The governess is also quick to tell the housekeeper Mrs Grose “I am carried away quite easily. I was carried away in Londo... ... middle of paper ... ...ce was close and he let me kiss it” and her description of Miles saying “oh you know what a boy wants” are all unnecessary. The plot of the ghosts corrupting the children is what the governess’ tales is supposed to be about, just a ghost story. So adding in constant little sentences like these makes us question whether this is really a ghost story at all, or something more vindictive. The ambiguity of this novella shows that the ghosts cannot possibly be real and are a mere figure of the governess’ imagination.
As the witches use their apparent powers to tell Macbeth the future, the ghost of King Hamlet tells Hamlet what has happened already. Hamlet states in one of his soliloquies “The spirit that I have seen / may be the devil” (2.2.598-599). Macbeth also has his doubts because when the witches tell him that he will be named Thane of Cawder, Macbeth himself had not known, but many people had. It is possible the witches could have known. In the same matter in both plays, the presentation of the supernatural began to lead to the final downfall of each of the characters.
Hamlet could hear the ghost, but Gertrude didn’t see and hear anything and thought Hamlet is mad. Gertrude said “ if I saw something, I would definitely see that” (3.4 137)Is Hamlet really mad or is the ghost real? Remember that in Act 1, scene 5, Hamlet and other officer can see and talk to the ghost. This results Gertrude feels confess and think he is mad. As a result, the ghost is a symbol that reflects the revenge of Hamlet’s father.
All of the madness in the play originates from Hamlet and the meeting with his father’s ghost. Here, Hamlet discovers the truth of his father’s death and the emotional affairs between Hamlet’s uncle, the now King, and his widowed mother. Despite the Ghost’s warning to leave his mom out of the problem, Hamlet confronts his mother about the events preceding his father’s death and the current state of the royal court. All the while, hiding behind a nearby curtain Polonius listens to the conversation. The way Hamlet is acting frightens the Queen and she cries out for help.
Hamlet and Horatio, the figure of wisdom in the play, worry that the ghost could really be an evil spirit sent to tempt or kill Hamlet (Shakespeare 1.4.39-92). In trying to figure everything out Hamlet says that “conscience does make cowards of us all” (Shakespeare 3.1. 83). Another view is the Oedipus complex in which Hamlet is primarily concerned about his mother’s infidelity, for example he mentions his mother’s adultery before his father’s murder (Shakespeare 1.4.105-106). Ophelia’s rejection of him seems to mirror his mother’s rejection of his father and it is what finally drives him insane (Shakespeare 3.
The nonbelievers among the Elizabethans saw ghosts as omens, telling of troubled time ahead, or simply as the hallucinations of a crazed person or group. Shakespeare recognized the complexity of the Elizabethan ghost's identity and played off of the confusion, making the question of identity a key theme to his play. Throughout Hamlet Shakespeare explores each of the possible identities of the ghost with each one adding a new twist to Hamlet's plight. When news of the ghost's presence first reaches Hamlet and Horatio, they declare it an omen of forthcoming evil. Hamlet's reaction indicates that he is not surprised, "My father's spirit - in arms?
Although Hamlet decides to pretend to be insane in order to plot against the King, it is clear, he really does go mad. His madness seems to amplify his anger toward his mother. During the play scene, he openly embarrasses her and acted terribly toward her in the closet scene. The closet scene explains much
The Ghost: Bona fide or Bogus? In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the ghost of Hamlet’s father is intended to be seen as a real ghost. Around 1600, when the play Hamlet was written, many people believed in mystical creatures like witches, monsters, and most importantly: ghosts. With so many people believing in these characters, it makes sense that Shakespeare portrays the ghost of Hamlet’s father as a real figure. Many examples support this, such as when the guards in Act I scene i see the ghost, which proves it’s not just in Hamlet’s imagination.
Ghosts made the audience feel scared the sky black and the wind misty. Witches in the play did prophecise to Macbeth that he would be king. Macbeth knowing this information became curious, knowing that Duncan was king he wondered how he would acheive the position. So he did indeed kill Duncan under the guidance of the three witches. The witches in this play in terms of ghosts are concerned, we see they are not human or half ways normal when baquo quotes to Macbeth that are not human like as well as irregular in some sort and very unattractive.
The ghost brings an unnatural feel to the drama and leaves the reader/viewer wondering if it was real or all in Hamlet's mind. Hamlet is made to do some detective work in this melodrama. His first order of business was to figure out if the ghost of his father that he thought he saw, was in fact real and if it was, was it unfeigned or a demon. Then, he must decide if the ghost of his father was truthful about Claudius, his father's brother, Hamlet's uncle who was also the reigning King, committing fratricide against his father. To find evidence of Claudius' involvement, Hamlet uses the players, to bring about his uncles deep seated feelings hopefully lodged in his conscience.