I take this to mean that a guard will be posted here.
After two people tried to jump in to the grave, after the priest expressed his displeasure about the burial, after so much drama, stationing a guard here is pretty reasonable.

The tomb of the unknown soldier has a living monument and it is one of the most poignant symbolic rituals we have. The military does symbolism and theatre like no one else.

Mmm-hmm. Claudius was all “our son” before – all “our cousin Hamlet and our son,” – all “My son” and just like that, when it suits him, he’s all “your son.” Your son, your responsibility, you hire the watchdogs. Or just do it yourself.

Such a perfect patriarchal prick, this guy.

Oh the present push!
Oh the present fight!
Oh the present madness!
Oh the present blight!
Did everyone feel like this while they watched their empires fall?
Did the population in Ancient Rome suffer from Chronic Migraine before it burned?
My country, as I imagined it, is dead.
But we fight for what might be salvaged.
When England’s empire fell, they did not vanish, they did not disappear.
Perhaps America won’t need to burn to the ground in my lifetime.

I’m picturing sending patience to the gym, patience doing some strengthening exercises that involve renewing the previous night’s speech, patience doing some crunches, patience doing jumping jacks.
And, in a way, patience really does need practice, it does need strengthening. If one cannot be patient in small instances then big ones will be ever out of reach. Do a little bit of patience practice and the capacity for patience grows. But don’t overdo it. I know people who confuse tolerance for patience and let it consume their will. That will not add up to good. That will tax the will until it breaks. There is a big difference between patience and putting up with something.

It’s funny how Horatio doesn’t say anything in response to this request from the king. He just goes and does it. And the king calls him good Horatio. It’s a little bit fishy. Is Horatio a double agent?
He’s got some weird privileges in this court. He seems to have everyone’s trust and it is never questioned. Where is he from? Why is he hanging around?
Even after Hamlet is deported, he’s still there. Why?
It’s very mysterious when you try to pull it apart

Now why doesn’t Claudius just let Laertes kill him right then? He clearly wants to. It would be kind of justified, too. Well, not, JUSTIFIED but certainly understandable. It would be so much more easily explained to the world. Hamlet went mad, jumped in Ophelia’s grave, insulted her brother and Laertes, infuriated, killed him. Done and done.

Is he afraid Hamlet will beat Laertes in a fight and then all his hard manipulation work would be lost?

Laertes must be losing in this fight because why else would the king want it broken up?
Like – I know he has a plan – but what if Laertes could just take care of Hamlet for him right then?
I suppose it’s a political choice.
He can’t appear to be allowing violence before him – in a woman’s grave, no less.

Also. Pluck them asunder is such a delightful turn of phrase. It’s one of those that, even if you don’t immediately know what “asunder” means or what plucking might have to do with anything, you can work out the sense in context. It’s the kind of phrase I can get a middle school boy who hates English class to get into.

I realized in my session with my Rubenfeld Synergist yesterday that I was longing to be a part of something wonderful – something that I didn’t have to lead. I want to be invited to the party, not host it. I want to join festivities already in progress.
I have mostly been leading those last years.
I am ready to follow for a change.

There is no explicit accusation of Gertrude here. He does not say, “You messed up” or “You destroyed my careful plan,” or “You meddling woman.”

But my woman’s brain hears an accusation anyway. We learn very early to read the smallest of signals, to see the first hint of threat.
There isn’t a threat written here and I’ve never seen one played – but I hear one. I hear a “Watch out, Gertrude.” I hear a “You’ll pay for this later.” I hear a “Why do you ruin everything?” and a “Why did you have to come in and tell him that bad news right then?” Probably this means that I’ve known too many assholes in my life. But I would be curious to see this moment played as the threat I hear.

This may be one of the most honest lines that Claudius says to another person. He really did have to work Laertes for a LONG time. But that work is not just calming, of course. That work was carefully manipulating his rage, carefully focusing it where he wanted it. But he DID have to do a LOT to “calm” him.