In Defiance of Death: Shakespeare and Tomb Sculpture

Abstract

Two distinct versions of the vanitas appear on late medieval and early modern double-decker tombs. On the one hand, medieval asceticism shows death triumphant and sculpted cadaver humiliated by its own mortality. On the other, Reformation humanism celebrates death as the gateway to eternity, allowing the skeletal dead to defy their own finitude. Shakespeare draws imagery and dramatic action from both traditions. 

Keywords: Effigy, Skeleton, Transi tombs, Hamlet, Cleopatra