Ponderings and questions regarding the human condition are strewn throughout Shakespeare’s "Hamlet," such as the meaning of life, the existence or inexistence of a greater being (as evidenced by the opening line, “Who’s there?”) which prelude the pivotal scene in which Hamlet has a great epiphany which, for all his intents and purposes, calms some percolating conflicts which have transpired throughout the course of the play. Hamlet has been plagued by man, whom he believes should rise to lofty ideals yet have adhered to their own menial “trifling of favours” rather than using their high endowment for the good of mankind. Once referring to his fellows as a mere “quintessence of dust,” pestilential, while he aligned himself with God, Hamlet realizes in his epiphany the true purpose of life -- to forge relationships and by doing so, having a positive effect on humanity which can and will perpetuate throughout those one has affected, even after one’s inevitable demise.
In the graveyard scene, Hamlet must confront his own mortality, being faced with the reminder of the death of Yorick and later with the ripe death of his now beloved Ophelia. He realizes as he clutches Yorick’s skull that even such a man of as infinite jest as Yorick is susceptible to this circuitous decaying process -- that though there is neither validation nor conclusive evidence confirming life after death, one’s personality can and does live on. Though Yorick’s body may have become no more than a temple for rot and vermin, his vitality, his vivacity, his humor, and the impact such qualities had on those around him is apparent through the effect such cherished memories have had on Hamlet, having etched themselves into Hamlet’s mind and character forevermore. Because Yorick died, however, when Hamlet was a young, impressionable child and being that they had an obviously intimate relationship, it impacted the latter permanently, making him fear to love for in his...