Theme Of Memory In Hamlet

In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet’s father’s ghost vanishes in Act 1, with the parting words of “Remember me” (1.5.91). Hamlet responded to this utterance with the following:
Tracing the theme of memory and remembrance in the above excerpt from Hamlet reveals how through the act of preserving the memory of his father, Hamlet relinquish his remembrance of the other characters, causing him to go mad.
The inclusion of multiple forms of address in the absence of an addressee emphasizes the idea of Hamlet attempting to grapple with memory. Hamlet began his soliloquy with “, O all host of heaven! O earth! What else? …O fie!” (1.5.92-93). Although, one could argue that because Hamlet’s plea is geared towards a superhuman being, an

Hamlet stated “, Yea, from the table of my memory/ While memory holds a seat” (1.5.96). The memory of Hamlet’s father is simply sitting at this table of Hamlet’s thoughts, without moving. Which explains why Hamlet is unable to move pass the thought of his father because his memory is forever alive in his brain. Therefore, any memory or thought that emerges is greeted by the presence of his father’s memory. This presence drove Hamlet’s interaction with Laertes. Hamlet initially perceived Laertes based off his memory of him, as being a “very noble youth,” but then a switch occurred that made Hamlet skeptical of Laertes (5.1.214). Hamlet began to question Laertes demeanor at the funeral and categorized his actions as attempts to directly undermine him, even though Hamlet’s presence was unknown to the funeral attendees (5.1.266-267). Without the presence of Hamlet’s father’s memory, Hamlet would have accepted Laertes with his initial title without skepticism, but, that lingering memory of Hamlet’s father causes the memory of Laertes to be skewed. Because Hamlet related everything back to his death, he was not able to see Laertes as an entity separated from the madness. Madness is defined in the OED as a moment of psychosis (where connections with the external world are lost because of mental and emotional impairments). The mental impairment that affected Hamlet was the memory of his father. Thus, the constant presence of Hamlet’s father’s memory clouded Hamlet’s memories of the other characters, ultimately leading towards his decline into