The Motive for Revenge Provided by the Ghost in W.Shakespeare's "Hamlet"


The supernatural appearance of the Ghost is the most vital to the play. The play is concerned largely with the theme of revenge, and the motive for revenge is provided by the Ghost. The Ghost is indispensable from the point of view of the plot which hinges on the secret revealed by it to Hamlet. Of course, we may feel inclined to regard the Ghost as a personification of a vague suspicion in Hamlet’s own mind that his father had not died of a serpent’s bite but had been murdered by his uncle, the present King. However, if it had been Shakespeare’s intention to treat the Ghost as a physical representation of mental doubts and suspicions, the Ghost would have been seen only by Hamlet. As it is, the Ghost has an objective reality. It is first seen, on two different occasions, by Marcellus and Barnardo. It is then seen by Marcellus, Barnardo, and Horatio. Subsequently it is seen by Horatio, Marcellus, and Hamlet. It is true that the Ghost does not speak to any of the other persons and speaks only to Hamlet, and that also when Hamlet is alone. But this is not enough

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