Ghosts are mysterious beings that leave many unanswered questions in the human world. However, ghosts can also possess provocative natures and appear to humans to meddle in human affairs. This was especially the case in Shakespeare's time, as people believed ghosts to merely be devils in disguise. In Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Hamlet's father, King Hamlet returns to tell his son what really happened to him and request that he avenge his death. In doing so, King Hamlet reminds Prince Hamlet of the evil corruption of man from the past that will continue to exist, as well as the daunting shadow cast by religion and faith that acts as a constant reminder of what is considered good and evil. Discuss and analyze how the past play an important part in what happens in the present and future, utilizing textual evidence from either Acts I or II and one of the themes above: sin and corruption, religion, or the mysterious spiritual world. Check out the video for a quick recap of Hamlet's encounter with the Ghost if you need a refresher.
Before the play begins, King Hamlet of Den mark has been found dead. His brother Claudius has become king and has married the widowed queen, Gertrude. Prince Hamlet, grieving the loss of his father and his mother's hasty and incestuous remarriage, has descended into a deep melancholy. Moreover, on two consecutive nights the ghost has appeared in armor to palace guards on the battlements of the castle. The two guards have told no one about the ghost except Hamlet's friend Horatio, who has agreed to stand guard with them to see if the ghost appears again. In I.i, the ghost appears to the two guards and Horatio. Horatio resolves to tell Prince Hamlet about the sighting. When they are alone in I.v, the ghost tells Hamlet that it is the spirit of Hamlet's father, murdered by Claudius. The ghost denounces Claudius for seducing Gertrude and calls for Hamlet to avenge his death but not to harm Gertrude. The ghost then vanishes. When Horatio and Marcellus appear, Hamlet repeatedly orders them to swear that they will not reveal what they have seen.
ReplyDeleteHamlet vows vengeance, but later expresses doubt about the ghost's identity, speculating that it could be a devil appearing in his father's form to tempt him to sin. This reaction characterizes his attitude toward the ghost until the play scene (III.ii). Hamlet's own uncertainty is mirrored in the critical debate about the nature of the ghost. I believe Shakespeare intended audiences to accept the apparition as the ghost of Hamlet's father, but some contend that it may be an illusion or a demon. Some argue that the ghost is in fact a devil whose object is to lure Hamlet to his own demise by arousing his passion for vengeance. Another interpretation is that the ghost is a hallucination seen by only a few characters.
The past holds the key to the future. Life is full of causes and effects, which are common in all works of literature. However in "Hamlet" causes and effects are vital to the plot and the outcome of the play. For example Hamlet probably wouldn't have pondered and plotted about revenge against his uncle Claudis had his mother not have asked him to "Stay with us [the king and queen]. Go not to Wittenburg" (I. ii. 123).
ReplyDeleteSin and corruption is a predominant theme in Hamlet. Past sin and/ or corruption drastically affects the outcome of the plot in this play. The apperance of the Ghost, whether it be King Hamlet or a devil, greatly alters how Hamlet will act throughout the rest of the play.Hamlet's corruption of believing the Ghost when the Ghost says that he is "thy Father's spirit" and that he was the victim of a "murder most foul" by a "serpent...that now wears his crown" makes Hamlet even consider the idea to kill his uncle(I. v. 14-47). By Hamlet obeying this ghost (this past action) he has altered his future and those around him. This is an example of how corrutption carries through and effects the rest of the plot.
In the beginning of play we find that the King of Denmark is dead and his brother Claudius has taken over and married his former wife Gertrude. It is uncertain why he died but from the beginning Hamlet suspects that his uncle, the new king, murdered his father. In the first acts of the play, a Ghost appears in the form of Hamlet’s father, who confirms his believe that Claudius is guilty. In his encounter with his father’s spirit, the ghost asks him to avenge his death, “I am thy father’s spirit,/ Doomed for a certain term to walk the night,/ And for the day confined to fast in fires,/ Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature/ Are burnt and purged away…. Revenge his soul and most unnatural murder” (1. V. 9-13, 25). If the Ghost had not appeared to Hamlet he would have had no confirmation of his suspicions and therefore would not have seeked revenge.
ReplyDeleteAs Lindsay already pointed out, the past is the key to the future. We base our actions on what we have learned in the past. A common theme in this play of one of sin and corruption as well as deception. Claudius is constantly lying about his unconditional love for Hamlet to Gertrude in order to hide his sins. Claudius sin of murder in order gain power corrupts his soul as well as true relationship with Gertrude and his stepson. It is ironic that his own deception ends up getting him killed. If he had not agreed with Gertrude that he not go to Wittenberg, “I pray thee stay with us, go not to Wittenberg” (1.ii. 118-119), Hamlet would not have been able to plot and revenge his father’s death. This again ties into the theory that the past affects our future.
Emily- I like the different views on the concept of the ghost.
ReplyDeleteLindsay- you are absolutely correct in the statement that the past of sin and corruption affects Hamlet's future.
Allison- Nice use of textual evidence to prove one of the theories that the ghost is in fact Hamlet's father.
People always state that the future lies in the past. This statement is true to every aspect, even literature and Shakespeare. Events of the past often prevent people from repeating those same mistakes, but in Hamlet, the complications run much deeper. When Hamlet’s father, the Ghost, first confronts Marcellus, Bernado, and Horatio in I.i, they are filled with fear and unbelief at this startling figure in knight’s armor.
ReplyDeleteThe mystery of the spiritual world is a very big theme throughout Hamlet, predominantly based around the ghost of King Hamlet. During the Dark Ages, many believed that ghosts were alternate forms of demons, explaining the fear these men felt in the first scene of the play. Horatio expresses this fear by saying “Before my God, I might not this believe without the sensible and true avouch of mine own eyes” (I.i.56-58). The first person who seems to not fear the presence of the Ghost is Hamlet. Once the Ghost requests his presence and reveals himself to Hamlet, Hamlet remains tied to the Ghost for the rest of the play. By tying these events to the murder of his father, Hamlet uses this mysterious figure to plot Claudius’ murder.
The concept of the past having such a large influence on the future in Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, is almost a theme of its own because it is so predominant throughout the play. The fact of the matter is that most of the events that actually occur within the text of the play are based heavily on a past event. For example, even when Hamlet kills Claudius at the very end of the play, it is because of past actions by Claudius to kill Hamlet’s parents and attempt to kill Hamlet.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of Act II scene ii, Hamlet finishes his Soliloquy by pointing out that the spirit he recently encountered “May be the devil” and that the devil may have the power to “assume a pleasing shape.” In these closing lines of Act II, we see Hamlet suddenly become unsure of what is going on around him and what has happened in the past because of the mysterious spirit world. We almost see the clashing of two themes here: one of the past having a major impact on the past, and the other of the mysterious spiritual world. The two combined together contribute to a confused Hamlet, and would certainly help support the claim that Hamlet goes mad.
Good job so far!
ReplyDelete@Christiana- Good analysis, especially bringing in the demons and showing their lack of fear. I liked how you said that Hamlet is tied to the Ghost for the rest of the play, even though he may not actually be present
@Brooks- Nice job, I especially liked how you related the two themes to his madness later on in the play
Let's try going a different direction:
Still analyze the theme relating to the Ghost in Hamlet, but also tie it into another work of literature that you are familiar with (It doesn't have to be something we have read this year)
"History is philosophy teaching by example and warning," said Lord Bolingbroke. This is certainly true in William Shakespeare's "Hamlet," in which a young prince uses the past to unlock his future. Hamlet is not just a drama in which someone makes a reprehensible error; it is a drama in which history repeats itself, or at the very least has a pattern. For instance, Claudius kills Hamlet's father, Hamlet's quest to kill Claudius results in his own death. This is catalyzed by Hamlet's father appearing to him as a ghost. As Horatio explains to Hamlet, "Marcellus and Bernardo, on their watch/In the dead waste and middle of the night/Been thus encount'red. A figure like your father/Armed at point exactly, cap-a-pe/Appears before them, and with solemn march/Goes slow and stately by them: thrice he walked" (I.ii.196-200). The ghost tells Hamlet to protect Denmark's honor and let God handle Gertrude's fate, and Hamlet decides that this means to avenge his father's death. While the ghost's message is clear, his presence and even his words are shrouded in mystery and vagueness. However, one thing is for certain: The ghost does not approve of all the sin and moral decay taking place in his country. "Let not the royal bed of Denmark be/A couch for luxury and damned incest" (I.v.83-84). Just as the past and future meet and begin causing friction, so too do the mortal realm and the spirit world. With this collision comes a distaste for corruption. At first, "Hamlet" and "The Great Gatsby" appear to have nothing in common. However, a deeper investigation proves that both stories revolve around the collision of the past and future and sin. The characters bear almost blatant similarities. Claudius and Tom Buchanan are greedy, power-hungry, lustful men. Gatsby and Hamlet are scared, insecure young men trying to make names for themselves and right wrongs against them. Daisy Buchanan and Gertrude are women who are forced into the narrow confines of what is "right" for women. Just as Gatsby returns to win Daisy back, Hamlet tries to avenge his father's death - their actions ultimately end with their untimely deaths. It would appear that as far as literature, Lord Bolingbroke was correct.
ReplyDeleteErin- I love the connection between Claudius and Tim Buchanan! They are certainly share a sense of greed for power and women. I absolutely adore "The Great Gatsby"!
ReplyDeleteIn Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the past alters the present. The entire play is based on cause and effect. When the ghost appears to Hamlet in the beginning of the play, it tells him that he is “[Hamlet’s] father’s spirit” and that he must remain a ghost and roam the earth “Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature/ Are burnt and purged away.” Because the ghost tells Hamlet this, Hamlet is more inclined to act on his plans to avenge his father’s death by killing his father’s murderer, Hamlet’s uncle. Without the ghost appearing and telling Hamlet key facts about his father’s death, Hamlet may not have acted at all because he would not have been able to make up his mind or have solid enough evidence without the ghost’s testimony. Hamlet bases all of his actions on knowledge he has collected in the past. He relies on the past to guide him in his decisions in the future.
ReplyDeleteThe ghost brings Hamlet, a sense of security in knowing that his feeling was correct in that his father's, "unnatural murder," was caused by something resembling a, "serpent." Everyone was put on earth for a reason, and Hamlet, now straying from his emptiness, has guidance on what he must do, for his country, his father, but most importantly himself. Before this plan, Hamlet's feeling were astray. He would go so far to contemplate if his existence was unnecessary and if suicide was the better option as he wondered, "to be or not to be."
ReplyDeleteObviously the ghost of his father showed him that living was the answer and that he should live to see his father's death avenged. His father was able to alter his life course and save him from his mind and inclinations of suicide. However, Hamlet's life was not sparred in the plot, but he was able to uncover the truth and find meaning to his life. His death ended up being noble on his part because he fought for his cause and the King felt so guilty for his actions instead of killing himself, an act considered unholy, and allowing the King to live his life of extreme luxury with out any obstacles to attack his conscience.
Kate Chopin's "The Awakening"'s main character, Edna Pontellier experiences the same feeling of emptiness. She feels unconnected to her society, and distances herself from her husband, and becomes the epitome of a bad wife in those times. Edna and Hamlet share the same sense of emptiness, but Edna does not have the life changing ghost nor any other premonition to save her. Her result from her lack of guidance, death, and most importantly, it was a suicide. She had no sense of worth, no task to complete, and no ghost to save her.
Because the ghost of the late King Hamlet appeared, Hamlet did have a presence and was needed to do something, avenge his fathers wrongful murder.
The ghost in "Hamlet" by Shakespeare is the catalyst for many things later in the play, reflecting that what happens in our past affects our future actions. In act 1 scene 4 Horatio asks Hamlet if the ghost might " assume some other, horrible form, which might deprive your sovereignty of reason and draw you into madness?" The suggestion of lunacy by Horatio foreshadows the theme of Hamlet's damaged sanity. In act 2 scene 2 we find out that Hamlet really is sane; that he is only pretending to be a lunatic so that he might get close to thing to kill him. "These trivial fools" is the giveaway that Hamlet is truly sane. Shakespeare did not contain his fascination with insanity, or the past affecting the future to only "Hamlet", but also "Macbeth". Lady Macbeth is the driving force behind her husband's actions to vie for the crown. As the play progresses we see her mind begin to unhinge with the struggle to remain on top of the political heap. As her past deeds and plots come back to haunt her, Shakespeare resounds his themes of insanity and past effects.
ReplyDeleteThe past is simply a pathway to the future, paving further and further with each experience. This concept is applied to William Shakespeare's play "Hamlet" which focuses on the experiences of the past playing a role in Hamlet's future decisions. In the later part of act I, the concept of religion is brought about, because in Christianity, one is supposed to be punished for sin, not by man, but by God, and this concept of punishment for sin is seen when the ghost of Hamlet's father tells him that until "Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature/ Are burnt and purged away," his death will not have rightfully been avenged. This encounter with Hamlet's father not only reveals a religious theme that is present throughout the play, but it also is seen that later, the ghost influences his decision to pursue the investigation of the murder of his father despite the fact that it was built off of inner intuition, subtle clues, and a ghostly encounter. This worldly concept that is seen in every day actions, where the past ultimately can determine one’s decision in the future, and is also highlighted in the novel Ender’s Shadow, by Orson Scott Card. In this novel, one follows the story of the protagonist named Bean, a orphan under the age of 5, and his early struggles in life as he lived on the streets and was forced to fend for himself. These early life experiences, although traumatic, ultimately guide his decision making processes when he finds himself a solider at battle school, and must make quick, un-strategized moves in the battle room, and when he decides to act with animal like instinct in order to survive, unlike those qualities and moves in the books the other students have read. It is seen that past decisions always have a way of catching up to you, whether they be conscious or subconscious.
ReplyDeleteVirginia- your post is correct but it doesn't give an example of another book or play with the same theme of cause and effect
ReplyDeleteJessica- Fabulous connection of emptiness in "Hamlet" and " The Awakening"! Hamlet does have a more respectable death than Edna because he is not falling to the rules of society but he finally gets his revenge and dies a loyal son.
Jessie- I like how you connected two of Shakespeare's plays!
Ciara- great connection between " Edner's Shadow" and "Hamlet". I've never read that book so it was nice to see a fresh example!
Great job to everyone who posted!
Shakespeare takes advantage of the supernatural and uses it to reveal different aspects of the story. In Shakespeare's time people believed that ghosts were devils in disguise. The past plays an important role in what happens in the future. For example, the Ghost tells Hamlet that he is his father and tells him to "revenge his foul and most unnatural murder"(I,4, 25). In doing this it changes the result and the future of the story. Once Hamlet finds out that his Uncle Claudius was in fact the murderer of his father, he begins to plot the death of King Claudius. Deception was a major theme throughout the play and Claudius conceals the murder of Hamlet's father. Because of the common Shakespearean belief of the supernatural, Hamlet is uncertain as the whether or not the ghost is just deceiving him. Hamlet was deceived so many times that he doesn't and cannot trust anyone, and this also drives him to be crazy. As one can see, the past has a huge impact on the future events.
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