Hamlet Act IV, Scene v Summary

A few weeks later at the palace, we learn from some random gentlemen talking with the Queen and Horatio that Ophelia has gone quite mad.
She's been wandering around the palace and singing old songs. Though there's nothing in her songs in particular, the listeners who want to think naughty things are able to weave the nonsense together into some gossipy messages.
Horatio thinks someone should speak with her to stop ill-willed people from making claims based on her harmless songs.
Ophelia then enters and shares a little song with us about death and flowers. She sings some more nonsense about love and ends up generally cursing the faithlessness of men.
There's even a song in here about how to get a girl into bed by promising you'll marry her, and then not marrying her because she's no longer a virgin. This song casts some doubt on whether the cause of Ophelia's madness is her dead father, for whom she grieves, or her love for Hamlet, who may or may not have taken her virginity.
Claudius laments how sad it is that 1) Polonius is dead, 2) Ophelia is crazy, and 3) Hamlet had been tragically sent off to England.
Laertes shows up. (Remember, he's Ophelia's brother and Polonius's son, and he's been away at school.) He's come back determined to avenge his father's murder.
He blows into the palace like a thunderstorm of fury with a big group of guys yelling that Laertes should be king. Claudius calms the hyped-up college kid and convinces him that Polonius's death is not his (Claudius's) fault. He does, however, leave the door open about whose fault it might be.
History Snack: Laertes's revolt would have struck a sensitive cord with Shakespeare's audience. England's monarchs were under constant threat of rebellion. For example, in 1601, the Earl of Essex (who was once one of the Queen's favorite courtiers) stormed the palace of Queen Elizabeth I. Essex's revolt was unsuccessful but it was a dangerous reminder that monarch's were never safe.
Laertes, seeing Ophelia in a bad way, is not a happy camper. He says her pitiful state inspires him toward revenge more than any other persuasion.
Ophelia then hands out flowers, the symbolic meanings of which she kindly explains. Most importantly, she says she'd like to give violets, which represent faithfulness, but they all died when her father passed away.
Laertes is driven to fury, and Claudius happily eggs him on, saying the axe should fall where the offense has been committed.

Act IV, Scene vi

Act IV, Scene iv