Final answer:
In the play Hamlet, the characters who die as a result of the duel include Hamlet, Laertes, Queen Gertrude, and King Claudius. The duel involves a poisoned rapier and cup, leading to these tragic deaths.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the tragic play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the duel leads to a devastating series of deaths. During the climactic fencing match, which is orchestrated by King Claudius and Laertes to kill Hamlet, multiple characters meet their demise. The main answer is that Hamlet, Laertes, Queen Gertrude, and King Claudius all die as a result of the duel. Hamlet is wounded by a poisoned rapier held by Laertes, and though he ultimately kills Laertes in the exchange, Laertes reveals that both the sword and a drink Claudius had prepared were poisoned. Gertrude accidentally drinks from the poisoned cup meant for Hamlet and dies. Finally, Hamlet forces the remaining poison upon Claudius before succumbing to his own wounds.Explanation in more than 100 words: The duel starts with Hamlet and Laertes competing in what appears to be a friendly match. However, both the sword and the cup are part of a plot to ensure Hamlet's death, one hatched by the vengeful Laertes and the duplicitous Claudius. The sequence of events is swift: Gertrude drinks the poison, Laertes and Hamlet wound each other with the poisoned sword, Laertes confesses the plot as he dies, Hamlet, in turn, kills Claudius, and eventually, Hamlet succumbs to the poison himself. The tragic end fulfills the pattern of a Shakespearean tragedy, where the protagonist and several other characters often face grim fates by the conclusion.Conclusion:The tragic duel in Hamlet leads to a domino effect of mortality, claiming the lives of both perpetrators and innocents, and brings the play to its somber end.