Misremembering Hamlet at Elsinore

Abstract

Memory is a persistent theme in Hamlet. In the play, memories mobilise emotions and, through them, instigate actions. Memories of previous Hamlets are evoked in performance, whether deliberately, unwittingly, or even deceptively. In order to better understand the multiple functions of memory in Hamlet, this essay considers Hamlet Live, a reduced, promenade version of the play performed at Kronborg Castle, Hamlet’s Elsinore, drawing on approaches including Pierre Nora’s lieux de mémoire, Virginia Woolf’s literary pilgrimage, Marvin Carlson’s spatial haunting, Edward Soja’s Thirdspace, Gertrude Stein’s syncopated time, and Rebecca Schneider’s historical reenactment.