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The Gravediggers are a pair of common men who, throughout their brief time on stage, bring a degree of humor to the play and give rise to discussions surrounding the significance of death. Their lines, all of which occur in Act 5, Scene 1, are in prose rather than in verse, and this stylistic distinction emphasizes their low-class status to the audience. While the Gravediggers may have simple backgrounds, Shakespeare imbues them with rich intellects that allow them to engage in witty banter, both with each other and with Hamlet. The Gravediggers’ smarts are what makes them an example of Shakespearean fools, or characters of common origin whose cleverness often allows them to provide social commentary. Including this type of comedic character at the beginning of Act 5 offers the audience a moment to recover from Ophelia’s tragic drowning at the end of Act 4 before being inundated with the large number of casualties at the end of the play. Much of this relief comes from the matter-of-fact tone that the Gravediggers use as they work. They readily debate the appropriateness of Ophelia’s Christian burial, calling attention to the royals’ willingness to ignore theological law, and entertain themselves by telling riddles, making jokes, and singing. When Hamlet arrives at the graveyard, he finds this behavior appalling given his rather existential understanding of death. The Gravediggers, on the other hand, view their work much more pragmatically and treat death as something rather inconsequential. By including this alternative perspective right before Hamlet delivers his famous speech to Yorick’s skull, Shakespeare invites the audience to consider their own understanding of mortality. This moment also offers an opportunity to evaluate the extent of Hamlet’s descent into madness.
