Hamlet and Laertes?

Question

Does Hamlet want to fight Laertes in Act 5 Scene 2? He seems like he doesn't want to but he agrees to so I am not exactly sure. I need help on this. What are some examples of his words?

Answer 1

In the aftermath of her father’s death, Ophelia goes mad with grief and drowns in the river. Polonius’s son, Laertes, who has been staying in France, returns to Denmark in a rage. Claudius convinces him that Hamlet is to blame for his father’s and sister’s deaths. When Horatio and the king receive letters from Hamlet indicating that the prince has returned to Denmark after pirates attacked his ship en route to England, Claudius concocts a plan to use Laertes’ desire for revenge to secure Hamlet’s death. Laertes will fence with Hamlet in innocent sport, but Claudius will poison Laertes’ blade so that if he draws blood, Hamlet will die. As a backup plan, the king decides to poison a goblet, which he will give Hamlet to drink should Hamlet score the first or second hits of the match. Hamlet returns to the vicinity of Elsinore just as Ophelia’s funeral is taking place. Stricken with grief, he attacks Laertes and declares that he had in fact always loved Ophelia. Back at the castle, he tells Horatio that he believes one must be prepared to die, since death can come at any moment. A foolish courtier named Osric arrives on Claudius’s orders to arrange the fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes.
The sword-fighting begins. Hamlet scores the first hit, but declines to drink from the king’s proffered goblet. Instead, Gertrude takes a drink from it and is swiftly killed by the poison. Laertes succeeds in wounding Hamlet, though Hamlet does not die of the poison immediately. First, Laertes is cut by his own sword’s blade, and, after revealing to Hamlet that Claudius is responsible for the queen’s death, he dies from the blade’s poison. Hamlet then stabs Claudius through with the poisoned sword and forces him to drink down the rest of the poisoned wine. Claudius dies, and Hamlet dies immediately after achieving his revenge.
Hamlet understands Laertes' desire for revenge. he relates it to his own situation. He tries to seek forgiveness from Laertes by explaining that his desire for avenging his father's murder has lead him to madness but Laertes has been set up by Claudius and the fight goes ahead.

Answer 2

Lizzie gives a good capsule of the drama, read that. Yes and no, Hamlet wants to fight in the graveyard, he feels the struggle of action/inaction that is a theme of the play, but look at his word closely, he desnt want to fight because he is scared, he knows Laertes is a better swordsman, but he feels there is no other resolution so he must do it, "To be, or not to be"--Hamlet chooses not to be. His decision is based in revealing the truth (of his father's murder) not in protecting his own dignity, he has already given up on that with his pretence of insanity. I don't quote lines here, they mean different things to different people. In fact, everything I've said is arguable.