Ghost in Hamlet

The Role of the Ghost in settlement by William Shakespeare The role of the touch in critical point is twofold for the first time it is to create interest secondly it is to further the narrative of the play. Shakespeare recognized that he needed to create interest in the listening from the very first guessing of the play. The play opens with a conversation between Officers of the Watch who patrol the Battlements of Elsinore castle. Their talk is of aghost who has appeared before twice previously What, has this thing appeared once more than this night? Immediately this arouses the audiences curiosity.What is the nature of this thing that has appeared? Horatio, who has not seen the ghost, voices the scepticism that some of the audience may pick up been feeling Tush, Tush, twill not appear. Suspense is therefore created in the minds of the audience i. e. will the ghost actually appear does the ghost exist? The character of Horatio is transmission lineed with that of Barnardo, Francisco and Marcellus. Barnardo, Francisco and Marcellus are believers in the ghost, whereas Horatio, who is highly educated, unlike Barnardo, Francisco and Marcellus, questions the ghost existence.When the ghost finally appears in line 40, cutting short Barnardos line, it is a moment of high drama resulting from the tension that has been created. The coming into court of the ghost has ahuge impacton two the characters and the audience (who together with Horatio see the ghost for the first time). Horatio, sceptic, expresses his venerate and amazement in the first line he speaks since seeing the ghost a. It harrows me with fear and appreciation. The audience would confirm been filled with similar emotions on seeing the ghost, and would constitute realised that the behavior of the ghost signifies that something is wrong.Elizabethans believed that only people who died without the chance of confessing their sins walked the globe as troubled spirits. Horatio questions the ghost, which disappears mysteriously without speaking. When the ghost fails to speak, it adds to the tension of the scene and the apprehension of the characters. The ghost lines a second appearance in Act 1 delineation 1 after Horatio has talked about preparations for war with Norway. This sets up the idea in the minds of the audience that the ghost may have something to do with the on going war, but, again the ghost does not speak, and so the audience is left with unanswered questions.This sense of mystery sustains interest and builds suspense in the preparation for scene 2. At this exhibit the nature of the ghost is ambiguous. Is it a good ghost, it appears in the form of Old critical point, or is it an erring spirit? It disappeared when the cock crowed i. e. at first light. The audience would have known that light represent goodness, and dark represents evil. Horatio comments And then it started like a guilty thing. The audience would have been left wondering why the say guilty had been applied to the ghost. Is the ghost to be trusted, or not?The only thing person who can decide is settlement Let us impart what we have seen tonight unto young settlementa. In the next scene Horatio tells settlement after some prevarication, that he has seen his generates ghost. Hamlet is thoroughly depressed because his mother Gertrude, has re-married very quickly. To make matters worse, she has married Claudius, Old Hamlets brother, whom young Hamlet mis-trusts. This is a man With one auspicious and one dropping eye Which an Elizabethan audience, would have recognized as the sign of a hypocrite.Horatio describes the ghost to Hamlet, emphasising that the ghost appears to look like Old Hamlet a. A figure like your father armed exactly, cap-a-pe And is dress in armour. Hamlet wants to know everything about the ghost, where it appeared, whether it spoke etc, and by dint of his short, excited questions which he utters in quick succession, reinforces the mystery and ambiguit y of the ghost, thus building the audiences first moment of the second appearance of the spirit. The scene closes with Hamlet arranging to take the watch on the battlements that night, in order to meet with the ghost.He asks the others to keep quiet about the appearance of the ghost. The ghost appears to Hamlet in Act1, Scene 4. Immediately, the ambiguous nature of the ghost is addressed. Hamlet himself says, Be thou a spirit of health, or goblin curst , Meaning is the ghost to be trusted, or is it some evil creature come to destroy? The ghost refuses to speak in front of the others, but beckons Hamlet away to speak with him alone. Marcellus and Horatio are suspicious of the ghost intentions Marcellus. But do not go with it Horatio. No, by no means.Eventually, almost fighting out his companions with a sword, Hamlet follows the ghost and they are alone. In scene 5, the role of the ghost moves from creating interest and suspense, to the function of moving on the narrative and plot line. Hamlet is not naturally a man of action, and, although suspicious of his Uncle Claudius, would not have tried to find out more about the circumstances surrounding his fathers death. It is the appearance of the ghost that forces Hamlet to take action, and therefore moves on the action of the play. The ghost begins by telling that he is in purgatory. Doomed for a certain termination to walk the night Hamlet must have felt puzzled and, at the same time, full of wonder and despair at the terrible federal agency his father is in. When his father finally reveals that he was murdered, Hamlet is overwhelmed. To make matters worse, the ghost then asks Hamlet to revenge his murder. Ghost. If ever thou didst ever thy dear father lovea. Hamlet. O God Ghost. Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. Like Hamlet, at this point, the audience would want to know more. The questions that have been posed in Scene 1 are finally about to be answered.When the ghost reveals that he was murdere d by Claudius, Hamlet reacts with O my prophetic soul My uncle? Hamlet had suspected from the beginning that his uncle was the complete opposite of Old Hamlet in appearance, personality and action. Now his worse fears have been confirmed. His mother has married a liquidator Before the ghost leaves, Hamlet swears to revenge his murder. To make matters worse, the ghost describes the horrific nature of his death, by poison and the fact that he died without having confessed his sins With all my imperfections on my genius.This is in sharp contrast with the glib statement made by Claudius to Hamlet concerning the death of his father a. All that lives must die, passing through nature to eternity Finally, at the end of the scene Hamlet rejoins the others and confirms that the ghost is not evil but, It is an honest ghosta. He makes his friends swear to keep the existence of the ghost a secret. The cries of the unseen ghost SWEAR, SWEAR whom Hamlet calls old mole, reinforce Hamlets insist ence in secrecy. Interestingly, only Hamlet can hear the ghost.Is Hamlet really going mad? The final appearance of the ghost follows the pivotal scene. Up to this point there has been little action-taking place. Instead the play consists of building up characters, do motives and giving the audience information. After this the action increases dramatically in pace. Hamlet has the opportunity to kill Claudius, but fails because he believes that Claudius is praying. If he had known that Claudius cannot pray My rowing fly up my thoughts remain below, Words without thought never to heaven goPresumably, Hamlet would have killed Claudius and the play would be over. It is possible that Hamlet apply the situation as an excuse for the deed he was afraid to do. Therefore, when Hamlet confronts Gertrude he is full of frustration and anguish at his inability to act. In this scene, Hamlet almost loses his self-control and perhaps is truly mad. Having killed Polonius, it is only the entrance of the ghost that prevents Hamlet from harming his mother. This time, the ghost appears, not in armour, but a. In his habit as he livd In other words, dressed in every-day clothes.The ghost has changed no longer the warrior king seeking revenge for his murder, the ghost is more insubstantial a quieter, gentler ghost perhaps because it is nearer to oblivion. This ties in with the ghosts speech back in Act 1 Scene 5 when he says I am thy fathers spirit, Doomed for a certain term to walk the night This time only, Hamlet can see the ghost, which begs the question, is the ghost really there, or is Hamlet quite mad? The role of the ghost in this scene is primarily to remind Hamlet of his promise. Do not forgeta. However, the ghost also serves as a reproof to Hamlet, exhorting him to be gentle with Gertrude. Oh step between her and her fighting soul Conceit in weakest bodies strongest works Having delivered its message, the ghost simply slips away. In this scene, in contrast to earlier scen es in which the ghost appears, there is no knocking from underneath the stage, the ghost merely steals away. From this moment, the play gathers pace as Claudius attempt to have Hamlet killed, Ophelias commits suicide in her madness, and the final scene of the play ends in a blood bath.From the very first dramatic appearance of the ghost the hale plot is set in motion towards inexorable scene of murder and mayhem at the end of the play. Hamet appears to regain his sanity we as an audience wonder was he ever mad and if so was his madness incurred by the ghost. In conclusion it could be stated the ambiguity of the ghost is never resolved. This is questioned again because as a result of the ghost, the majority of the characters die. Therefore despite Hamlets thoughts of the ghost, in the end the audience wonder is the ghost and its intentions really, true and good or actually problematic and evil