The gravedigger (actually the Sexton Clown) thinks Hamlet was sent to England because he was mad.
Here is the relevant dialogue.
~=~
Hamlet: Aye, marry, why was he sent into England?
Sexton Clown: Why? Because he was mad! He shall recover his wits there, or if
he do not, 'tis no great matter there.
Hamlet: Why?
Sexton Clown: 'Twill not be seen in him there; there, the men are as mad
as he.
~=~
The gravedigger, not Hamlet, discovers the skull of the jester Yorick, who Hamlet knew as a child, and has been dead for many years.
In Scene One of Act V, the presence of the gravedigger provides a moment of clarity regarding Hamlet's age, as he reveals that Hamlet is likely in his thirties, having been a child when Yorick, the jester, died. The gravedigger's casual remarks about Hamlet's childhood contrast with the weighty themes of mortality and legacy that permeate the scene, highlighting Hamlet's transition from youth to adulthood. However, the ambiguity surrounding Hamlet's maturity and the existential dilemmas he faces can still leave audiences questioning the depth of his experience and understanding, thus adding a layer of confusion to his age’s implications. Overall, while the scene offers concrete information, it simultaneously deepens the complexity of Hamlet's character.
Horatio is Hamlet's friend from university. He tells Hamlet that his father's ghost has been seen wandering the castle walls.
I think he was afraid Hamlet was going to find out that Claudius killed Hamlet's father.
One of ironies in Hamlet is that Hamlet's father has died because his brother killed this a poison and he showed himself to Hamlet to ask his son to revenge his unfair father's death. And Hamlet wants to revenge his father's death but he is not sure because the ghost who he saw could easily being the devil himself disguised as his dead father. And he starts to think about this and he says: "To be or not be, there's the dilemma" and the irony takes place when he decides to pretend to be crazy and find out the truth about his father's suspicious death. He only could prove his uncle is really guilty, dying not only him. His mother, his uncle, the woman he loved died. Which declares Hamlet as one of the most greatest written tragedies of the human history and gives us a lesson about the revenge, the death and the family honor and how could this could be lost for a vendetta.
In Act five, scene one of Hamlet, we hear this conversation between Hamlet and the gravedigger: Hamlet: How long hast thou been a grave-maker? Gravedigger: Of all the days i' the year, I came to't that day our last King Hamlet overcame Fortinbras. Hamlet: How long is that since? Gravedigger: Cannot you tell that? Every fool can tell that: it was the very day young Hamlet was born. Later, the gravedigger says, "I have been sexton here, man and boy, thirty years." The conclusion is that since the gravedigger started work on Hamlet's birthday and he has been working for thirty years, Hamlet must be thirty years old.
Who says Hamlet is 17? The gravedigger says (V,i, 150) that he started work as a gravedigger "the very day young Hamlet was born", and later (V,i, 164) "I have been sexton here, man and boy, thirty years". Which means of course that Hamlet is 30.
The gravedigger, not Hamlet, discovers the skull of the jester Yorick, who Hamlet knew as a child, and has been dead for many years.
Hamlet asks the gravedigger how long he has been a gravedigger, and the gravedigger answers that he started his job the day King Hamlet defeated Fortinbras senior, which was the day young Hamlet was born. The gravedigger then says "I have been sexton here man and boy thirty years." Hamlet is therefore thirty years old.
In Scene One of Act V, the presence of the gravedigger provides a moment of clarity regarding Hamlet's age, as he reveals that Hamlet is likely in his thirties, having been a child when Yorick, the jester, died. The gravedigger's casual remarks about Hamlet's childhood contrast with the weighty themes of mortality and legacy that permeate the scene, highlighting Hamlet's transition from youth to adulthood. However, the ambiguity surrounding Hamlet's maturity and the existential dilemmas he faces can still leave audiences questioning the depth of his experience and understanding, thus adding a layer of confusion to his age’s implications. Overall, while the scene offers concrete information, it simultaneously deepens the complexity of Hamlet's character.
Gravedigger Willie Nelson covers it.
Jay Laurier has: Played Pierre Gautier in "Pyjamas Preferred" in 1932. Played Frosch in "Waltz Time" in 1933. Played Gryphus in "The Black Tulip" in 1937. Played Gravedigger in "Hamlet" in 1947. Played Mr. Boomer in "The History of Mr. Polly" in 1949.
The Ghost meets Hamlet on the battlements in Act I, Scene Four and prods Hamlet to avenge his murder by Claudius, his brother and Hamlet's uncle.
Horatio is Hamlet's friend from university. He tells Hamlet that his father's ghost has been seen wandering the castle walls.
Archaeologists actively look for graves, because they provide small but valuable clues about the people and their cultures. However, no graves of the Anakim (or Anakites) have ever been found. The Anakim were mythical.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are old school buddies of Hamlet's. They have been hired by the king to spy on Hamlet to find out why he is acting so peculiarly.
He has been Barty Crouch Jr in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who and plenty of Shakespeare's characters on stage, most famously Hamlet in Hamlet.