How Does Shakespeare Present The Ghost In Hamlet

The past is seen to haunt our everyday life. In theatre especially, ghosts serve to embody haunting memories and burdens of the characters. In craftful plays such as Hamlet by Shakespeare and A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, ghosts symbolize an impediment on the development of the protagonists and the permanent presence of our history. Theatrical presentations on the oppressive effect of the past on the present, these plays portray two tragic heroes and their descent into their fate, one that is due partly to the effect of the haunting memories. Whether it be in Hamlet where the eponymous character encounters the ghost of his father who succeeds in haunting his conscience, or in A Streetcar Named Desire where Blanche’s state of mind is tormented by the …show more content…
In the Elizabethan era, it was common for ghosts to appear in revenge tragedies. Thus, the Ghost did not surprise the audience and was taken seriously as a true character. Before there is an introduction to the protagonists, Hamlet, the ghost is introduced in Act I, Scene 1, and thus he precipitates the darkness of the play. He first appears in a dark environment and causes for the guards of the dungeon to panic. It is important to note that Shakespeare chose the opening scene to take place in a location where people’s identities are already obscured, alluding to the theme of hidden identities and secrets. Hamlet is a boy haunted by the sudden and recent death of his father but also by the incestuous marriage of his mother with his uncle that followed not long after. With the arrival of the ghost, Hamlet becomes