The "Ghost" in Hamlet

[Madaglan]

This is kinda a fun question. In the play *Hamlet *the main character, Prince Hamlet, comes into contact with a ghost that claims to be his father, the late King Hamlet who supposedly was killed by his brother, King Claudius.

Anyhow, the play is not quite so clear as to whether or not the Ghost is truly Prince Hamlet’s father. The Ghost claims that he is a soul in prison–in Purgatory that is. But Prince Hamlet later thinks that perhaps the ghost is a demon impersonating King Hamlet so as to cause havoc. Nobody really knows for sure who the Ghost is.

So, who do you think that Ghost is?

 

[serendipity]

Well, I guess since the ghost was right about his brother killing him and bedding his wife, that it was honest, and therefore, being honest, less likely to be something demonic from hell, than something form Purgatory. So purgatory got my vote…of course this issue can be as contentious a debate as to whether or not Hamlet was insane…

 

[Church_Militant]

The reason Hamlet wonders if it is a demon is that he himself is tormented by his depression and suicidal tendencies. Remember that he decries the state of his life when he says “The time is out of joint. O cursed spite that ever I was born to set it right.”

He also laments the fact that his Catholicism forbids “self -slaughter”.which tells us that he is devout. His cry when he sees the ghost is “Angels and ministers of grace defend us.”

I think that Hamlet is a sort of “everyman”, in the sense that we all endure times when our life is perhaps the worst that we figure it can be. The ghost was indeed his father come to interceded for his errant wife that hamlet not go after her, but leave revenge in God’s hands.

"Leave her to heaven And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge To prick and sting her. "

Yeah…I’m a Shakespeare fan and Hamlet is one of my very favorites.
Pax vobiscum,

 

[serendipity]

Church Militant:

The ghost was indeed his father come to interceded for his errant wife that hamlet not go after her, but leave revenge in God’s hands.

Astute analysis , Michael, but in your opinion, from where is the ghost coming…purgatory or hell…(so funny how I can submit hell on this forum, but not cr and ap when I type an excuse for why I edit something…I always thought hell was worse as an adjective than the other word…)

 

[Madaglan]

Originally Quoted by Church Militant:

I think that Hamlet is a sort of “everyman”, in the sense that we all endure times when our life is perhaps the worst that we figure it can be. The ghost was indeed his father come to interceded for his errant wife that hamlet not go after her, but leave revenge in God’s hands.

"Leave her to heaven And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge To prick and sting her. "

My memory of the play is a bit cloudy, but if I recall correctly, King Hamlet gives some pretty gruesome details of his death, and he also puts Prince Hamlet on a mission of revenge. For example, the Ghost says, “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder,” in 1.5.32. It is true that the Ghost shortly thereafter tells Hamlet not to go after the Queen, but I really hone onto why the Ghost appears in the first place. It seems that the Ghost really rankles Hamlet into having a thirst for revenge. Also, if the Ghost is from Purgatory, why does he pursuit a course of revenge, when God alone according to Scriptures has the right of vengeance?

I used to think that the Ghost was a soul from Purgatory, but thinking about how the play ends and why the Ghost appears in the first place, I wonder if it is all a set up by the Devil.

 

[puzzleannie]

the ghost of Hamlet’s father, like Banquo’s ghost in Macbeth, are dramatic devices of a brilliant playwright to initiate interior dialogue between opposing forces within the main character, a lot more interesting than modern playwrights who subject us to endless stream of consciousness by self-absorbed navel-gazing protagonists.

 

[Scout]

I haven’t read the play for many years, but I was just wondering if it were possible that the Ghost could be a figment of Hamlet’s imagination? Perhaps, subconciously, he knew that his father was murdered by his uncle and his psyche sort of created this “image” to help him deal with the situation and perhaps give him an excuse of some sort to seek revenge. Just a thought.

Scout :tiphat:

 

[Grace_and_Glory]

I once wrote a paper about the Biblical allusions in Hamlet. It was very interesting. The ghost compares his murder to the fall of man and Claudius, the murderer, to Satan. Claudius, however, sees himself more as a type of Cain. That has really interesting applications. I wrote that because of the comparisons of the king’s murder to the fall of man, Hamlet feels like he needs to avenge his father’s murder in order to rid the world of the evil it contains. However, with the reference to Cain, things get complicated because there is a curse on anyone who kills Cain. That means that Hamlet cannot avenge his father’s murder and rid the world of evil without bringing more evil into the world.
I chose that the ghost was a demon from hell, because I think that if the ghost were Hamlet’s father in Purgatory, it would not have asked Hamlet to do something that would damn his own soul. It seems too malicious to come from a soul on its way to Heaven.

 

[serendipity]

Scout:

I haven’t read the play for many years, but I was just wondering if it were possible that the Ghost could be a figment of Hamlet’s imagination? :tiphat:

Even if it was a figment of the imagination, the who sent it; God or the devil?

 

[Scout]

serendipity:

Even if it was a figment of the imagination, the who sent it; God or the devil?

IF it was a figment of Hamlet’s imagination, then no one sent it. It would have been something that Hamlet’s psyche created.

Scout :tiphat:

 

[Madaglan]

Originally Quoted by Scout:

I haven’t read the play for many years, but I was just wondering if it were possible that the Ghost could be a figment of Hamlet’s imagination?

I have thought about that, too. However, the strange fact is that the guards are the first ones to see the Ghost. I forget the name of the guards, but in the opening scenes they are the first ones to see the ghost. So, the fact that others see the Ghost adds a degree of complexity. It is somewhat unlikely that all of them simply imagine seeing the Ghost. It seems more likely that all of them saw something supernatural and that the Ghost really exists.

Nevertheless, it may be possible, as puzzleannie mentions, that the Ghost’s dialogue is simply Hamlet’s interior dialogue. In other words, the Ghost is real but silently floats in mid-air in front of Hamlet while Hamlet imagines the Ghost telling him dark secrets.

 

[Scout]

Madaglan:

I have thought about that, too. However, the strange fact is that the guards are the first ones to see the Ghost. I forget the name of the guards, but in the opening scenes they are the first ones to see the ghost. So, the fact that others see the Ghost adds a degree of complexity. It is somewhat unlikely that all of them simply imagine seeing the Ghost. It seems more likely that all of them saw something supernatural and that the Ghost really exists.

Nevertheless, it may be possible, as puzzleannie mentions, that the Ghost’s dialogue is simply Hamlet’s interior dialogue. In other words, the Ghost is real but silently floats in mid-air in front of Hamlet while Hamlet imagines the Ghost telling him dark secrets.

I had forgotten about the guards seeing the Ghost-as I said, I haven’t read the play for many years. I guess I just have this habit of looking at everything from a “psychological” point of view. I find all the characters in Hamlet extremely interesting, especially Ophelia. What a wack-job she was. :whacky:

By the way, has anyone seen that old Gary Oldman movie called Rosencrantz and Gildenstern Are Dead? It’s about the two messengers that are sent by the King to kill Hamlet. It’s a really interesting movie. A bad scene or two that you’d have to skip over, but the rest of it is very funny.

Scout :tiphat:

 

[caroljm36]

Scout:

IF it was a figment of Hamlet’s imagination, then no one sent it. It would have been something that Hamlet’s psyche created.

Scout :tiphat:

Your applying modern pschobabble to a 400-year-old play. Shakespeare’s works are full of Biblical references. However, I believe Hamlet was Protestatnt, because in the beginning it is mentioned that he has just returned from Wittemberg, Luther’s headquarters. Luther tried to throw over all this purgatory stuff and maybe Shakespeare was resurrecting the Catholic view as a bit of a reproach to all the innovations wrought by Protestantism. Not that he was Catholic himself of course, but when you reject the possibility of purgatory then you have severely limited your options. That couldn’t have gone down that well with everyone.

 

[caroljm36]

Scout:

IF it was a figment of Hamlet’s imagination, then no one sent it. It would have been something that Hamlet’s psyche created.

Scout :tiphat:

You’re applying modern psychobabble to a 400-year-old play. Shakespeare’s works are full of Biblical references. Unfortunately we are all prone to the crass reductionist BS of psychotherapy.

However, I believe Hamlet was Protestant, because in the beginning it is mentioned that he has just returned from Wittemberg, Luther’s headquarters. Luther tried to throw over all this purgatory stuff and maybe Shakespeare was resurrecting the Catholic view as a bit of a reproach to all the innovations wrought by Protestantism. Not that he was Catholic himself of course, but when you reject the possibility of purgatory then you have severely limited your options. That couldn’t have gone down that well with everyone.

 

[Madaglan]

Originally Quoted by Scout:

By the way, has anyone seen that old Gary Oldman movie called Rosencrantz and Gildenstern Are Dead?

I haven’t seen the movie, but I hear that the movie is also a stage production. One of my friends told me that it is absolutely hilarious.

caroljm36

Luther tried to throw over all this purgatory stuff and maybe Shakespeare was resurrecting the Catholic view as a bit of a reproach to all the innovations wrought by Protestantism. Not that he was Catholic himself of course, but when you reject the possibility of purgatory then you have severely limited your options. That couldn’t have gone down that well with everyone.

You are quite correct about Luther. You might be suprised by this though: according to one of my English Literature professors, there is a new book out which claims that Shakespeare was actually Catholic!!! So you might be right on the money about Shakespeare ressurrecting Catholic beliefs!!!