Dropping Like Flies

It turns out that I was the last man standing this time. That is because Fortinbras is now sitting on Claudius's recently vacated throne. Things went bad very quickly during the duel, and not only are Hamlet and Laertes both dead, but the king is run through and the queen is dead from poisoning. I have never seen so many of the nobility drop dead so quickly. After Hamlet had made Laertes look like a fool in the first two bouts, the queen drank to Hamlet. Laertes became enraged and cut Hamlet, who tackled Laertes. Somehow, after they rolled around on the ground and struggled with each other, they managed to switch swords, and Hamlet slashed Laertes. Things really got crazy when the queen dropped dead from a poisoned drink. Laertes then confessed to Hamlet that he had plotted with the king to kill Hamlet with a poisoned sword, and that both he and Hamlet had been wounded by the sword. After learning this, Hamlet killed the king (finally) without any hesitation. After Laertes had asked for Hamlet's forgiveness and had forgiven him for Polonius's death, Laertes died. I cannot say that I was going to have to watch my best friend die today, but the poison worked quickly on Hamlet. I was ready to drink the poison that had ended the queen because of my own failure to stop this carnage, but with his last breath Hamlet begged me to spare my own life and to tell his story to anyone that wanted to know about what had happened to the royal family of Denmark. Then Hamlet was finally relieved of his suffering, and I hope his passage to the next world will be accompanied by the satisfaction that he succeeded in avenging his father. Luckily (I guess), I had the entire invading Norwegian army to listen as I told Hamlet's story, which I hope will adequately fulfill his last wish.

The Wager

When we had arrived back at Elsinore, Hamlet told me about the letters Claudius had sent with him on his forced voyage to England. The letters were orders for Hamlet's English recipients, whose meaning were basically "chop my nephew's head off, if you please". I cannot express in words how screwed up I think that is. Anyway, Hamlet turned the tables on his captors by taking the orders for his execution and converting them into orders for the executions of his captors, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. I thought that was screwed up in its own way, but Hamlet justified himself by saying that the two of them had brought it on themselves. But still, they are going to arrive in England with executioners' blades for their greeting. After I contemplated this disturbing prospect for a while, one of the king's habitual brown-nosers came and told Hamlet about the wager that he had been made an unwitting part of. We made fun of the courtier for a few minutes before the he left, at which time I told Hamlet that he was going to get his guts cut out of him by Laertes. Hamlet didn't seemed particularly concerned though, so we headed towards the throne room. The duel that the king wagered on is to take place shortly.

Hamlet's Back

Just as he said in his letter, Hamlet has returned to Denmark. I was there to meet him when his ship came into port in the dead of night. As we passed through the churchyard on the way back to Elsinore, we came across a man digging up some old bodies to make room for a new grave. Hamlet and I talked to the gravedigger for a little while before the gravedigger mentioned the identity of a skull he had found. It was the skull of one of the old king's jesters, and from what I could gather from Hamlet's impassioned reminisce about the skull, it was a jester of whom Hamlet was particularly fond. It wasn't long before the new tenant of the grave showed up, however, so Hamlet and I stood back to watch the strangely brief and unceremonious funeral. We learned from the conversations amongst Laertes, the king and the queen that it was Ophelia's burial. Shortly after the procession had lowered the casket into the grave, Laertes had jumped in after it to see his sister one more time. Hamlet was similarly moved, and stepped out of our hiding spot and loudly declared his love for Ophelia. I could not vouch for his state of mind at the moment, because I do not think that it was particularly wise of Hamlet to reveal himself to a man whose father he had recently killed. Hamlet and Laertes fought each other briefly before they were held apart, but Hamlet and I managed to get away, back to Elsinore. I do not know what the morning will bring, because Laertes was more than a little murderous towards Hamlet at the burial.

Letters From Hamlet

After the business with Ophelia, the king and Laertes retired to the king's chambers to discuss what had just happened. I don't know what they were talking about, but if I were Laertes, I don't think I would be all that talkative after seeing my sister like that. Earlier today, I was greeted by some sailors, who said they were to give a letter to someone by my name. The letter was from Hamlet, who wrote of how he managed to escape the ship bound for England by boarding a pirate ship that had attacked his vessel. Apparantley he and the pirates are returning to Denmark. The letter had instructions to take the sailors to the king. They said Hamlet had given them other letters to deliver.

Ophelia

Things at Elsinore have been so crazy for the last few days, I'm suprised someone didn't go nuts sooner. Ever since her father was killed, Ophelia has been babbling and singing--badly. When the queen and king saw her, they seemed shocked, almost as if her lunacy was worse than Polonius being killed. After she put on a pitiable show for the king and queen, she ran off through the halls of the castle, and the king told me to look after her. Unfortunately for me, this involved sprinting after her for several minutes, with Ophelia ending up back with the king anyway, or so I was told. I gave up the chase after a while; it seemed like her insanity had given her extra speed. I heard that Ophelia drowned in a river after she met with Laertes. I can't imagine how Laertes must feel, having to experience the destruction of his family in the space of a couple of days.

Going to England

It seems Claudius has finally caught wind of Hamlet's intentions. Claudius has ordered Hamlet be taken to England. Hamlet must have been the one that killed Polonius, because no sooner had rumors of Polonius's death circulated around Elsinore did Claudius have a ship prepared for Hamlet's departure. I do not know what might have driven Hamlet to kill Polonius. I know Hamlet hated the old man and thought he was a meddling idiot, but to kill him? Perhaps Hamlet's madness is not completely feigned. I suppose Hamlet will not have his revenge on Claudius any time soon.

Polonius-kebab

Someone finally ran Polonius through. With a sword. There has been a lot of panicking among the royalty and their servants after the murder, as it happened in the queen's bedroom. Frankly, I was suprised something like this didn't happen sooner to Polonius. Ever since his friend Claudius ascended to the monarchy, Polonius has been at his heel like a hungry dog begging for scraps. I am sure this infuriated some of the other nobles who wanted the king's favor. I cannot say that I am sad Polonius is dead; he had a habit of manipulating people to get what he wanted, and was hard on Ophelia. I heard that Laertes is returning from France to find out what happened to his father and to check up on his sister. I wonder how Ophelia is dealing with her father's death.

Shout Fight

I heard that last night there was some commotion in the Queen's chambers last night. Apparently Hamlet and his mother were having a fight, which doesn't suprise me considering all of the turmoil that has enveloped the castle. I can't imagine that Hamlet is happy with his mother right now, especially since she got married so soon after her first husband had kicked the bucket. With all of the shouting and fighting that is going on in Elsinore right now, I should just go and shout at some random peasant. That is not one of my interests, however (see profile). Someone also told me that they heard a scream during the fight. I know Hamlet's angry right now, but I hope he didn't run his mom through or anything, because that probably wouldn't solve any problems.

The Guilt of the King

This most recent happening in the theatre has disturbed me a little. I'm still in shock from learning that our king took his throne through betrayal. I remember Claudius at his coronation, and I don't remember any trace of hesitation or any hint of guilt. That such a sociopath could escape notice by all of Denmark and steal her throne speaks to the gullibility of its people, and to mine as well. We were all so focused on the threat of Fortinbras that we did not turn our scrutiny inward to catch a glimpse of the rot that now plagues our royal house. Despite his crimes, however, I still hope that the capacity for redemption remains within Claudius. If it doesn't, he may have more to fear from Hamlet than he could possibly imagine.

King Watching

Earlier today I heard someone shouting "Get thee to a nunnery!" from the throne room. I couldn't help myself; I burst out laughing. I mean, come on. Who says that? A few hours later, shortly before the play that was scheduled for this evening, Hamlet came and told me about his plan to try to have the king incriminate himself during the play by duplicating the circumstances of old Hamlet's murder within the performance. He asked me to observe the king, to see if he gave away any sign of guilt. During the play, I concealed myself and spied on the king, waiting for the critical moment in the play. When the killer in the play poured poison into the actor's ear, king Claudius became as pale as a sheet and nearly ran from the performance hall. When I told Hamlet about Claudius's reaction, Hamlet seemed happy, as if the king's actions had vindicated Hamlet's own suspicions. I am suprised that Claudius managed to hide his guilt for so long if he reacts this badly to a simple play.

Met with Hamlet

Hamlet has seemed out of sorts ever since I came back from Wittenburg to visit Elsinore. I talked to him the day after I saw the ghost, and he seemed in a strangely accusatory mood. When I said that I had come to observe the funeral of his father, he said that I was here to see his mother's marriage (which was true, but still, it was a little hurtful that he would jump to that conclusion). When I told Hamlet about my sighting of his father the night before, he was very eager to see the ghost, so that night he, Marcellus, Bernardo and I all went out of the castle to try and find the ghost. It did not take long for the ghost to show up, nor did it take long for Hamlet to go running off after it. We followed him into the forest around Elsinore, but we lost track of him, and by the time we found him he was freaking out. He kept brandishing his sword at us and telling us to swear on it, along with a voice under the ground. Eventually we did what they wanted, just to get them to shut up. It was a pretty eventful day, all things considered.

Saw a Ghost

I saw a ghost yesterday. I didn't believe in them before then, but now I won't be taking as many strolls at night anymore. It was the night before the new king's coronation when some of the guards came and interrupted my reading. They told me that some sort of apparition had been spotted, and that they needed my help to find out whether it was actually a spirit or just late night jumpiness. So I went with them outside the castle, thinking it was ridiculous that royal guards were afraid of the dark. Even as we stood outside and discussed the ghost, it appeared! It looked like the old King Hamlet, risen from the dead. I tried to get him to say something by begging, demanding, and even getting the guards to throw spears at him, but none of it worked, and the ghost vanished. I suppose Old Hamlet is turning in his grave now that Claudius sits own his throne.