Hamlet's Response To The Ghost Of His Father

This question is interesting in the fact that there are several major dramatic questions wrapped into the narrative. The one(s) that captivate(s) the reader – or audience member, in the case of a stage production or movie adaption – depend(s) largely on the specific character(s) of the play with which they associate themselves or with whom they develop an empathetic or emotional connection. For example, if they see themselves represented in the life of Hamlet, then they might be drawn to the dramatic questions of “What will be Hamlet’s response to the ghost of his father?” and/or “What will happen in the course of this bizarre forbidden relationship with Ophelia?” However, if they are drawn to the character of Queen Gertrude, then they might

be more interested in the question of how she might reconcile her “o’er hasty marriage” to Claudius with the scorn that it brought upon her from her son, Hamlet. A fascination with other characters would lead to different major dramatic questions. For this paper, I will focus on the major dramatic question of “What would Hamlet’s response to the ghost of his father be?”
This theme is to be considered the real major dramatic question of the play, as it is not until this question in particular is answered in Act V that the play could satisfactorily end. It is the issue which drives the majority of the plot, whether it be in regards to Hamlet requesting that the Players perform a specific play to test Claudius’ conscience or the possibility of Hamlet being sent away to England and thereby becoming unable to fulfill Old Hamlet’s request. And additionally, there is also the fact that the issue of Hamlet’s response to the ghost is one based upon occurrences, which are unfamiliar to most of society and would inspire a sense of mystery in those enjoying the production.
This question is originally brought to light in Act I Scene V. It is at this point that Old Hamlet’s ghost instructs his son to “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder,” by the hand of Young Hamlet’s uncle, the new king, Claudius. While this is the specific point at which the question is presented, the issue is made more immediate and captivating in Act III Scene III when Hamlet is offered the opportunity to strike Claudius down in his chambers, while he is preoccupied with his prayers.
Seeming to be the ideal moment to fulfill his father’s ghost’s wishes, the fact that Hamlet chooses to spare Claudius for the time being, requires one to consider Hamlet’s dedication to fulfilling his assigned task.

For while he does present an argument as to why he was right to postpone Claudius’ death, the argument is largely irrelevant, as ensuring that Claudius suffer in the afterlife was not a part of his charge. This could imply that he might be wavering in his belief that who he conversed with was (as he said in Act I Scene V) “an honest ghost” and not an evil spirit. However, his provided excuse does make rational sense and is sufficient to prolong both the life of Claudius and the play,

itself.
For this specific dramatic question, there is a single crisis and one final strong climax.

The crisis is Hamlet’s aforementioned internal struggle about murdering Claudius in his bedchambers. I consider this to be a crisis and not a turning point, most simply, because it does not elicit any sort of change in any of the characters involved. While Hamlet decides not to kill Claudius yet, he is still resolved to do so eventually. And despite the fact that Claudius is praying (presumably quite ardently), he acknowledges that, because he refuses to concede the ill-gotten gains of his crime, he cannot be repentant and does not change either. The climax comes at the end of the play, where in Act V Scene II the mortally wounded Young Hamlet both stabs the king with the poisoned foil and forces him to drink the same poison, which was originally intended for the prince. Additionally, this play could not simply have had a turning point, as it is not an issue of a change in mindset or opinion, but rather it was that of the decision of whether or not to make a direct and purposeful

action.
In summary, the question of how Hamlet will react to the information and charge presented to him by his father’s ghost is the major dramatic issue in the play. My arguments for this included the timeliness of the resolution of this question and the end the play, the significant influence this question exercised over the plot of the play, and the general mysticism surrounding this question, which draws the reader or audience member into the play and keeps them interested in seeing the resolution of the production. For these reasons, I believe the major dramatic question of “Hamlet” is, “What will be Hamlet’s response to the ghost of his father requesting that he kill his uncle?”