One of the most famous names in English drama belongs to a character who never appears on stage and is, in fact, long dead before the play’s action begins. In the graveyard scene of Act V, Hamlet comes across a skull and acknowledges it with the words, ‘‘Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him Horatio: / A fellow of infinite jest’’ (V.i.184). In short order, Hamlet tells us that Yorick was once the court fool (it is interesting to note that no one has replaced him in this part). Hamlet harbors a sentimental affection for the deceased jester, who once gave him piggyback rides and...
Source: eNotes Publishing, ©2012 eNotes.com, Inc.. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
(The entire page is 190 words.)
Want to read the whole thing?
Subscribe to eNotes for access to this content as well as thousands of study guides and critical materials. SUBSCRIBE
