'Hamlet', memory and ghosts in Joyce's 'Ulysses'

What is it about?

Ghosts are of central importance to Shakespeare's 'Hamlet', as to James Joyce's 'Ulysses'. In this exploration of 'Hades' (chapter 6 of 'Ulysses'), I argue that the logic of Hamlet's relation to his ghostly father is repeated in Bloom's relation to his dead and ghostly son, Rudy. Just as the Ghost in 'Hamlet' controls the narrative, so too does Rudy help Bloom to live his life. The irony of this is that rather than wisdom being passed from father to son, as in 'Hamlet', instead the son is more powerful in 'Hades' than the father, ultimately helping the latter to live his life to the full.

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Why is it important?

This article focuses on memory primarily, an important topic of discussion, especially in Ireland, currently commemorating the revolutionary period through the 'Decade of Centenaries'. It also suggests that rather than the common assertion that Stephen Dedalus and his story be thought of through the framework of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet', Bloom also has a claim to that play, remembering as he does the importance of ghosts to living life today.

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