There is also considerable debate around the death of Polonius and what it signifies. A. C. Bradley claims Polonius’ death is Hamlet being “punished” for not killing Claudius; Craig Hardin agrees that the mistake of not killing Claudius, led to the mistake of killing Polonius. Yet, this seems an unlikely explanation, Shakespeare would have undoubtedly created a greater purpose for his death than that. Roderick Benedix writes of Polonius' death as serving a dramatic purpose, "inasmuch as it is the cause of Ophelia's madness”. To which John Draper, L. L. Schücking and G. L. Kitteridge would agree. Yet, as Katherine Mansfield, Graham Bradshaw and Carrol Camden would contest, this seems improbable giving the songs she signs about Hamlet (“he is dead and gone”) and the guilt she feels for “sucki[ing the honey out of his music vows”. Rather, I would argue that the ultimate purpose of Polonius’ death is in highlighting the corruption and deception prevalent in his Machiavellian politics. The death of Polonius, who is the “clear representation of Machiavellian politics”, represents his nature as a “perennial spy” (Myron Taylor). Indeed, in this way, Polonius could represent Sir Francis Walsingham, the chief spymaster of Elizabeth, charged with uncovering the various plots against her – the same task is demanded of Polonius. His circumlocutory speech represents his devious nature. Polonius states “why day is day, night night, and time is time,/ Were nothing but to waste night, day and time”. The periphrasis and repetition suggests his indirect approach. The dramatic irony of wasting time creates humour as the audience realises his circumlocution wastes time. Indeed, the Queen’s infamous concise statement “more matter, with less art” not only criticises his speech but also through juxtaposition of length highlights his circuitousness. This speech shows Polonius’ deceptive nature, which is emphasised through the allusion to the Elizabethan game of bowls, where one must not aim directly, but weigh his bowl’s “bias”. Just like in speech, Polonius does not aim directly but only by “indirection”. In this way Polonius’ death is used to highlight his deception, his spying, his corruption. Indeed, Taylor is correct to say that “Polonius dies at that moment when his being is most clearly revealed; when his existence and his essence are at one, when appearance and reality are identical”. Shakespeare uses his death to highlight his prying nature.
Lastly, it is claimed that Hamlet personifies death. G. Wilson Knight declares that Hamlet is the “ambassador of death walking amid life”. In this interpretation Hamlet’s “inky cloak” and “suits of solemn black” is symbolic of death, furthermore his collusion with the Ghost, emphasised by the shared lines, represents that his “philosophy is…the negation of life. It is death” (Knight). However, I would argue that this is a flawed interpretation – his philosophy rather coincides with the emergence of existentialist thought. Shakespeare is building upon the writings of Sir Francis Bacon and Sir Walter Raleigh. Indeed, A. D. Nuttal argues that “‘Shakespeare has…much to do with existentialism”. For instance, Hamlet declares that we all will “returneth to dust”, the caesuras emphasise the finality of this philosophy. Yet, rather than being a negation of life this philosophy is just reflective of existentialist writings, Michel de Montaigne writes that “there is no permanent existence in our being”. Richard Fly also disagrees with Knight; Fly states that Hamlet in his final moments is the “most life-affirming of all Shakespeare’s tragic protagonists”. Such a view seems coherent, Hamlet rages against the dying of the light. He escapes the possibility of being beheaded in England, dying at sea, being killed in the hands of pirates; the attack of Laertes and later stoically inspires Horatio not to kill himself. Hamlet dies sword in hand “struggling heroically against various forms of ignoble death” (Fly). In this way Hamlet’s “inky cloak is ambiguous” – it also represents “respect for his father” and a “desire…to detach himself” (John Kerrigan). Hamlet is far from the “ambassador of death” as Knight claims. Death remains important throughout Hamlet in shedding light on the nature of different characters and creating pathos. Death certainly seems “inevitable” (Fly) – the fast paced tempo of Act IV races towards the unavoidable end, and in the last scene, the longest final scene in Shakespearian tragedy, the majority of the main characters do die. Yet, it would be too far to say, “the theme of Hamlet is death” (Knight). Death remains instrumentally and symbolically significant through Hamlet but it is far from the most prominent overriding theme.
Memory and remembrance also play an important part in Hamlet. Indeed, the word memory occurs more than twice as often in Hamlet than in any other Shakespeare play. The Ghost of Hamlet’s father reconciles death and remembrance in Hamlet. He is presented as a “dramatised memory” (James Hammersmith) that commands Hamlet and instigates the plot. His declarative parting injunction “remember me” “requires exclusive dedication to the task of vengeance” (Michael Andrews). Such is the command of remembrance, that it has an immediate impact on Hamlet. He repeats in his next soliloquy “remember thee!” twice in the first six lines. The use of caesura before both statements and the grammatical parallelism in both creates a sense of the commandment being ingrained into Hamlet’s memory. Hamlet even alludes to the importance of this order through the repeated use of the exclamation mark. Hamlet, in labelling his father’s wish a “commandment”, references the biblical 10 commandments. This not only creates a sense of moral dilemma but it also shows how Hamlet, like a Christian will live his life according to the 10 commandments, will live his according to this command. Indeed, as Kerrigan argues, “with this command the ghost condemns Hamlet to an endless, fruitless ‘yearning for the lost figure’”. Indeed, Caden Feldman-Gubbay contends that it is wrong to suggest it is a “test of love”; it is more a “burden of memory” (Andrews). The use of a ghost as a form of memory in the afterlife also creates doubt in the Elizabethan audience. Hamlet is performed after the Protestant Reformation in the context of 16th century England moving from Catholicism to Protestantism. This allows Shakespeare to use the ghost to create a sense of uncertainty, as Protestantism rejected their existence (Hamlet shows this when he states “the spirit…may be the devil”) whilst Catholics did not. The Ghost as a symbol of memory and conflicting beliefs about the afterlife is important in deciding Hamlet’s fate at the end of the play.
Yet remembrance also plays a significant part elsewhere in the play. Memory is used by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to “mark their betrayal of Hamlet” (Kerrigan). They deliberately align themselves with Claudius’ memory – their salary will “receive such thanks/ as fits a King’s remembrance”. The financial lexis surrounding this passage, “expend, supply, profit”, contributes to the collusion of memory. The sharing of lines between Rosencrantz and the Queen also compounds this alliance. Furthermore, memory is used when Fortinbras asserts his claim to the throne. His declarative statement, “I have some rights of memory in this Kingdom” due to his father creates a cathartic denouement, in line with Aristotelian principles, which gives satisfaction to the memory of the audience. Fortinbras’ claim due to memory is based in Sir Francis Bacons’ maxim that “if a man have a right to land, and do not make his entry for terror of force, the law allows him a continued claim”. The continuity of the past and memory enables Fortinbras to claim the throne, Hamlet also gave him his “dying voice”, and for Shakespeare to achieve catharsis and resolution; a future without political corruption. Indeed, the problems over succession could also reflect the continual problems Elizabeth faced during her reign. Yet, the “burden of memory passes to Horatio” (Andrews), in Horatio’s memory Hamlet lives on. Thus despite Hamlet’s concerns about the finality of death and the return to “dust”, as the memento mori of Yorrick’s skull suggests, Hamlet is able to achieve life beyond death. Through the memory of Horatio he creates “the possibility of survival through memory” (Kerrigan).
In conclusion, both death and remembrance are vital themes in ‘Hamlet’. The final scene, with its slow paced tempo (in contrast to Act IV), thoughtfully deliberates on these two subjects. Death, which instigates the play from the ghost of the murdered King to the passing of the rightful King, permeates and infiltrates the court. Yet, death would have much less significance if it were not for remembrance. It is only through memory that Hamlet can reminisce about Yorrick or Alexander the Great and it only through memory that Hamlet, the play and the character, live on.
by
hgjvjvhhvhecomuscouk (student)
