The Importance Of The Ghost In Shakespeare's Hamlet

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there are many uncertainties that are presented throughout the play. Is the ghost Hamlet confides in real or a figment of his imagination? Does Hamlet truly turn mad? Does Hamlet love Ophelia? These questions and many more are wondered by the audience and even by the characters inside of the play. Hamlet is a play about indecisiveness, and thus about Prince Hamlet’s failure to act appropriately. Many instances in Hamlet lead the reader to wonder if the ghost confiding in Hamlet is real. This uncertainty is often argued. If this “ghost” was not real, how can Hamlet know about certain details of his father’s death if nobody was there to witness it? In the play, the audience first meets the ghost when he visits …show more content…
Hamlet’s love is wondered by all of the characters in the play. Polonius even advises Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet; “Do not believe his vows; for they are brokers” (1.3.127). Polonius is telling Ophelia that Hamlet must be using her love; that this relationship could never actually happen because they are not of the same social rank. “Affection! Pooh! You speak like a green girl,” (1.2.101). This begins to upset Ophelia and makes her wonder Hamlet’s true intentions. When in reality, Hamlet does in fact love Ophelia. While Polonius is warning his daughter, Hamlet is beginning to devise a plan to avenge his father; the first part of his plan being to feign madness. Hamlet, trying to fool everyone, acts crazy beginning to scare even Ophelia. Some, not believing Hamlet’s madness, decide to spy on a conversation between Ophelia and Hamlet. During this interaction, Hamlet purposely insults Ophelia telling her “I loved you not” (3.1.116), and “If thou dost marry, I’ll give thee this plague for thy dowry” (3.1.129). Here is when the audience begins to wonder if Hamlet truly loves Ophelia. If he does, why would he say these terrible things to her? It seems to me that if you truly love someone you would not deliberately hurt them. This is also when Ophelia, at first a believer of Hamlet’s love, begins to doubt her judgments as well. Feeling unloved and used by Hamlet, Ophelia commits suicide and is found drowning in a river nearby. When hearing of …show more content…
It may be all the more intriguing to consider that the play reveals to us the number of uncertainties that our lives are based upon, and what number of unknown quantities are underestimated when individuals act or when they assess each other 's activities. The ghost of king Hamlet, Hamlet’s madness, and the love between Hamlet and Ophelia are just some of the uncertainties that we as readers cannot control or