Now Hamlet must avenge his father's death, and the only way he can do it in a less obvious approach is by acting mad. 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. Ghost Hunters. 12. Battenhouse, Roy. In the play Hamlet, Hamlet meets his deceased father in a ghost form only to inform him of who caused his death and wants revenge. Thus, the Ghost’s appearance leaves the readers and audience with haunting scene inexplicable evil troubling both the deal and the living. I am more… Shakespeare (1562-1616) lived. Different religions have different views on ghosts and along with those views come different stories. The appearance of this supernatural force instigates death and destruction throughout the play, and ultimately leads to the downfall of Hamlet downfall. In one of Hamlet’s many soliloquies, he states, “Tis an unweeded garden / That grows to seed”(i.ii.139). Hamlet then becomes furious and starts to setup a plan to murder Claudius in cold blood. Elizabethan Era especially in connection to religion, as ghosts are manifestations of the devil sent to misguide devout Christians. So maybe the ghost-as-dad is just a figment of Hamlet's imagination. 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. It creates a doubt in Hamlet’s mind lest the ghost should be some evil spirit and it’s revelations may not be genuine . She claims that “the nature of vengeance makes justice impossible” (p. 7). Hamlet wants to make sure that Claudius did in fact kill his father, so he sets up a play to re-enact the crime scene and to Hamlet’s content, Claudius disp... plays has been inspired by another famous tragedy, in this case, 'The Especially Hamlet. For one, the Ghost is the one who orders Hamlet to seek his revenge by killing Claudia. Hamlet is stricken with fear at the thought that the ghost might not actually be his father, but might be dark forces trying to tempt Hamlet into committing evil acts. Madness is a state-of-mind were a person loses their sanity, they are mentally ill. Hamlet attempts to weed the growing, Transformation from Good to Evil in Shakespeare's Hamlet Notably, the ghost tells Hamlet to enact his revenge in the opening scenes of the play; he seems hesitant, as if he questions death for the first time. By that he is put in a position where he had to accomplish that task, but in secrecy, so he decides to fake his madness. The ghost of Hamlet's father is a character from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet.In the stage directions he is referred to as "Ghost".His name is also Hamlet, and he is referred to as King Hamlet to distinguish him from the Prince.. In act five scene two, Hamlet announces that he has switched the letter that ordered Hamlet to be killed in England; instead writing that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are to be killed. His rash behaviour to kill without seeing what he is doing shows that his madness is real and not something he is faking to have revenge for his father. The truth is that Hamlet portrayed madness before he came up with the plan of acting madness. However, Hamlet is at first unsure about the ghost’s state. They do not willingly think evil of the king, and they all want some undoubted proof, not only of the fact of the ghost's appearance, but of the truth of his words. The images of rotting and foulness in odor entering the castle symbolize the contagious property of sin. For one, the Ghost is the one who orders Hamlet to seek his revenge by killing Claudia. Ideally, the ghost world is associated with bad luck and evil; this means that the idea to avenge his father’s death was not from Hamlet but rather his visitation by his father’s ghost. [3 sic] One of Hamlet's foil's is [No '] The Ghost of his father, the former King of Denmark. before he has even seen it, which may indicate the Ghost’s accusation that Claudius murdered Hamlet’s father is all in Hamlet’s head. The play Hamlet is concerned largely with the theme of revenge. I am forced to turn to Shakespeare's other plays for suggestions as to how he represented these phenomena” (Greg 395). The Ghost revelation of shoking secret confirms Hamlet’s doubts that his uncle is a murderer, usurper and incestuous fellow. The ghost ignites the need for revenge in Hamlet and demonstrates the extent of its manipulation, revenge can turn a good heart into pure evil. Shakespeare displays how blind loyalty and pure selfishness can lead to ultimate havoc and main desire for power. Brian Blessed as the ghost of Hamlet in Hamlet (1996) Upon the walls of Hamlet’s castle, a spectre appears before three guards and Hamlet. We get it; the prince has just lost one of the most important figures in his life, a man he idolizes and loves, and everyone is just telling him to move on and forget about his father. The ghost refuses to speak in front of the others, but beckons Hamlet away to speak with him alone. 40.) The one thing that most outrages the ghost of Old Hamlet in lines 32 – 90, pp. Or it can be seen as the ghost being some type of evil spirit trying to destroy hamlet through bad advice. Whether or not the Ghost’s story is a hallucination of Hamlet’s, Hamlet … In "Hamlet" there are many foils used but I am going to only speak of those who lend to the fact that Hamlet and Claudius represent good and evil. Works Cited Missing King Hamlet: Good or Evil? ... middle of paper ... While the ghost certainly plays on Hamlet’s vulnerable state, it is Hamlet in the end who consciously succumbs to madness through the ghost’s wishes. In a conversation between Ophelia and Hamlet, during the play The Mousetrap, they observe that the king has risen right after the player brother pours poison into the player king’s ear, thus confirming Claudius’ guilt. Claudius appears to be a powerful man, yet harbors a decided weakness for wine and revelry. Ghost Hunters. The ghost's speech shows the true nature of Claudius' evil as he allows himself to kill his own brother. The Ghost of King Hamlet, unlike the supernatural spirits in most of Shakespeare's plays, is one ofthe most significant characters in Hamlet because he is the catalyst that sets the play in motion. Hamlet himself says, "Be thou a spirit of health, or goblin damned" , Meaning is the ghost to be trusted, or is it some evil creature come to destroy? So he doesn’t want to commit a murder for no reason, maybe what the ghost is telling him could be coming from the devil and … They do not willingly think evil of the king, and they all want some undoubted proof, not only of the fact of the ghost's appearance, but of the truth of his words. Again Hamlet reveals his preoccupation with the disparity between appearance and reality. marriage lead to his downfall. The ghost is what people in that time would call an "unquiet spirit." As we find it written in the Bible: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” (Romans 12:19). Other characters may see the ghost (the castle guards and Horatio, for example), but Hamlet's the only one who has a dialogue with it. Hamlet discovers that there is something behind the curtain. One theory suggests that Hamlet wished to determine the nature of the Ghost before acting, for he says in Act II:2 that "The spirit I have seen may be a devil." The ghost tells Hamlet: “If thou didst ever thy dear father love— / … [to] / Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (I. v. 23-25). Hamlet himself raises the possibility that the Ghost is actually a demon impersonating his father, which certainly seems possible, though we never see any further evidence to support this idea. Spanish Tragedy', The Ghost in Hamlet is a widely controversial topic with arguments determining whether the Ghost is a “goblin damn’d” or a “spirit of health.” (1.4.40) “‘A spirit of health’ is one, which comes from heaven with charitable intentions, and ‘a goblin damn’d’ is one, which comes from Hell with wicked intentions.” The, Hamlet’s madness is questioned by many readers. Initially, Hamlet’s plan is to act insane to find out exactly what happened to his father but he wants to also avenge his death. At first glance, the Queen seems to be just another innocent bystander who expresses her grief at the loss of the King, but as the play develops, and Hamlet is filled in on the details of the Queen’s treachery, the depiction of Gertrude changes dramatically. ” (I. V. First, Hamlet reveals his wishes, and evil played a huge role in Hamlet, which begins with his mother, Gertrude. tragically tricked into relinquishing control of his soul; sadly Hamlet knew Finally, the hallucination view of the ghost presents Hamlet as a tragic The ghost appears to Hamlet as his father, though alternate readings of the play allow for the possibilities that the ghost may be a figment of Hamlet’s imagination, a malevolent demon seeking to derail Hamlet’s life, or even an actor working on Claudius ’s behalf in an attempt to drive Hamlet mad and exclude him from the line of succession to the throne. Specifically in HAMLET, I think the ghost has several functions.Hamlet never doubts the existence of the spirit, only questions whether it is actually his father, and whether its intentions are good or evil. Although Hamlet can be seen as unnaturally cruel many times throughout the play, he is not evil. Another thought that may have caused Hamlets delay it the idea that he isn’t sure of weather or not the ghost he has been seeing is a devil or not. In the beginning, he is a good prince and a well respected young man, and then his father’s ghost, who in my thoughts is an evil ghost, tells him that his uncle murdered him. The Ghost in Hamlet is a widely controversial topic with arguments determining whether the Ghost is a “goblin damn’d” or a “spirit of health.” (1.4.40) “‘A spirit of health’ is one, which comes from heaven with charitable intentions, and ‘a goblin damn’d’ is one, which comes from Hell with wicked intentions.” The Ghost only has two appearances in the play and is a symbol for uncertainty, yet it is important as it catalyses the play into action and also. Hamlet wouldn’t refuse to ever look at the audience. Horatio hesitates to take ths word of Bernardo and Francisco, and is convinced only by the actual sight of the ghost. He is loosely based on a legendary Jutish chieftain, named Horwendill, who appears in Chronicon Lethrense and in Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum. One story that involves a ghost is Hamlet. People explicitly believed in ghosts in those days. He cannot bear sit... The Ghost only has two appearances in the play and is a symbol for uncertainty, yet it is important as it catalyses the play into action and also Hamlet into madness. While the ghost certainly plays on Hamlet’s vulnerable state, it is Hamlet in the end who consciously succumbs to madness through the ghost’s wishes. There are several occasions further in the play when the audience sees Hamlet acting mad even though there is no one else in the room that he was aware of. Hamlet decides to end the marriage of Claudius, the new king/evil person, who killed the old king, became the new king himself, and married Gertrude the mother of Prince Hamlet. ... Hamlet hears a noise behind the arras and assumes it is Claudius spying on him. One of their similarities is their relation and knowledge of one another by being father and son. Print. He had the inner battle of good vs. evil. While Hamlet may become an instrument of evil for the ghost, there is also evidence to suggest that Hamlet realizes this, yet continues on headstrong. Hamlet thinks his quest to avenge his father’s death is about to end. The reading of Hamlet’s father as ghost would be the least controversial for the modern reader. This causes Hamlet to intensely consider whether honor or logic is more important. Deeply grieved by his Father’s death he is in shock and is unsure whether to trust or believe in the ghost. This is perhaps because he thought they were the ones who ordered his death when in fact they were just following Claudius’ instructions. He pressures Hamlet into revenging Claudius while destroying Hamlet’s reputation in the kingdom. In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare makes Hamlet's madness appear real but only to prove that he was only acting as if he were mad. Some viewed the ghost at first as an illusion or something that is evil and wants to do harm. When Hamlet sees the Ghost, his first instinct is to assume that they need to be protected from it: "Angels and ministers of grace defend us!" The Significance of the Ghost in Armor From Hamlet, an ideal prince, and other essays in Shakesperean interpretation: Hamlet; Merchant of Venice; Othello; King Lear by Alexander W. Crawford. “… and the devil hath power/ To assume a pleasing shape…'; He's also the only one who sees or hears the ghost when it shows up in Gertrude's chamber to remind Hamlet to be nice to his mom (3.4.126-131). Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were Hamlet’s friends which show that he was perhaps paranoid in his madness. Dramatic is your creativity by which the Prince is hoping to try so: he also requests itinerant celebrities to engage in with the spectacle from this poisoning of their king. Hamlet thinks too much and this drove him to an insanity that was not feigned. In the beginning of the play, the Ghost is seen two nights in a row by Bernardo and Marcellus. Consider their reactions to the appearance of Old Hamlet’s spirit: “This bodes some strange eruption to our state,” says Horatio (1.1.69). losses that Hamlet has to deal with are the anger and lack of forgiveness build in It also binds him to avenge his father’s murder. This indecision is somewhat resolved in the form of the play. Throughout Shakespeare's Hamlet, Hamlet's questionable madness is explored through his real madness, actions, and the reactions of others towards his behavior. The ghost appears to Hamlet as his father, though alternate readings of the play allow for the possibilities that the ghost may be a figment of Hamlet’s imagination, a malevolent demon seeking to derail Hamlet’s life, or even an actor working on Claudius ’s behalf in an attempt to drive Hamlet mad and exclude him from the line of succession to … In the beginning, he is a good prince and a well respected young man, and then his father’s ghost, who in my thoughts is an evil ghost, tells him that his uncle murdered him, his father. Throughout Hamlet, Laertes is described as a very loyal and noble gentleman. He's also the only one who sees or hears the ghost when it shows up in Gertrude's chamber to remind Hamlet to be nice to his mom (3.4.126-131). A figure like your father armed exactly, cap-a-pe" And is dressed in armour. Mortality, revenge and obsession remain very apparent throughout Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Hamlet begins the doubting of the ghost’s origins by questioning if the ghost ‘airs from heaven or blasts from hell’. It made the audience believe that it is a story of a son avenging the death of his father. Many theories have been put forward as to the reasons for Hamlet’s delay in avenging the King from hereon in. Without the ghost, the play would not be able to be developed as it was. All rights reserved. Hamlet is simply trying to play the cards he has been dealt in life. Analysis. Hamlet Jr. knows of Claudius’ rotten deed, and spends a majority of the play conspiring to kill Claudius. The way that you look at the ghost can be derived by the way he is portrayed by actor and show concept. I personally believe that the ghost was a real character who came from hell and appeared before Hamlet in order to have him exact his revenge on Claudius. The tragedy of Hamlet does not lie in him being misled, but in him knowing the course of action to take, but being too hesitant to take it. Horatio hesitates to take ths word of Bernardo and Francisco, and is convinced only by the actual sight of the ghost. This madness is an important characteristic in the play with Hamlet’s actions revolving primarily around the idea he has because of his madness. A ghost is a spiritual being that is said to be a spirit of a deceased person. Hamlet’s obsession and numerous contemplations about death sets himself in the undesired direction of suffering with the deaths of his father, Ophelia and Polonius, all whom he believed were undeserving. Many of W.W. Greg’s claims relate Hamlet to other plays that were written by Shakespeare, claiming that due to how Shakespeare portrayed ghosts in his previous works, it would follow that Hamlet also fits into the same mold as these past writings. ... middle of paper ... Troubled by the sight of him, they invite Horatio, who is a scholar, to see the Ghost for himself. Unfortunately for Laertes, he suffers the same fate as poor Hamlet. The fact that there is definitely a valid reason for vengeance on Hamlet's part shows that the ghost is honest about one thing, at least, and thus is probably "an honest ghost". Hamlet is even angered by his own indecisiveness when the players come to Elsinore, when they can cry real tears in a fake play, but he cannot avenge his father’s death, he can only talk about it. 51 – 52) is (A) Hamlet’s not being willing to seek revenge on his own(B) That he has been murdered(C) That his wife betrayed him(D) That his brother can tell Hamlet … (Can be seen in l. . In Act 3, scene 4, when the Ghost appears to Hamlet (and the audience) but not to Gertrude, Gertrude sees the Ghost as a sign of Hamlet’s madness. But he knows that it is within the play that will entertain the Courts that “Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king” (2.2 634). Check it out first, before acting 626-7 ) selfishness can lead to ultimate havoc main. 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Why did he wait so long to carry out his revenge by killing Claudia to check it out first before... Unhealthy anxiety Hamlet dies heroically, revenging his father be a powerful man, yet a..., Hamlet: `` a€¦ believing in his madness to decide whether Hamlet is by! How he represented these phenomena ” ( 2.2 626-7 ) s doubts that his uncle a! Cold blood in a row by Bernardo and Francisco, and that people 's motives should be good... An illusion or something bad more than something good until it tells Hamlet the real reason the death of father...