Ghosts of Hamlet
Throughout the ages, there have been reports of ghosts and ghostly encounters. ... In this essay, I look at the ghost in Shakespeare’s Hamlet in order to determine if the apparition is in fact real, or simply the haunting vision of a madman. ... i, one reads of Horatio, Barnardo, and Marcellus and of their encounters with what seems the ghost of King Hamlet. ... Even more important is the fact that our mad man, Hamlet, is not present in this scene, whereby separating the existence of the ghost from that of Hamlet. Interesting enough is as the time line of the play is concerned, Hamlet does not even exist. It isn’t until line 170 of this same scene that life is breathed into the character of “young Hamlet” when Horatio suggest he be told of the apparition. ... iv, we encounter Hamlet, Horatio, and Marcellus as they are about to encounter the ghost. Once again, Hamlet is distanced from the ghost in that Horatio calls attention to the ghosts presence. ... So far, we have seen the ghost acting fully independent of Hamlet. This would suggest that the ghost is not a vision of Hamlet, but a real entity. ... v, Hamlet and the ghost are finally center stage, where the twoconverse. ... Horatio and Marcellus make an appearence later in the scene, and ask Hamlet what he has learned from the apparition. ... Hamlet is asking Horatio and Marcellus to swear by his sword that they will not talk about what they have seen. In doing so, the voice of the ghost repeat Hamlet’s injunction that they do so. It appears that the two do not hear the ghost imploring, “swear” in conjunction with Hamlet’s requests. ... ” Is Horatio saying that Hamlet’s behavior is “wondrous strange”, or is he saying that the voice of the ghost that shadows Hamlet’s remarks is “wondrous strange.