One Thing About Hamlet (that I’m Not Sure Was Intentional Or Not, But Is Cool Either Way) Is How The

One thing about Hamlet (that I’m not sure was intentional or not, but is cool either way) is how the end goes on longer than is necessarily comfortable. How after Hamlet dies and Horatio says goodnight and all that, Fortinbras comes in and the ending keeps going for a little longer. Not terribly long, but just long enough it’s a little awkward (at least to me). However, in modern adaptations, Fortinbras coming in is often omitted. I do not like this. I get that’s it’s nicer to end right after Hamlet’s death, but I would say Hamlet is less of a story about death, and more about grief. The beginning of the story, Hamlet’s father’s death, isn’t even in the play. Because the play is about the grief that came from Hamlet’s father’s death and the things said grief drives Hamlet to do and contemplate, not the death itself. To have the play continue on after Hamlet’s death, even just for a bit, continues that theme. It forces the audience to see how life carries on, and so do the effects (the grief!!) of the tragedies. This places the emphasis on the grief over the death. The play begins with the grief of one Hamlet’s death and ends with the grief of another.

At least, I think that’s a nice interpretation.