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Why does Hamlet hold a human skull during his soliloquy?

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It is always good to think of Hamlet as a script and not a work of literature to be read. Shakespeare did not publish play scripts. They were hand written for the actors to use in production. There were no directors as such in his day. read more

Hamlet isn’t holding the skull during his most famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy. He holds up the skull during his speech in the presence of Horatio and the gravedigger. He is holding the skull during the speech because the skull belonged to someone he knew as a child, Yorick. read more

Hamlet's constant brooding about death and humanity comes to a (grotesque) head in the infamous graveyard scene, where Hamlet holds up the unearthed skull of Yorick, a court jester Hamlet knew and loved as a young boy. The skull itself is a physical reminder of the finality of death. read more

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