Rites of Mourning: Plague and Remembrance in Hamlet and Hamnet

Presentation Type

Research Study

Release Option

Metadata Only

Description

In 1596, William Shakespeare's son, Hamnet, passed away. The cause of his death has never been clear, but many people believe it was a result of bubonic plague. Maggie O'Farrell's 2020 novel, Hamnet, tells a fictional story of Hamnet's family as they deal with the aftermath of losing him to the disease. The novel ends with William Shakespeare putting on his first performance of Hamlet as his wife watches. When taking the backstory regarding Hamnet Shakespeare into consideration, themes such as plague and remembrance, which are obvious in Hamnet, become much clearer in Hamlet. The main difference is that Hamnet gives a realistic representation of a family losing a loved one during a pandemic, while Hamlet only alludes to the plague, mainly through its language. Although the representations of plague are different, both works deal with the theme of remembrance, as they both depict people mourning the loss of family members. This theme is obvious throughout Hamlet, as Hamlet's main goal is make sure his father is remembered, per his request. It is clear in Hamnet as well, as it ends where Hamlet's goal begins, when the novel concludes with Shakespeare, who is playing the ghost, looking to his wife from the stage and saying the ghost's last words to his son in act 1 of the play: "Remember me."

Presenters/Co-Presenters

Destinee Walker

Faculty Mentor

Julia Griffin

Department of Primary Presenter's Major

Other

Symposium Year

2024