the candor times﹕the exclusive royals edition. ★

BREAKING NEWS: A ROYAL TRAGEDY

In the span of less than an hour, the entirety of the Denmark’s royal family dropped dead to the ground King Claudius, Queen Gertrude, and Prince Hamlet. Nobleman Laertes was also found dead at the scene. In a duel set between Hamlet and Laertes, things had apparently gotten a bit out of hand. King Claudius’s body was found stabbed and his mouth was dripping with wine. Queen Gertrude was found collapsed dead on the steps leading up to her throne. The lifeless bodies of Prince Hamlet and Nobleman Laertes had a few superficial lacerations. There were dozens of witnesses at the scene of the deaths, but there was one particular person watching the duel who knew just what evils were at work behind the curtains: Horatio, Hamlet’s best friend and right hand man.

the duel of prince hamlet and laertes.

“To be completely honest, I wouldn’t be here right now if it weren’t for Hamlet telling me not to kill myself,” says Horatio, choking up in his own tears, “I took the poisoned goblet and everything, ready to drink it, but Hamlet urged me not to. Despite being in so much pain himself, I could see the fire in his eyes as the poison surged through his veins. He wanted me to tell his story to the world—to shed truth on this tragedy.”

A few spectators of the duel gave their input as well, "I mean, I've never seen anything like it. It all happened so fast I It was hard to digest in the moment. The queen fainted and then her face turned a pale grey, then Laertes collapsed, claiming that the King's to blame before dying himself, and then the—the prince, he... He killed the king, stabbed him right in the stomach and made him drink his goblet of wine before collapsing and dying himself. It is a tragedy in the fullest sense."

Despite Fortinbras’s swift crowning as king in light of the death of both King Claudius and Prince Hamlet, the deaths of these royals has left the country in shock and in shambles. It wasn’t too long ago that late King Hamlet had left Denmark behind with his tragic death as well, just two months prior. To those who are grieving over the death of King Claudius though, stop dead in your tracks. You may want to hear just what this man has done because apparently, he has direct ties to the deaths of many, including that of the beloved late Queen Gertrude, Prince Hamlet and the late King Hamlet.

the duel of prince hamlet and laertes.

KING CLAUDIUS: THE MASS MURDERER?

You thought the late King of Denmark, King Claudius was a good person? Think again. We have another inside scoop from none other than Horatio, Hamlet’s best friend, himself.

“’The king, the king’s to blame.’ Those were some of Laertes last words before he collapsed and died. If you don’t believe me, you can ask the other witnesses.” And that we did. After interviewing some of those who watched the duel, they vouched and verified that they indeed did hear Laertes as such before dying. How did Laertes die though? Did Hamlet stab him during the duel, or was there some other evil stirring below the surface? An exclusive from Horatio answers all of our questions involving the deaths of all involved in this tragedy. It all starts with the late king of Denmark, King Hamlet.

the blood on the hands of king claudius.

“I’m going to sound completely crazy, but you have to believe me. It’s a lot to unpack and I’ll be throwing out a lot of wild sounding claims, but it’s all true,” Horatio says, “You know how everyone was told that King Hamlet died from being bit by a poisonous snake while sleeping in his orchard right? That’s a lie. King Claudius was the one responsible for his death. He poured a vial of henbane poison into King Hamlet’s ear, and that’s what truly caused his death. I am unsure of the reasoning behind his decision to kill King Hamlet, but I’m positive that he was power hungry. Now, I know that sounds wild, but that’s the truth of what I heard. He said he heard this from his late father’s ghost as well, which I know sounds even crazier, but you just have to believe me. I saw the ghost myself, and so did Bernardo, Francisco, and Marcellus, guardsmen of the royal castle.”

If you thought that was awful enough, the accusations don’t stop there—King Claudius’s alleged hit list keeps growing. We also get an explanation of just exactly what happened at the duel. Horatio continues, “Hamlet was furious after discovering the truth about his father’s death, and thus set out to exact revenge on King Claudius. He even created this elaborate play recreating the events of the murder and had the royal family, including King Claudius, watch it with him. Hamlet instructed me to keep a close eye on the king to see if his guilty conscience kick in, and that it did. He stormed out of the theatre after the scene where the poison is poured into the ear."

the blood on the hands of king claudius.

"King Claudius grew irritated with Hamlet constantly stepping out of line and his growing ‘insanity’ and decided to put an end to Hamlet through the duel," says Horatio, "The king used Laertes’s unstable state of mind after his father, Polonius, died to his advantage. He told Laertes that Hamlet had murdered his father, and they both concocted a plan where King Claudius could rid of Hamlet and Laertes could exact his revenge. The death of his sister, Ophelia, further fueled his fury as he blamed Hamlet for her death, too. During the duel, they had laced the tip of Laertes’s blade with a poison so potent that all Laertes would have to do his graze Hamlet’s skin with his blade and he’d die. If Laertes failed in doing so, then they had a back-up plan. The king poisoned Hamlet’s goblet, so if Hamlet drank from it, he’d also die. It was cruel."

Horatio goes on, "At the duel, the order of deaths goes from Queen Gertrude to Laertes to King Claudius and finally, to Hamlet. There was a small scuffle between Hamlet and Laertes which resulted in them both dropping their swords. Before this scuffle, Laertes wounded Hamlet, which had basically sealed Hamlet’s death. In the small scuffle though, they had picked up each other’s swords, and Hamlet then wounds Laertes. The poison that was laced on Laertes’s sword was responsible for their deaths."

"As for the queen, she drank from Hamlet’s cup despite the King telling her not to drink it. His guilty conscience was evident as he watched the queen settle back into her throne. When the poison had settled in, she fainted and collapsed to the ground."

the blood on the hands of king claudius.

"In her dying breaths, she warned Hamlet about the goblet she had drank from and how it had been poisoned just before dying. Hamlet, thrown into a fury, stabbed the king in the stomach with the poisoned blade and force fed him the poisoned goblet. Either was equally likely to be responsible for his death. It was terrifying to watch all unfold right in front of my eyes. I had only started piecing everything together as it was all happening. If it wasn’t for King Claudius’s selfish killing of King Hamlet, Hamlet would not have set out on his path of revenge, and everyone who had died would be alive. If I had known the king and Laertes’s terrible scheme, I would’ve urged Hamlet to reject the duel invitation, but knowing his pride, he would’ve accepted either way. It breaks my heart to think that he is now gone, but I am sure that wherever he is now, he is satisfied. He was able to avenge his late father.”

The validity of Horatio’s accounts may be a bit biased, as he was Hamlet’s best friend, so take everything you are reading with a grain of salt. In any case, the lives of royalty and the behind the scenes is not something that is so readily open to the public, and Horatio, being Hamlet’s right hand man, witnessed if not all, a lot of it. He is one of the only sources of insight the public has on this terrible incident, so perhaps we should give the grieving man some credit. But why did Horatio air quote Hamlet and his insanity? Did Hamlet actually kill Polonius? What were the circumstances? These questions are answered in our next articles.

the blood on the hands of king claudius.

DEAD BODY OF POLONIUS FOUND IN KING CLAUDIUS’S ROOM

Nobleman Polonius, a member of the royal court and father to Laertes and Ophelia, was found dead in the room of King Claudius. A stab wound in his abdomen was found on his body, and his suspected murder weapon was found in close proximity. The autopsy report revealed the blood on the blade to be Polonius’s. Prince Hamlet’s fingerprints were found on the hilt of the weapon as well. The autopsy report also concluded that Polonius’s dead body was subjected to dragging after his death. The trails of smeared blood leading to King Claudius’s room from Queen Gertrude’s room also hinted to such. A dried patch of Polonius’s blood was found near the curtains in Queen Gertrude’s room, as well as a tear in and a few blood strains on the curtain itself.

the death of polonius.

An exclusive interview with Horatio provides further insight on the death of Polonius.

“From what Hamlet told me, he was arguing with his mother, Queen Gertrude, in her room. He heard something behind the curtain, and thinking it was King Claudius, he dashed at the curtain with a sword and plunged into whoever or whatever it was. It turned out to be Polonius, and after the murder, Hamlet dragged his body elsewhere. He refused to tell Rosencrantz, Guildenstern or me where he had dragged Polonius’s body to, only that he had apparently gotten it dirty, ‘ashes to ashes, and dust to dust’ and that the body was with the king, but the king was not with the body. Hamlet was, is, my best friend, but I really worried for him. In some moments, it seemed like he actually was going insane. He killed an innocent man and seemed weirdly calm about it.”

The passing of Polonius has saddened the hearts of many, including those of his late children, Laertes and Ophelia. After all, it was the death of Polonius by Prince Hamlet’s hands that had apparently fueled his desire to duel Prince Hamlet and exact his revenge. His daughter, Ophelia, was rumored to have drowned in a lake shortly after his death as well. Was it suicide? As for Prince Hamlet’s growing insanity, rumors had been going around the kingdom for a few days about it, but Horatio is speaking as if he wasn’t actually insane. Was Prince Hamlet actually going insane or was it all an elaborate act? Our next two articles cover these topics.

the death of polonius.

PRINCE HAMLET’S INSANITY: ALL AN ELABORATE ACT?

In previous articles covered in this edition of The Candor Times, Horatio referred to Prince Hamlet’s insanity as if it wasn’t real. Rumors of the beloved prince’s delve into insanity had been circulating the kingdom of Denmark for a few days now as the public worried about the mental well-being of their prince, but Horatio denies the content of the rumors.

“Hamlet’s act was pretty convincing, wasn’t he?” Horatio says with a sad smile, “I’m going to sound pretty crazy myself, but hear me out. On the night Hamlet had met with and spoken with the ghost of the late King Hamlet, Marcellus and I accompanied him. We stood by as Hamlet and the ghost spoke amongst themselves, as the ghost would not speak with us but only with Hamlet. But believe me, both Marcellus and I saw and heard that ghost."

prince hamlet and his act of insanity.

"It looked scarily like the late king, it was almost crazy, and I mean, we were Protestant. We didn’t believe ghosts real I didn’t believe ghosts were real, and if they were, they were dangerous and came with ill will. Marcellus and I were hesitant to let Hamlet and the ghost talk in private because of such reasoning. That was until I saw it and heard it with my own two eyes, and the ghost didn’t harm any of us. I don’t think I’m crazy I’m in good health. My medical records are clean of any sign of insanity or craziness.”

Horatio continues, “But yeah, Hamlet never actually went crazy. That night he talked with the ghost of the late king, he made Marcellus and I swear that we would never say a word about what we saw that night despite how strangely he may act afterwards. He seemed to think that Marcellus and I couldn't hear what he and the ghost were talking about since he didn't want to tell us what the ghost said to him, but our curiosity got the best of us, so we just played dumb when we swore. You can ask Marcellus about it, too. I must apologize to Hamlet, wherever he is now, that I have broken his trust in talking about it now, but I can no longer stand by and watch people wrongly accuse my dear friend of going insane. From that day forward was when he starting acting as if he was insane. It was a conscious decision that he carried out.” We asked Marcellus for his account on Prince Hamlet’s insanity, to which he said something similar, “Yes, he did make us swear to never speak of what happened that night. I was there with Horatio and I also saw the ghost of the late King Hamlet."

prince hamlet and his act of insanity.

Marcellus continues, "We swore to not say anything that may allude to the fact that we knew why he was acting strangely. With that night in mind, he did not go insane, he simply acted as if he was. Now that I’ve said that, I just felt a chill run down my spine. I think the ghost of Prince Hamlet may be throwing punches at me in the afterlife right now. I apologize, my lord.”

Perhaps Prince Hamlet did not go insane after all. Although the mention of the ghost of the late King Hamlet may raise some eyebrows, the prince’s devotion to avenging his father, the beloved King Hamlet, going as far to acting as if he had been driven to insanity is both impressive and admirable. Perhaps Prince Hamlet did not go insane after all. Although the mention of the ghost of the late King Hamlet may raise some eyebrows, the prince’s devotion to avenging his father, the beloved King Hamlet, going as far to acting as if he had been driven to insanity is both impressive and admirable. This raises a few questions though: what about his accidental killing of Polonius that Horatio had mentioned before? Did he feel any remorse after his wrongful death or did he care less for the murder of the nobleman? Was Prince Hamlet actually going insane throughout his elaborate act of insanity? This may question the faith the public holds in their now late and beloved prince.

prince hamlet and his act of insanity.

OPHELIA’S DEATH: ACCIDENTAL OR SUICIDE?

Ophelia, daughter of Nobleman Polonius and sister of Laertes, was found in a brook where a willow tree resides. The public was told that she was creating flowers wreaths and climbed onto the tree to hang the wreaths she made onto the branches. She then fell into the brook, and her clothes had kept her floating as she sung hymns, but her clothes eventually became heavy with water. At that point, she could not have pulled herself out of the water if she wanted to, which thus led her to drown to death. We interviewed Horatio and the one of the gravediggers who was responsible for digging Ophelia’s grave.

“From what I know, it is just as you say,” Horatio says, “Sadly, I am not completely sure about what reasons lay behind Ophelia’s death."

the death of ophelia.

Horatio continues, "It very well could’ve been a terrible accident, or it could’ve been suicide. News of her death shortly followed the death of her father, Polonius, after all. Personally, I’d like to believe that it was an accident. The fair Ophelia deserves a Christian burial, and to think she was in grieving the death of her father so much so to the brink of suicide pains me. So, I shall remain blissfully ignorant. May she rest in peace.”

“Honestly, I think she would’ve gotten a Christian burial either way,” says the gravedigger, wanting to stay unnamed, “She came from a filthy rich family after all, they’d find some way to cover up the story if she really did commit suicide. I mean, if there was evidence that she really did commit suicide, what are they gonna do? Go through the hassle of digging up her gave and cut her head off? No. We don’t get paid enough for that. Just let the woman rest in peace, for God’s sake.”

Either way, the death of Ophelia has brought upon great sadness amongst the common folk of the kingdom. We asked Horatio if Prince Hamlet had attended Ophelia’s funeral, as there have been rumors about their relationship circulating around the kingdom.

“Oh yes, he did,” says Horatio, “In fact, it was at the funeral where he had confessed his love for Ophelia. Prior to the funeral, he had mentioned to me before that he had loved her once, but he had said it as if it were a distant memory with a wistful look in his eye."

the death of ophelia.

Horatio continues, "Hamlet’s relationship with Ophelia were always a mystery to me. There were times where he would act rashly and cold to Ophelia, and other times where he was so gentle and tender with her. I feel that there were a lot of things he had left unsaid before his death.”

“At the funeral though, he had declared that he had loved Ophelia with such passionate sadness, almost as if he had never stopped loving her. ‘Forty thousand brothers, if you added all their love together, couldn’t match mine.’ I still remember his words. I still remember the bewildered look on his face as he said, ‘What, the beautiful Ophelia?’ when he had realized who the funeral was for. His declaration listing out what he was willing to do for her while bickering with Laertes, I say, could stand as proof for his love for the fair Ophelia. ‘Will you cry? Fight? Stop eating? Cut yourself? Drink vinegar? Eat a crocodile?’ He said he’d do all of that, and he said he’d be willing to be buried alive with her. Oh, if only Ophelia could’ve heard him. I’m sure she would’ve been happy.”

Regardless of the reason for Ophelia’s death, the common people have left gifts at her grave in the form of flowers and flower wreaths. Perhaps her and Hamlet have now met in the after life. First Prince Hamlet’s dying devotion to his late father, and now also being a hopeless romantic? It's no wonder the public grew so fond of him.

the death of ophelia.

FORTINBRAS CROWNED KING OF DENMARK

In light of the recent election to the Danish crown due to the death of King Claudius, Fortinbras, previously the young price of Norway, has been crowned the King of Denmark, now claiming the title of King Fortinbras. We interviewed the newly appointed king to share his opinion on the recent tragedy that struck the previous royal family of Denmark. “A tragedy indeed,” says King Fortinbras, “I did hear about the whole spiel from Horatio himself. Shortly after the duel, he explained everything to me, teary eyed and all. I’ll be visiting Claudius’s grave later today to stomp on it. He never deserved the title as king. He chose such a cowardly way to kill King Hamlet as well too! Killing him in his sleep? Pathetic. Anyway, while I ultimately wasn’t able to attack Denmark to avenge my late father’s honor, I suppose being crowned the king of Denmark will suffice. I’ll nurture this kingdom in Hamlet’s steed."

the crowning of fortinbras.

King Fortinbras continues, "We were both similar in wanting to avenge our late fathers. My respect for him is immense as he was successful in exacting his revenge. I hope I can do him justice, as this throne was originally his after he had killed Claudius. Does Hamlet like daffodils? I’ll be leaving a bouquet of them by his grave after visiting Claudius.”

We also asked Horatio what he thought of the appointment of Fortinbras as king, “I’m glad. In Hamlet's dying breaths, he put his money on Fortinbras winning the election for the Danish crown and said that he had his vote. Hamlet had also always held respect for Fortinbras, as he admired his willingness to fight for no good reason.”

We interviewed a few townsfolk too, "I hope the new king doesn't end up being a maniac like the last one. The royal tragedy makes me sort of grateful to live an ordinary life."

The opinions of the people were initially divided during the election at first since Denmark was at war with Norway and Fortinbras was the prince of Norway, but the spectators at the duel had also heard in Prince Hamlet’s dying breaths his approval of Fortinbras as the next king of Denmark, and thus spread the word of the late prince’s approval. Fortinbras ended up winning the election by a landslide. With the new king marks a new dawn for the kingdom of Denmark. This is Candee, signing off on the Exclusive Royals Edition of The Candor Times.

the crowning of fortinbras.