when told by Claudius to strike Hamlet. The final gesture of forgiveness is again given by Laertes moments before imminent death. In his last words, Laertes tells Hamlet to “Exchange forgiveness with me” and refers Hamlet as “noble” (Act 5, Scene 2, line 361), effectively concluding the feud between Laertes and Hamlet and making way for forgiveness. Fortinbras’s command to his captains to carry Hamlet “like a soldier” (Act 5, Scene 2, line 442) similarly hints at forgiveness towards Denmark by treating its royal prince with kindness and humanity.
Disregard for Death
At the onset of the act the gravediggers are going about their duties, arguing over whether the girl (Ophelia) should be buried properly. Desensitized by the nature of their profession, the gravediggers show a flippant attitude towards death that ties back to the overall attitude towards death in the play. When one knows that there is an afterlife, one in which ghosts can come back to communicate with the living, the event of death becomes more of a milestone in life rather than the end of it. As when Hamlet kills Polonius without remorse, so too does Hamlet die laughing in the face of death as he imparts his last words to his friend. A symbol for this death is the skull of Yorick that Hamlet addresses in the act. Hamlet is not phased by the remains of the deceased jester. Knowing that Yorick’s soul is not gone forever, Hamlet can address Yorick’s remains as if it were a postcard sent from a friend who lives far away. Under the assumption that Hamlet is not in fact, insane, his flippant attitude relaying his engineered destruction of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to Horatio further belighs that death is not held in reverence by these people. Even after Hamlet’s death everything is all about business in the Danish court.
Incest
The motif of incest is most clearly apparent when Laertes embraces the corpse of his sister Ophelia. Earlier in the play, Laertes had established an implied incestuous relationship with Ophelia when he uses extremely sexual terms to warn her against Hamlet’s advances. During her funeral, Laertes quarrels with a priest because of the deprival of a proper funeral for Ophelia, and then leaps into no grave, exclaiming “Hold off the earth awhile, Till I have caught her once more in mine arms” (Act 5, Scene 1, lines 261-262). Shortly after, Hamlet arrives and abases Laertes’s love for Ophelia compared to Hamlet’s, and the two men grapple. Within this sequence of events the love Laertes has for his sister is clear.
Violence and Death
Throughout the act, death and violence plays a major role in the character’s actions. Many of the main characters plot against each other. In the act, Laertes and King Claudius desire to get rid of Hamlet, thus challenging him to a duel. Hamlet saw the opportunity to prove himself and accepted the challenge. Although Hamlet thought of this as a friendly duel, Laertes and Claudius had different intentions: they wanted to get rid of Hamlet. However, as the duel actually begins, Hamlet switches swords with Laertes and ends up stabbing Laertes to death. The scene then continues with the death of Claudius and Gertrude through poisoning.
Words
A motif in Hamlet is the power and meaning of words. The same words can have various meanings and are often used to mislead and manipulate others. Claudius is the most obvious portrayal of this motif when he delivers the speech about the late king Hamlet’s death and his own wedding mixing words that are both connotative of life and death. This quote from Hamlet “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: Words without thoughts never to heaven go” exemplifies how important words are in the play. Words said carelessly without thought can never truly be a good thing.