Discuss the significance of the ghost in Act 1

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Discuss the dramatic significance of the ghost in Act 1.

“It harrows me with fear and wonder.” Horatio’s expressive words on first encountering the ghost in Hamlet are reflective of the concerns that were preeminent in the minds of the Elizabethans of Shakespeare’s time with regards the supernatural. The influence of the people’s rampant belief in ghosts, witches and superstitious ideas is evident on the pages of such Shakespearean works as Hamlet, Macbeth, Julius Caesar and Richard III. This idea of ghosts triggered a sense of fear, and instigated thought on matters such as death and the afterlife. The appearance of King Hamlet’s ghost is thus not only typical of the era in which the play was supposedly written, as well as typical of other Shakespearean works, but brings to mind issues which are still widely debated today.

Act 1 begins with a change of guards at the Elsinore castle, an active scene which has been interpreted by some to set off the tension in the play. The guards on duty, Marcellus and Barnardo, attempt to convince Horatio of an ‘apparition’, a ‘dreaded sight’ which they had twice previously seen. Horatio, however, is filled with disbelief, proclaiming, “Tush, tush, ‘twill not appear.”  The repetition of the word ‘tush’ in this alliterative statement draws our attention to his doubts of the ghost’s appearance, and thus makes it even more dramatic when the ghost suddenly appears.

The setting of the first scene on the castle battlements past midnight, and the manner in which the ghost’s previous appearances are described by the guards, employing such adjectives as ‘dreaded’ and references to heaven and the “star…where now it burns” all come together to create a fearful scene. These all pave the way for the appearance of the ghost, and further dramatic description of it and its actions. The way the ghost moves and acts, seen in the use of sibilance in See, it stalks away”, and in the stage directions, “It spreads his arms” can be described as frightening and haunting.

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Horatio says of the ghost, “…it started like a guilty thing/ Upon a fearful summons” This simile implies that the ghost is still facing judgement, and this introduces the idea of purgatory. It is believed by Catholics that when a person dies, they either go to heaven, hell or are in judgement in purgatory. The ghost further hints this idea to Hamlet when he says, “Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature/ Are burnt and purged away.” This further connotes the idea that Hamlet’s father is Catholic whereas Hamlet, a student at Wittenberg, the same university attended ...

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The writer has a good knowledge of the text but should ensure that the question is addressed more analytically and less descriptively. Context is used effectively and much of the textual analysis achieves a good standard. ****