I wonder if a dying voice carries more weight in this political system. Does a dying voice confer extra legitimacy? Like – a living one might be subject to challenge. If a perfectly healthy Hamlet declared Fortinbras his successor, perhaps all the advisors would gather together and say, “Oh, no, no, not Fortinbras. No. I mean, obviously, we’re expecting you to live long and forever and should anything happen to you by then you will have a son, of course, so not Fortinbras, no, not even in the meantime – just in case. Why not pick Reginald here? I mean, he’s actually Danish for one thing.”
But a dying voice. A dying voice is not one you can argue with. I guess that’s the point.
The Hamlet Project 