The Hamlet Project

Last words. These are the ghost’s last words,
Hamlet’s father’s last words. He died suddenly
So he did not get any real last words in.
Presumably he said something to Gertrude like
“Have a nice walk. I’m just gonna grab a couple winks here.”
Or “This is some nice soft grass. I’ll have to remember
To compliment the royal gardener.” Or
“Hmmph. Remind me to skip the beans next time the cook makes tacos.”
But as a ghost –
He gets to leave his son with something.
He leaves him with a French goodbye
He leaves him with a request to live in his memory.
Hamlet, in production, often seems to quote the ghost here
Or use this line as an oath. Which makes sense
Because he says, after it, that he has sworn it.
But I wonder what would happen if there were
Some sense of poignancy here
Some savoring of what they both imagine will
Be their last exchange. It’s no “Either that wallpaper goes or I do.”
It’s not pithy or wise but there is a longing, a loss, a permanence.