Hamlet’s initial response is to question the ghost’s nature as being either good or evil. The fight between good and evil is a central theme of this play. Hamlet calls the ghost by his proper titles and questions as to why the ghost has come back. Hamlet is unsure whether the ghost is actually that of his father, yet he follows because he cares not for his life. He is not afraid and promises to make a ghost of Horatio and Marcellus if they prevent him from following the ghost. Horatio fears that the ghost is evil and is luring him to his death. The line that states Hamlet’s true feelings is “I do not set my life at a pin’s fee/ And for my soul, what can it do to that/ Being a thing as immortal as itself?” The line reiterates Hamlet’s desire to commit suicide out of despair earlier in Act I (pgs. 29,…
In this book “Hamlet” Hamlet is obsessed with suicide even though he never does it. Hamlet falls in deep love in the book and Hamlet's mother marries Hamlet's uncle after his uncle kills the king with poison. Claudius killed Hamlet Sr with poison in his ear and then not long after marries his wife. Hamlet then is told about a ghost that is haunting the kingdom Hamlet declares to see this ghost and ask it questions because they think it is his father. Hamlet sees the ghost and ask it what its purpose is for being in the kingdom and Hamlet says “To be, or not to be”(3.1.63) speech and he felt he needed to find the truth in the ghost’s words of wisdom so he would know how to respond to the ghost and that's how Hamlet finds out that Claudius…
During Shakespeare's lifetime people were, in general, more religiously devout and more likely to believe in spirits and ghosts. Spirits could be messengers from heaven or evil in nature. This is one reason Hamlet so readily believed his friends when they told him they had seen his father's ghost; he was also more likely to believe their story because his friend Horatio told it, and he is an intellectual. However, when Hamlet is all too willing to follow his father's ghost, his friends, Marcellus and Horatio, are very reluctant to follow.…
Hamlet is torn by this revelation, and responds with justified drama. Thus far Hamlet had a few reasons to hate Claudius; the ghost’s message emboldened everything he had suspected and even added to it. Previously in Act One, Hamlet had criticized Claudius for a few major grievances: for being opportunist upon the death of his father by marrying his newly widowed mother in order to seize the throne instead of Hamlet, for not properly mourning the king by waiting just a month to take his wife, and for acting like an animal by behaving in an incestuous and lustful manner. By playing on many of the same metaphors as Hamlet and bringing forth new claims too, the ghost- whose word the reader takes as truth- bolsters Hamlet’s claims.…
In Act I scene V, the ghost of King Hamlet intends to ensnare Hamlet because it seeks revenge against Claudius for killing him. The ghost of King Hamlet announced to Hamlet that he did not die from a snake bite but instead was killed by Claudius during the time of sleep. With Hamlet being desperate to communicate with his father, he is attentively listening to every word that the ghost of King Hamlet gives to him. The ghost of King Hamlet knows that Hamlet loves his father very much therefore he takes advantage of him by announcing that he must “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (I.V. 31). The ghost of King Hamlet is trying to entrap Hamlet into murdering Claudius by reassuring him that the deed or killing Claudius must be done…
The ghost in Hamlet is a manipulative figure who serves as a reflection of Hamlet’s perspective of his uncle. Hamlet is too distressed about his mother marrying his uncle and the death of his father for he himself to be considered reliable. As Horatio comments, “He waxes desperate with imagination,” portraying Hamlet’s desire to find something that may not even exist. Hamlet does speak to this “ghost” and confirms his own suspicions, as if this ghost simply existed to give Hamlet confirmation of what he already believed. This ghost also refuses to speak or be heard by anyone except Hamlet, putting into question its own existence. The ghost being part of Hamlet’s imagination is supported by Hamlet stating to Horatio, “My Father – methinks I…
In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the audience of Shakespeare’s time period as well as today’s audience would have recognized the play as a revenge tragedy. But, this is not your typical revenge tragedy but one with a twist. As in most Elizabethan revenge tragedies the ghost appeared to further the action or reaction of the hero. However, the ghost in Hamlet not only appears as part of the plot but surpasses the traditional role of the ghost and becomes an actual character within the play (Mandell).…
Method in the Madness: Hamlet's Sanity Supported Through His Relation to Ophelia and Edgar's Relation to Lear…
The ghost of hamlets father says to hamlet “so art thou to revenge, when thou shall hear.”(1.5.7) the ghost was asking when hamlet was going to get revenge on Claudius to set him free from purgatory. Hamlet and the spirit of his father are both looking for “seeking the truth and soul in eternity knowing the truth.” (121 Sister Miriam, joseph). Hamlet is seeking revenge which is truth, justice, once he has confirmed that Claudius the king killed hamlets father he knew the truth and took action as any other human would in this time period. “I consider the morality of the ghosts command from three points of view: the moral situation as grounded on custom and reason, the legal aspect and the special command.” (122 sister Miriam, joseph).…
I think a lot of the confusion that has been whipped up over Hamlet--including all the nonsense about his supposed inaction--is because Shakespeare didn't plant the dramatic idea of Hamlet's doubts of the ghost's veracity at the right place. If it had been placed right after…
Hamlet’s need to help the ghost starts from the moment he meets him, when the ghost describes his current dwelling place as being in “sulphurous and tormenting flames”. Hamlet feels pity towards…
Hamlet’s mind at first glance is not all it appears to be. One would believe Hamlet to be completely insane with everything that had transpired against him. The loss of his father and his mother’s hasty marriage should have driven his mind to utter desolation and insanity, but on the contrary these events only enhanced the fortitude of his mind and intellect. Hamlet’s ability to form coherent thoughts and his clear use of diction express his sanity; the weight of avenging his father’s death and woes over his mother’s betrayal have affected his emotions, but have not corrupted his mind.…
Hamlet was a man with religious beliefs, he is often referring to God in the play but is unsure whether the ghost is really his father’s spirit or if it is evil taking over his body. Hamlet was an educated man and wanted to be sure to do things correctly and make the right choices by fear of going to hell himself.…
Beginning in the first meeting between the ghost and Hamlet, the ghost can be seen to contradict itself as to its true identity. After describing its current state of purgatory as something that “would harrow up [Hamlet’s] soul, freeze [Hamlet’s] young blood, make [Hamlet’s] two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres,” (1.5.17-18) the ghost goes on to persuade Hamlet to revenge King Hamlet’s “foul and most unnatural murder.” (1.5.26) This request actually starkly contradicts the ghost’s depiction of purgatory for if purgatory is as bad as the ghost had made it seem, it wouldn’t have actively persuaded someone else to sin on its behalf because that is…
Gertrude, Claudius, Polonius and others base their convictions of Hamlet's insanity on his belief of the presence of a ghost. They are wrongfully condemning his guilt, because not only do others see the ghost, but also it makes a statement of its need to see Hamlet, and only him. Gertrude denied sight of the ghost of King Hamlet a few times throughout the play, but that is not true with everyone. Marcellus and Barnardo saw the ghost initially, and though they were unsure who the figure was, the two men were smart enough to find a more scholarly and cultured man to judge the identity of the figure. The play opens with Horatio, Marcellus, and Barnardo watching for the spirit. Horatio is skeptical at first, but after seeing the former king, he finds his friend Hamlet, and tells him what happened. That is the first time we meet the young Hamlet. He is confused and troubled upon hearing the news, but does not hesitate in volunteering to go see for himself. When they arrive at the tower and see the ghost, Horatio and Marcellus try to keep their friend Hamlet from going along with it. They knew so little about the image; it could very well have been a war omen, or a demon. After he is certain that the figure is the Dane, and not a demon, Hamlet converses with it. His father tells…