In order to make the Mousetrap a satire aimed at Horatio, Hamlet employed a composition method according to which the narration is performed by the satirical character himself. According to Hamlet's composition, Horatio the Narrator depicts him in a negative way.
A talented playwright, Hamlet had made some mistakes before the Mousetrap was staged. His rudeness to Ophelia and Polonius made it clear (at least to Horatio who always appeared 'behind the canvas') that Hamlet was aware of the relations between Ophelia and his half-brother.
Although the performance of the Mousetrap was interrupted, it has become clear to Horatio that Hamlet and Polonius were close to find out the secret of his relations with Ophelia.
We see Hamlet stretching his sword and hear the cry of Polonius. But that does not mean that Ophelia's father was killed by Hamlet; Polonius might have been killed by somebody else also hiding behind the canvas. Say, by Horatio.
The King was aware of Horatio's ambitions. He guessed that Polonius was killed by his son rather than by Hamlet.
It took place in 'reality' because the fact is mentioned in three prosaic passages. On his way to Poland, Fortinbras sends his captain to Elsinore. The captain met Hamlet on his way to England; the Prince looked quite sane. In Elsinore, the captain could not fail to learn that Hamlet was sent to England on the grounds of insanity, and to report that to Fortinbras. The latter could not fail to realize the danger threatening his brother. His fleet had just brought the troops to Denmark, and Fortinbras sent a ship to take Hamlet back.
The prosaic passages do not confirm that Hamlet was killed. Neither Horatio's narration nor Shakespeare's metasubject reveals what happened to him immediately after his return to Elsinore. Hamlet died only within the plot of his Mousetrap. Although Horatio-the-Narrator attempts to persuade the readers to believe that Hamlet died, the fate of Prince Hamlet (read: the fate of the factual Author of Hamlet) remains unknown.
The last conclusion concerning the fate of the factual Author of Hamlet was made well before there were found in the text the indications suggesting that the man who had created Hamlet was considered dead since 1593.
Chapter VI: He who does not lie in his grave (Christopher Marlowe)
Copyright © Alfred Barkov 2000, 2003