Part 4: Ophelia wronged by monarch, inquest, and priest
As the tale of Ophelia’s drowning is distorted in Hamlet , the funeral procession reaches the graveyard where the “churlish priest” claims that either Gertrude or Claudius had pressured the coroner’s inquest not to rule suicide. The priest is offended at the thought of burying a possible suicide on holy ground, and does only minimal rites required. This implies a dysfunctional Denmark, king, inquest, and priest, and implies a similarly dysfunctional England. 1. “GREAT COMMAND O’ERSWAYS THE ORDER” [1]: The priest claims either Gertrude or Claudius overruled the coroner’s inquest. Ideally, an impartial inquest should seek the truth. If it's a mystery (not enough evidence) it be better to reserve judgment, than to harshly judge a soul on whom God might be quite inclined to show mercy. For some reason the coroner's inquest was inclined to rule it a suicide (why?). Gertrude or Claudius made them change that, perhaps in compassion for Ophelia, or fearful of angering Laertes, or bot...