Horwendill

In William Shakespeare's work Hamlet, Shakespeare uses the ghost of the deceased king to play a significant role in the plot of the story as a whole in multiple ways. The first way Shakespeare uses the ghost of King Hamlet is by first using him to play a crucial role in the development of the characters in the play, especially Hamlet. An example of the ghost doing this is sending Hamlet into his descent into madness and furthering his complex character. Shakespeare does this by having the ghost inform Hamlet of his father’s murder. Secondly, Shakespeare uses the ghost to influence the theme of revenge and madness that develops in the play by using the ghost as a driving force for Hamlet. An example of the ghost doing this is by instructing Hamlet to avenge him, which equally adds to both the theme of revenge as well the theme of madness. The dead king also provides specific details of his murder to fuel Hamlet’s desire for revenge. Finally, Shakespeare uses the presence of the ghost to drive the action of the play by revealing the murder of Hamlet’s father to him. This event sends Hamlet on a quest for revenge and creates a snowball effect throughout the play. To start with, the ghost heavily influences the development of a few characters in the play this includes Hamlet and his friends. In the opening act, Hamlet’s friends encounter the ghost of the former king while standing guard on the wall of the castle. They are the first and only characters besides Hamlet that the…