The Ghost In Hamlet

Introduction: Ghost Story and Hamlet

The Supernatural and especially the ghost seem to be firmly fixed in British literature. Gothic writers like Mary Shelley, Robert Lewis Stevenson, and Sheridan Le Fanu have shaped the concept of the modern horror and suspense storytelling and contributed various themes and characters for postmodern literature and popular culture to adapt and re-use. But even before the classic Gothic Fiction of the late 18th century supernatural and “gothic” elements had already taken hold in the literary tradition. After all, the word “ghost” itself originated from the Old English Language indicating centuries before the Gothic Tradition the concept of ghosts in a linguistic sense. This circumstance won’t cause any surprise,

Later on, it is the ghost who reveals to Hamlet the murderous circumstances of his father’s death and Claudius involvement in them, turning the play in a quest for revenge. But Hamlet is not a traditional revenge play since through the whole plot the protagonist struggles with various uncertainties, including the doubt if the apparition is really his father and if it speaks the truth. Thus, making Hamlet not only a narrative in which a ghost appears but in which a ghost acts and affects the plot immensely. Thus, it can be argued that the ghost is essentially the driving force of the play by affecting the other

“Alas, poor ghost! (739)”, Hamlet exclaims after hearing that his father’s ghost has to return to the torments of what is supposedly Purgatory. In the following dialogue Hamlet proceeds to refer to the apparition as “ghost” (1.5.84) and even in following conversations with Horatio he continues this scheme, rather than acknowledging the spirit as “father” or his king by calling it by these titles. Before that point, the ghost is mentioned in rather vague terms like “thing”, “illusion” or simply “it” (1.1.30, 145), reflecting the of uncertainty the guards and the scholar have regarding its spiritual appearance. The ghost itself, however, introduces itself to Hamlet as “thy Father’s spirit