[Music] in act 5 scene 2 of Hamlet the final scene all are back at Elsinore castle Hamlet tells Horatio that on their way to England he found the papers ordering his death so he decided to forge new papers ordering Rosencrantz and Guildenstern be put to death instead lucky enough Hamlet had his father's signet in his purse Osric a Cordia enters and tells Hamlet has been invited to have a friendly duel with Laertes Hamlet agrees to participate act the duel Hamlet and Laertes shake hands and Hamlet asks for Laertes as forgiveness the duel begins and Hamlet is clearly winning the King cheers on Hamlet drops closer than a cup of wine and calls for a toast an attendant offers the cup to Hamlet but Hamlet declines after Hamlet hits Laertes a second time Gertrude now excited reaches for the drink Claudius tries to stop her but she insists and unknowingly drinks the poison Laertes finally scores a hit on Hamlet and in a scuffle their swords are exchanged before they resume the Queen collapses from the poison Laertes realizes he's been hit by the poisoned Foyle cries out he's fallen to his own sword on the heels of his words the Queen exclaims that the drink has been poisoned and dies Hamlet calls for the doors to be locked so they can get to the cause of this treachery in his final moments Laertes explains that he Hamlet and Gertrude have been poisoned by the king in a fury Hamlet stabs Claudius with the poison foil and then forces him to drink from the poison Cup finally taking his revenge Laertes asks Hamlet for his forgiveness and they agree that they aren't responsible for all of the deaths Laertes dies Hamlet also failing bids his dead mother goodbye and collapses Horatio comforts Hamlet and attempts to drink the last of the poisoned wine but Hamlet stops him imploring Horatio to live on and tell his story to the world Hamlet says that Fortinbras should become King of Denmark as Hamlet dies Fortinbras and the ambassador's having just returned from Poland enter and are shocked at the carnage around them Horatio tells them what happened and Fortinbras asks that Hamlet have a funeral with the honor of a soldier as with all Shakespearean tragedies the final scene of Hamlet ends with a number of people dead the audience might feel good that Claudius was killed but are left sorrowful that Hamlet Laertes and even Gertrude are also dead some of the major themes are evident in this scene like madness Hamlet doesn't seem entirely mad at this point but Claudius does and truth vs deception in the end Claudius is deception could not last and the truth is revealed