Ambiguity In Hamlet Act 4

In this passage from Act 1, scene 5; lines 14-29, Hamlet finds himself in the woods after following the ghost. There he witnesses the ghost’s revelation, and finds out the ghost is his father. The spirit mentions the “eternal blazon” of afterlife he lives in, a place so horrible he cannot go into great detail. The news that Claudius, Hamlet's uncle, murdered his father surprised him the most. Knowing that now Claudius holds the throne made this discovery even worse. As this scene progresses, we see Hamlet’s anger rise and later lead to his “mad” behavior. In this passage, the use of ambiguity, figure of speech through metaphors, and allusions to purgatory, effectively introduce the reason for Hamlet’s “madness”— the character of King Hamlet’s spirit.

The existence of the ghost itself is ambiguous. Horatio, Marcellus, and Hamlet see the ghost first, although only Hamlet speaks to him. This introduction initiates Hamlet’s anger and investigation of the supposed murder by Claudius. He did not want to raise any suspicion that he knew the truth, so acting mad became a cover. Later on, when Hamlet speaks to Gertrude in Act 3, scene 4, he sees the ghost again, but Gertrude does not. He responds to

Starting on line 20 and continuing until line 26, he begins to explain what would happen if he told a part of his story. Shakespeare uses images within these metaphors, which creates a stronger image overall. Phrases like “freeze thy young blood” and “each particular hair to stand an end” are metaphorical images of what could happen to Hamlet after hearing his father’s story. King Hamlet’s spirit wants to emphasize his suffering, so Hamlet feels emotional enough to want revenge on Claudius. Hamlet hearing about how his father met an untimely death and now suffers, is an essential part of the play and sets the stage for his plan to prove that Claudius was indeed the