The Ghost Of Old Hamlet - 1466 Words

The ghost of Old Hamlet is an important part of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but the ghost does not appear to all of the characters. The audience first sees the ghost when it appears before Horatio and the watchmen, Bernardo and Marcellus, who are both minor characters who do not play a major role in the play. Hamlet also sees the ghost later, and the audience only hears the ghost speak in interactions between him and Hamlet. However, because the ghost’s words are not real, it also brings forth the question how Hamlet suspects that Claudius poisons Old Hamlet through his ear. However, the ghost is invisible to Gertrude, the wife of Old Hamlet, even though the ghost loves Gertrude. The fact that Gertrude is unable to witness the ghost brings forth the question of the ghost’s existence, and also makes the audience wonder the reason the ghost does not show up in the play after the meeting between Hamlet and Gertrude. The nonexistence of the ghost’s words also chang es how the audience perceives the end of the play, as revenge changes from the father’s wish to the son’s desire. Therefore, Gertrude’s inability to see the ghost of Old Hamlet suggests that the ghost that appears before Hamlet when he talks to Gertrude does not exist, unlike the ghost that the characters see at the start of the play, and with this interpretation, it portrays Hamlet as a closer foil to Laertes, and changes the play to a tragedy in which a man tries to honor his father. Bernardo, Marcellus, and Horatio,Show MoreRelatedThe Importance Of Ghost In Hamlet761 Words   |  4 Pagesstories, ghosts play an important part in the plot, as they enhance the reader’s view of the characters and the events that take place. The play, Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, in 1609, explores the theme of ghosts and real people living around them. 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