Hamlet’s Memories

Hamlet’s Memories

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is one of the greatest plays ever written. Hamlet consists of all the elements necessary for a tragedy: crime, madness, corruption, and victims. The play begins with the appearance of King Hamlet, the ghost. The ghost reveals that his brother, the present King Claudius, murdered him to gain the power of the throne and marry his widow, present Queen Gertrude. The ghost orders Hamlet (his son) to seek revenge on the new king. The appearance of the ghost is the main event that begins to fuel Hamlet’s determination to avenge his father’s death while also rekindling memories of his father, the late King Hamlet. Thus, throughout the play, it becomes obvious Hamlet is the only one continuing to mourn his father while everyone else (including the queen) is going back to their daily lives. This action further impels Hamlet to be loyal to his father and makes him focus his attention on doing everything in his power to remove King Claudius not just from the throne but also from his mother’s bedroom.

The most powerful words spoken by the ghost are “Remember Me”. The ghost asks Hamlet not just to achieve justice for him but also to tell all the truth about his death. Hamlet of course appeases his father. He tries to keep the memory of his father alive by faithfully wearing black mourning clothes at all times and showing his grief for all to see.

“Seems, madam? Nay, it is. I know not seems.

‘Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother

“Nor Customary suits of solemn black,

Nor windy suspiration of forc’d breath,

No nor the fruitful river in the eye,

Nor the dejected havior of the visage,

Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief,

That can denote me truly. These indeed seem,

For they are actions that a man might play.

But I have that within which passes show;

These but the trappings and the suits of woe”… (Act I, ii).

Hamlet is speaking to his mother, Queen Gertrude, refusing to stop wearing black clothes just because everyone else has. His refusal is not solely based on his promise to his father but it is also encouraged by his feelings of betrayal by his mother, who less than a month of King Hamlet’s death married her brother in law. Queen Gertrude’s response to Hamlet is “all that lives must die, passing through nature to eternity”… (Act I, ii).

Another tactic Hamlet uses to keep the memories of his father alive is continuously praising King Hamlet every chance he gets. Usually, Hamlet exalts his father’s attributes when he is deeply saddened and alone or when he is talking to his mother.

“So excellent a King, that was to this

Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother

That her might not beteem the winds of heaven

Visit her face to roughly. Heaven and earth,

Must I remember?”… (Act I, ii).

When Hamlet is giving these tributes to his father it shows Hamlet’s unwavering devotion and admiration of King Hamlet. It also seems that when he is giving a speech about his father, Hamlet seems to be agitated in the beginning but as he ends the speech he calms down. For example when the ghost accuses King Claudius “Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast, With witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts,”… (Act I, v) Hamlet’s instant response begins as an explosive outburst, “O all you host of heaven! O earth! What else? And shall I couple hell? O, fie! Hold, hold, my heart;”… (Act I, v). However, at the end of his speech Hamlet sounds steady and unwavering when he promises his father to seek retribution “So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word; It is “Adieu, adieu! Remember me”, I have sworn’t”… (Act I, v). Thus, Hamlet’s speeches may not only be for his father but an anchor for his own mental stability. There is a psychological need for Hamlet to revive the memories of his father. Now, Hamlet feels there is a purpose to living and that purpose is probably the only thing that keeps Hamlet from committing suicide.

Hamlet is also obsessed with trying to convince his mother that King Claudius (her second husband) is evil and was the one responsible for King Hamlet’s death. He tries to get his mother to remember King Hamlet and compare him to King Claudius. Hamlet