AMBASSADORS                     The sight is dismal

And our affairs from England come too late.

The ears are senseless that should give us hearing

To tell him his commandment is fulfilled

That Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead.

Where should we have our thanks?

HORATIO                               Not from his mouth,

Had it th’ability of life to thank you;

He never gave commandment for their death.       (5.2.351-358)

The shell-shocked Ambassadors (or ambassador) state the obvious with commendable English reserve: the sight is dismal and our affairs from England come too late. Oooops. Sorry? The ears are senseless that should give us hearing—looking at Claudius, still obviously the king, albeit, well, dead—to tell him his commandment is fulfilled that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. We did exactly as he asked, even though he’s not alive to hear our report! They’re dead! We checked their ID and everything, all the papers were in order! (It’s a reminder for the audience, first of that little loose end of plot and then, even more complicatedly, that Hamlet sent his old friends to their deaths.) So, where should we have our thanks? Who’s in charge now? (And there can be a slightly accusatory note, even: we did this slightly tricky diplomatic thing for you, and we’d like more favourable terms on the next round of trade negotiations, once you’ve worked out who’s giving the orders. Yes, we can see it might be this nice Norwegian man with the soldiers, yes.) Horatio is scrupulously honest: not from his mouth, that is, from Claudius, even had it th’ability of life to thank you. Even if he were capable of speaking, which he’s not, obviously, being dead, he wouldn’t be thanking you, because he never gave commandment for their death. The order didn’t come from him. And he’s just going to leave that hanging, because Horatio is running on fumes at this point and he’s got other things he needs to say.