Preview

The Ghost Of Hamlet Sir In William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
596 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Ghost Of Hamlet Sir In William Shakespeare's Hamlet
In Literature, there is more often than not a character who appears briefly if at all, but whose scarce appearances play a predominant role in the piece. An example of such character would be the Ghost of Hamlet Sir in William Shakespeare's Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark. Although the ghost of Hamlet Sir appears only three times in the play, he significantly affects the action, theme, and the development of other characters. Hamlet does, in fact, believe that foul play was to blame for his father's death, and that it was orchestrated by his uncle Claudius, Hamlet Sir’s successor. Even though Hamlet has a strong gut feeling that his uncle is at fault he has no evidence or proof to go on. This all changes when his father's ghost appears to him and confirms his sons hunch, and orders his son to avenge him. Due to his father's apparition Hamlet’s course of action changes from just suspecting of his uncle, to investigating if the ghost is telling the truth, to ultimately killing his uncle. Hamlet Sir's ghost also affects the action of the play later on during Hamlet's quarrel with his mother …show more content…
The essence of the play practically revolves around revenge. Except for the beginning of the play where the themes are sorrow and anger because of the reasons stated before: Hamlet Sir's death and Hamlet’s mother’s hasty wedding with his Uncle Claudius. The theme of Revenge is not introduced until the second appearance of Hamlet Sir's wraith. The wraith also introduces secondary themes of a life after death and mortality when he informs his son that he is in purgatory because he did not receive his last rites or the chance to make a final confession. In addition to presenting a secondary theme, this remark by the phantom also affects Hamlet's decision to assassinate his Uncle during prayer. In conclusion, the themes of revenge, mortality, and a life after death are introduced by the specter of the old

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Hamlet is cursed by the ghost of his father coming back and haunt him by dictating Hamlet to avenge his horrible murder. Since he is naturally both a thinker and a reasoner, Hamlet questions whether the ghost is really his father. The self-examination causes a delay in Hamlet’s avenge-seeking plans. Moreover, Hamlet displays signs of depression since his mother did not mourn her husband’s death for very long before remarrying, ironically to her husband’s murderer. The ethical concerns of Hamlet are obvious when the queen tells Hamlet: "If it be, why seems it so particular with thee?" (Hamlet 1.2. 76) Hamlet disputes Gertrude’s charge that he is being hypocritical, "Seems, madam? Nay, it is, I know not ‘seems’…"…

    • 583 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The appearance of his father's ghost didn't seem very reliable to him as he began to question his own sanity over what he thinks he should do about the situation. Hamlet deeply contemplates about his soul being damned on actions he was willing to pursue in avenging his father's death. He cautiously plots his act of revenge and waits for the ideal moment to avenge his father's murder. He decides to show King Claudius a play, a similar performance of Claudius' own murderous deed, hopefully seeing some kind of reaction from the king. He says "I'll have these…

    • 1027 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    He believes what the ghost tells him, and this makes us question can a man that sees his dead father really be sane? He contemplates killing Claudius, and starts to doubt what the ghost had told him. Hamlet then forms a plan to prove whether or not Claudius is guilty by having a play resembling the murder of his father done by his uncle and watching Claudius reaction. During the play, he acts most insane…

    • 75 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The play "Hamlet, Prince of Denmark", by William Shakespeare being of such a complicated variety of themes, contains many different story lines as well as being very extensive in nature makes it quite a challenge to be produced and acted. On paper, the reader can translate things, as they like. Since Shakespeare is not around to tell us the meaning of every theme or the truth about every nook and cranny about his works. It is up to the reader to decide what the importance of everything is. Thus when a producer decides to create a film based on "Hamlet" it is most certain that his creation will vary from any others. Each will create their own version of the story, stressing some issues more than others as well as completely leaving sections out. In this essay I will compare Kenneth Branagh's presentation of the ghost with Franco Zeffirelli's.…

    • 1120 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the beginning of the play Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet, is murdered. Hamlet is told by his father’s ghost that Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, is the one who murdered him. After getting this news, he immediately wants to avenge his father’s death and get back at Claudius.…

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When the Ghost first appears to Hamlet, retelling the story of his ‘foul’ murder, Hamlet is quick to take action expressing his utter loyalty to his father in the simile, “That I with wings as swift/ As meditation or the thoughts of love/ May sweep to my revenge.” However as the play progresses he begins to question the Ghost, the use of antithesis identifies his uncertainty, “Be thou a spirit of health, or a goblin damned,/ Bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell,/ Be thy intents wicked or charitable.” Hamlet may be incapable of avenging his father’s death however he is capable of such actions as sending Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths and manipulating people to reveal their inner conscience. This suggests Hamlet’s inaction is due to his distrust and lack of loyalty to the Ghost, reflecting him as like a true renaissance man who relies on evidence to verify an accusation. Hamlet’s loyalty to his father is questioned as he begins to procrastinate the murdering of Claudius suggesting he is not yet convinced of the…

    • 746 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The former King of Denmark, Old Hamlet, appears as a ghost and exhorts his son to kill Claudius. The ghost claims Claudius has killed him in order to secure the throne and the queen of Denmark. Hamlet doubts that the ghost is actually his dead father, but instead a demon sent to bait him into the depths of hell. The ghost's appearance and manipulation of Hamlet in the first act is what sets the main plot for the rest of the play. Old Hamlet's ghost reappears in the third act of the play when Hamlet goes too far in criticizing his mom. This was the last time that Old Hamlet’s spirit appeared in the rest of the…

    • 118 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Ghost plays a vital role in the understanding and interpretation of Hamlet’s sanity. When Hamlet first encounters the Ghost of his father, the Ghost reveals to Hamlet the way Hamlet's father died. After Hamlet hears this news coming out of his own father’s ghostly mouth, he instantly feels rage towards his uncle and mother. He is angry with his mother because of the fact that she would marry Hamlet's uncle right after the death of his father. All of the problems with his family start to make Hamlet feel like he cannot trust anyone, not even his own mother. These issues alone could be enough to affect his mental status, and combining it with the fact his father actually returns as a ghost to tell him this terrible information, could cause…

    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He hesitates to killing Claudius because he doesn’t know who to trust or what is even real at times. When the ghost appears to seek revenge of his death Hamlet wants to do what is right but doesn’t know if he is being tricked or not. Since he begins to doubt that the ghost is real; he stages a plan to confirm his suspicions about Claudius: " The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscious of the King"(2.2.616-617). Hamlet cannot act without being certain that Claudius murdered his father. The play is a direct mirror of what the ghost claims happened to King Hamlet. When the play got to the murder scene Claudius stopped the play; therefor confirming his suspicion that Claudius murdered his father. Now that Hamlet knows what he must do he has a great opportunity to kill Claudius while he is praying. However Hamlet fails to kill him because he believes it would be hire and salary, not revenge. It is ironic that the revenge would have actually been completed because Claudius was not truly…

    • 707 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ghost In Hamlet Essay

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The ghost first is seen by Marcellus, Bernardo and Horatio, so the way Hamlet faces it is clearly meant to show his bravery. King Hamlet’s ghost speaks only to Hamlet. The ghost talks to Hamlet made aware of Claudius' bad deeds, then allows some opportunity to show the relationship between father and son. Hamlet is certainly unhappy with the news of his fathers murder, but his encounter with the ghost must be seen as adding to his anguish and trauma and despair, and plunging him into a whirlpool of insanity and self-doubt. The ghost's news shakes Hamlet the core, making him aware, in an extremely personal way, of the depths to which mankind can also descend. It is his father's ghost, which initially pressures Hamlet into taking revenge, and it reiterates the demand in III.iv. Though this means killing his uncle and his King but to keep his mother alive, using only daggers in his words, against her. Hamlet never resents being told to do it by the ghost. He sees it as a duty owed to his father and his reason for living. But it goes against his sense of moral and Christian right at least until Act V (V.ii.63-70).…

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Shakespeare fashionably utilizes the popular concept of the ghost in Hamlet which is of tremendous significance in the development of the play. The ghost in Hamlet, much like the ghosts or witches that appeared to Macbeth spoke out only what was in his mind, and revealed his inner thoughts to the audience better than any words of his could do, performs an important dramatic function by rendering objective what is in the minds of the characters. The ghost in Hamlet discloses to the audience the suspicions already in the minds of Hamlet and his friends. When Hamlet sees the ghost and hears its revelations, he voices this thought by saying, "Oh my prophetic soul!" (I. v. 40.) And the fact that it first appears to the friends of Hamlet suggests that they shared his suspicions and perhaps even anticipated them, though no word had been spoken. The inquiry of Marcellus about the cause of the warlike activity and his later remark about the rotten condition of Denmark seem to imply a suspicion that he is endeavouring to verify or to disprove.…

    • 1152 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet and Madness

    • 1629 Words
    • 7 Pages

    At the beginning of the play a ghost reveals himself to Hamlet. The ghost is King Hamlet who was murdered. The ghost explains to Hamlet everything that happened and asks Hamlet to seek revenge on King Claudius. At this point Hamlet decides that he will fake madness and insanity while he plans his revenge on Claudius. Hamlet’s character change is noticeable to everyone and Claudius wants to find out why he has not been acting the same but, Polonius tells King Claudius that it may just be that he is in love with Ophelia. Hamlet then sets up a play re-enacting his father’s death to see if Claudius shows any guilt. When the murder scene in Hamlet’s play takes place, King Claudius leaves the theatre and, now Hamlet is certain that Claudius is guilty of murdering King Hamlet. Claudius begins to fear Hamlet’s insanity and plans on sending him to England. Hamlet speaks with his mother, Queen…

    • 1629 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The ghost, who is a very image of Hamlet Senior: 'a figure like your father' is able to take advantage of As a result of Hamlet's admiration for his father. It is the ghost who encourages Hamlet to murder Claudius in order to avenge his father's death: 'Revenge this foul and most unnatural murder! ' The pejorative words used to illustrate the ghost's opinion of murder highlight his disapproval of the murder. He dramatizes the moment, saying '0 list, list, 0 list1If thou didst ever thy dear father love'. Shakespeare uses various literary elements to add-emFive power to the role of the ghost; for example, the ghost criticizes the murder, referring to ~tas 'most foul, strahge and unnatural.' The groups of three M e r fuel Hamlet to murder the king. Ironically despite of his apparent disapproval of murder, he wants Hamlet to commit the same task. This may cause the audience to question the motives of the ghost, which seem hypocritical. The ghost continues with a battering of mixed messages when he condemns to Queen for her sexual depravity: 'thy most seeming-virtuous queen... loved prey on garbage.' However following this, he tells Hamlet to not think badly of his mother, as Heaven will deal with her actions:' Taint not thy mind nor let thy soul contrive / Against thy mother aught, leave her to heaven / And to those thorns that her bosom lodge / To prick and sting her.' The violent imagery he uses only further heightens Hamlet's disgust…

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet Response Paper

    • 1079 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The main grievance Hamlet has with his uncle is the murder of his father, the king. Already grieving over death of his father, Hamlet discovers, by confession of his father, that Claudius murder him in order to become king. Called to action by his friend Horatio and the guards who have witness appearances of a ghost during their night watch, Hamlet goes to confront the ghost that looks like the late King Hamlet. A ghost doomed to walk the earth for an unspecified number of years to atone for the sins that he was not able to confess, King Hamlet Sr., tells the prince that he was murdered by Claudius through foul means. He states, “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. Murder most foul, as in the best it is; But this most foul, strange and unnatural” (249), demanding that Hamlet, his son, avenge his ill-conceived death. Overcome with grief and anger at the injustice done to him (as Claudius has managed to steal the crown from him) and his father, Hamlet begins to plot his vengeance. However, being the only one who has talked to ghost, Hamlet, wanting to ensure that…

    • 1079 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Hamlet's Indecisiveness

    • 1930 Words
    • 8 Pages

    When Hamlet first receives the news that King Hamlet had died, he returns home to find evidence of his father’s inexplicable death. Although the ghost tells Hamlet that Claudius had murdered his father, Hamlet seeks to prove Claudius’ guilt before taking any action against Claudius. Some may say he overuses his intelligence while ignoring his emotions and going with his instinct. This is what causes Hamlet to hold back on taking revenge against Claudius. Also, when Hamlet first encounters the ghost, his sight is telling him that what he is seeing is not possible, but his emotions think otherwise. “Why thy canonized bones, hearsed in death, have burst their cerements” (I.iv 47-48). Hamlet is then careful with his actions and thinks things through because he knows the value of having the accurate facts; otherwise, he may unreasonably kill his uncle and have to deal with the consequences. He then later plans a play for actors to re-enact the king’s murder, which the ghost had told him, to prove and actually believe what the ghost had said. At one point in the play, Hamlet considers about committing suicide saying these famous lines “To be or not to be, that is the question: whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer…” (III.i 57-58). Hamlet begins to realize that his anxiety and pressures cause him to doubt that reason alone can solve his problems. He also realizes that he lacks the…

    • 1930 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays