Shakespeares Definition Of A Ghost Essay -- essays research papers

Shakespeares Definition of a Ghost     The American Heritage Dictionary, published in 1973, defines a phantom as,"the spirit or shade of a murdered person, supposed to haunt living persons orformer habitats." Unfortunately, this simple commentary does not explain where aghost play alongs from or why it haunts. When use in the context of Shakespearescrossroads, this definition seems to suggest that the ghost who visits crossroads trulyis his dead father seeking revenge. To the modern reader, this straightforwardinterpretation adequately characterizes the ghost and his purpose however, tothe Elizabethan audience the ghosts identity proved much complex. For theElizabethans, tetrad different types of ghosts existed, all(prenominal) with its suffer purposeand qualities. Before they could look into the meaning behind the ghostsappearance, the Elizabethans had to classify the ghost in one of the fourcategories. Similar to the modern definition, the Eli zabethans believed in thepossibility of the ghost being an positive dead person sent to perform some taskor mission. On the other hand, the ghost could be the devil disguised in theform of a deceased loved one, tempting to procure the sense of one of the living.The nonbelievers among the Elizabethans saw ghosts as omens, telling of troubledtime ahead, or simply as the hallucinations of a crazed person or group.Shakespeare recognize the complexity of the Elizabethan ghosts identity andplayed off of the confusion, making the irresolution of identity a key theme to hisplay. Throughout Hamlet Shakespeare explores each of the possible identities ofthe ghost with each one adding a new crouch to Hamlets plight.     When news of the ghosts presence first reaches Hamlet and Horatio, theydeclare it an omen of extrospective evil. Hamlets reaction indicates that he isnot surprised, "My fathers spirit - in arms? whole is not well. / I doubt somefoul play. Would the night were come / Till then sit still, my soul. Foul deedswill rise, / though all the earth oerwhelm them, to mens look" (I.iii.255-259).Hamlet already believes that Gertrude has affiliated a "foul deed" in marryingClaudius and the ghosts appearance supports Hamlets anger. At the time, Hamletdoes not know of his fathers murder, but he suspects there may be more behindthe ghosts appearance... ... revenge and kill Claudius. Before, the ghost was the only produceHamlet had of his fathers murder and he needed its assurance in determine to actout his revenge. After The Mousetrap and Claudius reaction, Hamlet has seenwith his own eyes the Kings guilt and has enough evidence to seek revenge onhis own - the reality of the ghost is no longer needed.     Depending on the get of the ghost, the tragedy of Hamlet can beunderstood in several apparent ways. When seen as an omen, the blood bath withwhich the play ends is both unavoidable and foreshadowed. If the ghost is trulyHamlets father, than Hamlet dies heroically, revenging his fathers untimelymurder. On the other hand, if the ghost is in reality the devil, Hamlet has beentragically tricked into relinquishing control of his soul sadly Hamlet knewbetter, but his reasoning and intelligence were no match for the devils guile.Finally, the hallucination view of the ghost presents Hamlet as a tragiccharacter whose irresistible impulse with his fathers death and his mothers incestuousmarriage lead to his downfall. Regardless of the reality or validity of theghost, Hamlets death and thus his tragedy, remains.