| Yorick | |
|---|---|
| Hamlet character | |
.jpg) Yorick's skull in the 'gravedigger scene' (5.1), depicted byEugène Delacroix | |
| Created by | William Shakespeare |
| Portrayed by |
|
Yorick is anunseen character inWilliam Shakespeare's playHamlet. He is the dead courtjester whoseskull is exhumed by theFirst Gravedigger in Act 5, Scene 1, of the play. The sight of Yorick's skull evokes a reminiscence byPrince Hamlet of the man, who apparently played a role during Hamlet's upbringing:
Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio; a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy; he hath borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is! My gorge rises at it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know not how oft. Where be your gibes now? Your gambols? Your songs? Your flashes of merriment, that were wont to set the table on a roar? (Hamlet, V.i)
It is suggested that Shakespeare may have intended his audience to connect Yorick with theElizabethan comedianRichard Tarlton, a celebrated performer of the pre-Shakespearean stage, who had died in 1588.[1][2]
The name Yorick has been interpreted as an attempt to render a Scandinavian forename: usually eitherEric orJørg, a form of the nameGeorge.[3] The nameRorik has also been suggested, asSaxo Grammaticus wrote that this wasthe grandfather ofAmleth, who served as the inspiration for Hamlet.[4] Alternative suggestions include the ideas that it may be derived from the Old Norse name of the city ofYork (Jórvík),[5] or that it is a near-anagram of the Greek wordKyrios and thus a reference to the Catholic martyrEdmund Campion.[6]
The earliest known printed image of Hamlet holding Yorick's skull is a 1773 engraving byJohn Hall after a design byEdward Edwards, in Bell's edition of Shakespeare's plays.[7] The image of Hamlet holding Yorick's skull has become a popular trope in media, becoming ametonymic symbol for acting and theatre as a whole.[8] A bronze statue depicting Hamlet with the skull of Yorick is located inStratford-upon-Avon, the birth town of William Shakespeare, and skull imagery is commonly used in souvenirs and artwork throughout the town.[8] In theatrical productions ofHamlet, Yorick is typically portrayed with a fake skull. Skulls of Yorick have been made from materials such as wood, plaster, papier-mâché, fibreglass, and plastic. However, real human skulls have also been used for the role.[2]
PianistAndré Tchaikowsky donated his skull to theRoyal Shakespeare Company for use in theatrical productions, hoping that it would be used as the skull of Yorick. Tchaikowsky died in 1982. His skull was used during rehearsals for a 1989 RSC production ofHamlet starringMark Rylance, but the company eventually decided to use a replica skull in the performance.[9] In 2008, Tchaikowsky's skull was used byDavid Tennant in an RSC production ofHamlet at the Courtyard Theatre,Stratford-upon-Avon.[10] It was later announced that the skull had been replaced, after it became apparent that news of the skull distracted the audience too much from the play.[11] This was untrue, however, and the skull was used as a prop throughout the run of the production after its move toLondon's West End.[12]
Multiple other individuals have bequeathed their skulls to be used to represent Yorick in productions ofHamlet. Noteworthy examples include a horse thief named Fontaine, whose skull was used byJunius Brutus Booth andEdwin Booth;[13] John "Pop" Reed, a stagehand whose skull was donated to theWalnut Street Theatre;[14][15] andGeorge Frederick Cooke, whose skull was used, without his consent, for a production ofHamlet.[16] In 1955, an Argentinian man named Juan Potomachi vowed to leave 200,000 pesos to the Teatro Dramatico inBuenos Aires on the condition that his skull be preserved and used for the role of Yorick – his request was granted.[17][18]
American actorDel Close asked that his skull be used to represent Yorick. This did not happen because nobody was willing to decapitate him and prepare the skull. Charna Halpern, the executor of Close's will, donated a skull to theGoodman Theatre, but later admitted it was actually purchased from a medical supply company. Close's real skull was cremated with the rest of his body.[19] Additionally, actorsDavid Tennant and Jonathan Hartman have said they desire for their skulls to be used as Yorick after their deaths.[20][21]
The symbol of Yorick's skull has become so iconic in theatre that it has occasionally been regarded ascliché, and some directors have sought to alter the scene. The production ofHamlet directed byThomas Ostermeier, first performed at theSchaubühne in 2008, removed the scene with the gravediggers, instead alluding to Yorick with an image of a skull projected onto Hamlet's face. TheRoyal Exchange production starringMaxine Peake kept the scene, but replaced Yorick's skull with a sweater.[2] InKenneth Branagh's1996 film adaptation, Yorick is seen alive, in flashbacks to Hamlet's youth, played by actor and comedianKen Dodd.[22]
