Hamlet is one of the most memorable Shakespearean plays due to the focus on a young prince`s struggle with obeying the ghostly figure that we witness briefly on stage. The ghost is certainly an important figure in shaping the outcome of this revenge tragedy. Thus, we must ponder what is the ghost and how it can be interpreted in a plethora of ways. It is arguably seen as the spirit of Hamlet`s father, a figment of his imagination and being Shakespeare himself. Therefore, this essay will examine these potential answers to the question.
The most common answer to the question has always been that the ghost is the spirit of the dead king Hamlet, returning to comfort his grieving young son left inconsolable by his loss and to provide answers for
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It has been argued by many literary critics that the ghost is a figment of Hamlet`s imagination, despite Barnardo, Mercutio and Horatio witnessing it before the prince, potentially indicating that it is real because three level headed characters view it first. However, the characters are hesitant about the ghost with Marcellus insisting that they “question it “whilst Barnardo seems to believe “its` not something more than fantasy” which creates uncertainty about the figure`s identity. Many events over the course of the play indicate Hamlet`s fragile state of mind and how the ghost is only present in his thoughts. For example, the prince`s obsession with his mother`s infidelity could be a reason for the ghost instructing him to murder Claudius. Perhaps the spirit wants him to avenge his father`s death so that he can have his mother to himself? Also, can it ever be said that the ghost speaks the absolute truth? For example, it says that his father suffered the “most unnatural murder” but can there be such a thing as a “foul and most natural murder”? . The flaws that arise create speculation about the ghostly figure. It is only when he contemplates suicide “to be or not to be that is the question” that he finally begins to recognise the permanency of death as being “the undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveller returns”. It appears that he accepts the likelihood of the ghost not descending from purgatory after all supporting the argument that it is not
He begins by questioning who the ghost is and why it has come in the form of the dead king of Denmark (ll. 46-49). In line 46, Horatio uses the term “usurp’st,” which, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is defined as “[taking] the place of someone in a position of power illegally”(Oxford English Dictionary, 2015). This demonstrates that Horatio does not believe that this apparition is the spirit of Hamlet’s father, for he accuses the ghost of stealing the form of the king. Following this accusation, Marcellus states that the spirit seems offended by what Horatio as said and Barnardo points out that it begins to walk away (ll. 50-51). When delivering these lines, the actors of Marcellus and Barnardo should sound concerned, for they would like to figure out what this apparition is before taking the news of it to Hamlet.
Therefore, when he hears the eavesdropper and kills him, he thinks that it is the killer of his father. This foreshadows the future events that Hamlet will undergo to avenge his father. The open door ultimately provides a symbolic relationship to the thoughts of Hamlet; he is on the edge of whether or not he should take revenge on the killer of his father. When he fully enters the room to talk to his mother, the door is closed which symbolizes that his locked up inner thoughts are now being shared with his mother and only with her.
He known as the one of the guard in Hamlet, and he saw the ghost who is the King Hamlet’s spirit. The ghost appeared at the midnight with the smoke. 3. Why does Marcellus think Horatio
In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the Ghost's use of cynical diction and vicious imagery in his speech emphasizes his contempt for Claudius and Gertrude, aligning the reader with Hamlet's vengeful feelings towards them. The Ghost's description of Claudius as "incestuous" and Gertrude as a seemingly-virtuous queen creates a negative perception of them in the reader's mind. The imagery of the serpent and garbage used by the Ghost reinforces this negative perception, creating a vivid picture of Claudius and Gertrude's actions that aligns the reader with Hamlet's disdain for them. Act 1, scene 5 of Shakespeare's Hamlet is Prince Hamlet's first encounter with his deceased father who exists between the borders of life and death, presenting himself as a ghost
This is explained by the Ghost when Hamlet learns of his father being murdered in Act 1 Scene 5, in lines 35 -39, “’Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard, A serpent stung me. So the whole ear of Denmark Is by a forged process of my death Rankly abused. But know, thou noble youth, The serpent that did sting thy father’s life . Now wears his crown.” 2) The soliloquies that Hamlet provides over the sequence of the entire play allows us to distinguish what Hamlet was thinking about and display how he was losing his sanity.
A few soldiers on guard report to him that his father’s ghost has been seen, and he sees the ghost when he goes with them the next night. The ghost tells him that his uncle killed him to get his crown and his wife, and makes Hamlet swear to avenge his death. Hamlet decides to pretend to be
In the Tragedy of Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, some of the most significant events are mental or psychological events that make the audience feel and have an emotional connection with the characters. These significant events can be awakenings, discoveries, and changes in consciousness that set off a mental or psychological effect to the readers. The author, Shakespeare, gives these internal events to characters such as Ophelia, Gertrude, and Hamlet throughout the play to give the sense of excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated with external action. Ophelia is the daughter of Polonius and the sister of Laertes who both tell her to stop seeing Hamlet. To Polonius, Ophelia is an eternal virgin who is going to be a dutiful
It is not only his presence, but also his words that suggest the idea of death, as the Ghost gives the account of his murder - ‘Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole with juice of cursed hebenon in a vial, and in the porches of my ears did pour the leperous distilment, whose effect holds such an enmity with blood of man that swift as quicksilver it courses through the natural gates and alleys of the body, and with a sudden vigour it doth posset and curd, like eager droppings into milk, the thin and wholesome blood. So did it mine, and a most instant tetter bark’d about, most lazar-like, with vile and loathsome crust all my smooth body.’ Not only does Hamlet have to plan his revenge, but he must also deal with his ideas about death. Old Hamlet’s murder begins the theme of death in “Hamlet”. Hamlet’s vow to avenge his father’s murder and consequent plot to kill Claudius ultimately leads to the deaths of his future father-in-law Polonius, his bride to be Ophelia, his mother Queen Gertrude, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Claudius, Laertes and Hamlet
In the midst of Hamlet’s confrontation with his mother, the ghost appears and stares at him. Hamlet breaks down and tells the ghost not to look at him that way unless he wants him to cry instead of being powerful enough to get his revenge. While this happens, Gertrude holds to the belief that her son has gone mad as she watches him talk to himself. Gertrude can not see or hear the
First, King Hamlet’s ghost affects action when he first appears in the play. When he first appears, he doesn’t even speak. When he finally does speak, he only talks to his son, Prince Hamlet. The ghost says, “I am thy father’s spirit… Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (1.5.9,25 Hamlet).
His ghost influences the actions of Hamlet in various ways throughout the story. The ghost influences the theme of revenge by telling Hamlet to avenge his death and go after his uncle, alters the development of characters, namely Hamlet, by changing who he is as a person. The ghost of King Hamlet is the reason for the events of the play even occurring. He influences the theme of the play by planting the seeds in Hamlet’s mind to make him want to get revenge on his uncle in the first place. Lastly, the ghost influences character development because what he tells Prince Hamlet and, in a roundabout way, makes him do, shapes Young Hamlet into a different person than he was previously.
Act 1 of Hamlet, written by Shakespeare, begins with two sentienals discussing how the dead king of Denmark has appeared to them in the past two nights as a ghost, dissappearing quickly each time. Tonight, they have brought along Horatio, a wise scholar, to witness the ghost. The ghost appears, then quickly dissappears. The conversation shifts to political matters.
The ghost appears and disappears, and Horatio is surprised with how similar it looks to the late King Hamlet. Horatio believes that the ghost’s appearance must be warning of an attack on Denmark. He says that it will most likely come from Fortinbras, the prince of Norway, whose father was killed by King Hamlet himself.
Or it can be seen as the ghost being some type of evil spirit trying to destroy hamlet through bad advice. The ghost is simply trying to free its spirit from purgatory and not trying to destroy hamlet, this is evident due to the fact that we know that Claudius killed Hamlet’s father in cold blood before he could pray for his sins. The ghosts role in the play is to tell Hamlet how he truly died. The nature in which the ghost appears in the play changes from appearance to appearance.
The men are spooked of the revelation and decide that they must tell Hamlet of the ghost’s presence. Henceforth, Hamlet wants to see the ghost himself and follows Barnardo, Marcellus, and Horatio, to where they recently saw the ghost. Once again, the ghost appears. This occurrence shows that Hamlet is not