Memory And Remembrance Of The Dead In Hamlet

The importance of memory and remembrance of the dead in Hamlet can be examined in three facets. Firstly, through how the act of remembering the dead examines practices of mourning. The play is about what it means to remember, therefore tensions are created between characters when they choose to cope with the memory of the dead in different ways. Secondly, the importance of remembering the dead is that it fuels the actions taken in the play, as the events of the play are a fallout of Hamlet’s bid to remember his father. Thirdly, the importance of memory and remembrance of the dead is that the impact vengful actions have on the character’s of the play. Shakespeare depicts the demise of the character’s as a result of Hamlet’s need to remember.

In the final acts of the play, remembrance has become defined by the actions which Hamlet must take to avenge his father. The effect of this remembrance on the play is that it leads to the demise of the royal family of Denmark. Gana argues that ‘at the end of Hamlet, the engine of repetition is set running at full entropie throttle: Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, and Laertes all die poisoned in just the same manner that King Hamlet met his death.’ Hamlet’s motivation to kill Claudius ends with the death of many, including himself. In a bid to remember one, many have died. Hamlet seems to have forgotten in his father’s plea to be remembered, he warned Hamlet ‘But howsomever thou pursuest this act,/ Taint not the mind, nor let thy soul contrive/ Against thy mother aught' (I.v.84-86). These terms under which King Hamlet wanted to be remembered were not met. Hamlet’s mental state is commented upon consistently by those around him and his mother dies. This shows remembrance of the dead, as defined by seeking justice, is unable to be reached. The chaos which ends the play is evidence of this. Even if Hamlet carried out the murder of Claudius successfully, it is arguable that Hamlet never could have kept both his mental stability and his mother from harm, as both would be damaged by this action.

The remembrance of the dead allows for friction between Hamlet, Claudius and Gertrude to be created due to their different methods of viewing death. This also explains the willingness with which Hamlet accepts the vengeful act his father bestows on him, as he continued to mourn his father’s death while his family had accepted it. The importance of rememering the dead allowed for the action of the play to exist, as it is this remembrance which created Hamlet’s plot of revenge. Finally, the importance of the remembrance of the dead in Hamlet is that it conjures actions laden in revenge, which leads to the violent end to the