Question: What is an image used within this Act? What symbolic value does the image have, and how does it relate to the themes or action within the play?
Image: Ghost
Symbolic value:
Indicates that something is wrong in Denmark: shadow of King Hamlet; something of his death has upset the balance of nature (Act I scene i) (I.iv.67)
Physical form of anxiety that surrounds the transfer of power upon the King’s death
Horatio in particular sees the ghost as an ill omen boding violence and turmoil in Denmark’s future, comparing it to the supernatural omens that supposedly presaged the assassination of Julius Caesar in ancient Rome (Act I scene…)
Uncertainty of truth
Pivotal event: Rouses Hamlet to revenge his death; Claudius has corrupted Denmark …show more content…
Before the presence of the ghost is known to Hamlet, the thought of revenge never came to him. He is just overwhelmed with grief and pain after his father’s death. However the ghost rouses Hamlet to revenge his father’s death, which is a pivotal turning point in the play. The Ghost, the shadow of King Hamlet, symbolizes the turmoil and distrust in the transfer of power in Denmark and catalyzes Hamlet’s revenge against Claudius: the main theme in …show more content…
This typical pattern is expressed in Hamlet as well; the Ghost rouses Hamlet to “Revenge [his] foul and most unnatural murder” (I.v.31). Without the appearance of the Ghost, Claudius’ sin would not have been revealed and the theme of retributive justice would not have come into play. The Ghost underlines the theme of retributive justice: a sin must be returned with a punishment (karma). The idea of retribution plants vengeance into Hamlet, thus unraveling the main focus of the
Image: Ghost
Symbolic value:
Indicates that something is wrong in Denmark: shadow of King Hamlet; something of his death has upset the balance of nature (Act I scene i) (I.iv.67)
Physical form of anxiety that surrounds the transfer of power upon the King’s death
Horatio in particular sees the ghost as an ill omen boding violence and turmoil in Denmark’s future, comparing it to the supernatural omens that supposedly presaged the assassination of Julius Caesar in ancient Rome (Act I scene…)
Uncertainty of truth
Pivotal event: Rouses Hamlet to revenge his death; Claudius has corrupted Denmark …show more content…
Before the presence of the ghost is known to Hamlet, the thought of revenge never came to him. He is just overwhelmed with grief and pain after his father’s death. However the ghost rouses Hamlet to revenge his father’s death, which is a pivotal turning point in the play. The Ghost, the shadow of King Hamlet, symbolizes the turmoil and distrust in the transfer of power in Denmark and catalyzes Hamlet’s revenge against Claudius: the main theme in …show more content…
This typical pattern is expressed in Hamlet as well; the Ghost rouses Hamlet to “Revenge [his] foul and most unnatural murder” (I.v.31). Without the appearance of the Ghost, Claudius’ sin would not have been revealed and the theme of retributive justice would not have come into play. The Ghost underlines the theme of retributive justice: a sin must be returned with a punishment (karma). The idea of retribution plants vengeance into Hamlet, thus unraveling the main focus of the