This quote takes place in act 1 scene 5 when Hamlet is talking to King Hamlet’s ghost. The ghost reveals everything to Hamlet about how he died and who killed him. This quote is a perfect example to explain how people may be living a pretense life. They appear to act one way when they are in the public eye; however, when they are alone their true colours prevail and show their true nature. In this quote, Hamlet is describing his Uncle Claudius who pretends to be a sincere, honest and trustworthy man, but in reality he is wicked and selfish.
In Act 1 scene 1 of Hamlet, the readers are introduced to the ghost of King Hamlet. The ghost would not respond to the questions of Horatio or the guard that were present. The ghost seemed to be looking for a specific person. Horatio, marcellus, and Bernardo decide to alert Hamlet to the presence of the ghost, as they are concerned that it is an omen that something bad is coming for Denmark. In scene 2, Hamlet is very distraught that the death of his father was glossed over by the wedding of his mother and uncle.
Act 1 Scene 5 Line 14-48: Ghost Hamlet tells Hamlet the cause of his death Hamlet anxiously asks the ghost to reveal the truth as the sunrise starts to emerge from the darkness. I am the spirit of your father. Unfortunately, I am only allowed to make an appearance at night. And during the daytime, I have to suffer in hell until all the sins I have committed are burnt away. But, I am forbid to tell you the secrets of hells.
The ghost told Hamlet about how he was murdered by Claudius. The ghost told hamlet how he was going to get revenge. He wanted to torment Claudius and then kill him. Even after the king died he is still greedy trying to get revenge. This shows even though the king is dead or someone is dead they will still try and get revenge because they are greedy and don't want to give up their belongings or title.
Claudius doesn’t confess and puts on quite a show during the murder scene that one would be puzzled as to why no one could see past his fake, friendly exterior. Claudius failing to confess just illuminates his truly malicious spirit. The ghost is also a character that sparks many questions within the play. Hamlet himself questioned whether the ghost was actually his father or the devil in disguise, trying to tempt Hamlet in committing a crime just as wicked as his step-fathers. However, Hamlet quickly dismisses that thought and convinces himself he needs to murder Claudius for revenge.
Hamlet is presented with the opportunity to kill Claudius but instead accidently kills Polonius and the ghost of his father then visits
When the actors come to town Hamlet asks them to put on a special play that he has written, one that will reveal if the King is truly guilt. The play is reenacting the death of King Hamlet as the ghost describes it; as murder. His plan is to get a reaction from the King to assure the ghosts is telling the truth about King Hamlet’s death. When the actors get to the scene of the murder, King Claudius exits the theater. Hamlet now knows that the ghost was being truthful.
The ghost also tells him that he fell asleep in the garden and Claudius poured poison in his ear to kill him. Hamlets fear about his uncle was true after all. “O my prophetic soul!” he cries (1.5.40). After finding out all this information, Hamlet was in a dark spot that lead him to acting insane to investigate the accusations that his father had made.
Hamlet at first was a little bit weary of the ghost but when the ghost told Hamlet that he was stuck in purgatory until revenge was sought out, hamlet was on board. Hamlet adored his father so when the ghost asked him to seek revenge, and when it told him to murder claudius it's all he focuses on for the majority of the novel. The effect seeking justice had on Hamlet was profound. He became obsessed with finding a proper way to kill the king. His first attempt was to put on a play where he hired actors to recreate the old king's murder to see how the queen and Claudius would react.
Hamlet starts to seek revenge for his fathers death, by killing Claudius and others. However, at some point Hamlet starts to question if he's doing the right thing and if the Ghost is telling him the truth. To end his doubts he has a play performed called
Hamlet himself is unaware that he behaves instinctively as a killer and doesn’t realize that his actions are morally wrong, and the reader can easily take from this that Hamlet is truly in the right and that the actions he takes are justified due to his problematic relationships. Claudius tells Gertrude, “When sorrows come, they come not in single spies, but in battalions” to remind her that bad things normally happen in quick succession after long periods emotional rest (IV, v, 61-62). In Act 1, the Ghost says, “Murder most foul, as in the best it is. But this most foul, strange, and unnatural” when Hamlet is becoming gung-ho about murdering his father’s killer (who he does not yet know is Claudius). Hamlet is pushing the Ghost toward telling him about the murder so that he feels like he has the right to move forward with his plan of revenge.
When Hamlet is assured by the ghost of his father, that Claudius was the cause
The play of Hamlet composed by Shakespeare displays a significance like no play other. Hamlet is the main character of this play. Although, all the acts in this play display action one act exhibits the most, the act which exhibits the most of this action is Act 5 of Hamlet. In Act 3 of Hamlet the play commences with Hamlet being ordered to be sent off to England. While on the ship Hamlet makes an atrocious discovery that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are carrying a letter which has the order to have Hamlet killed.
The Ghost, as well as being a focus of the play, kickstarts Hamlet’s revenge plot. Hamlet, as well as struggling with his father’s death and his own dark thoughts, struggles with how to go about his revenge. By killing Claudius, Hamlet will have fulfilled his father’s wishes and maintained his honor. Hamlet thinks that by completing his revenge, his life will have meaning again. However, he becomes more and more discontented with his task as his conscience makes him miserable until he can accomplish what his father wanted him to do.
Or it can be seen as the ghost being some type of evil spirit trying to destroy hamlet through bad advice. 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. The ghosts role in the play is to tell Hamlet how he truly died. The nature in which the ghost appears in the play changes from appearance to appearance.
