The Ghost In Hamlet

Who is the ghost revealed to be? Where is he from? Why has he returned?

The ghost is revealed to be Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet. This is revealed during a conversation between the ghost and Hamlet; the ghost says, “I am thy father’s spirit,/Doomed for a certain term to walk the night/And for the day confined to fast in fires,/Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature/Are burnt and purged away. But that I am forbid/ To tell the secrets of my prison house” (1.5.9-14).The ghost admits that he is his father. The ghost also mentions that he is from a purgatory, with other souls which he further cannot talk about. The ghost has come to inform his son about his death and wanted to seek revenge through his son, Hamlet. This is shown when the

The ghost of King Hamlet says, “I find thee apt,/And duller shouldst thou be than the fat weed/That roots itself in ease on Lethe wharf,/Wouldst thou not stir in this. Now, Hamlet, hear./'Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard,/A serpent stung me. So the whole ear of Denmark/Is by a forgèd process of my death/Rankly abused. But know, thou noble youth,/The serpent that did sting thy father’s life/Now wears his crown.”(1.5.31-40).During this conversation, the ghost tells Hamlet, that his uncle had poured poison into his ear and killed him. What made it especially horrible is that not only did the uncle murder the king but snatched away his life, crown, and queen all at once, as soon as the king died. He also mentions that the queen had fallen into his spell, believing his lust to be real

The ghost tells Hamlet, “Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive/ Against thy mother aught. Leave her to heaven/ And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge/To prick and sting her. Fare thee well at once./The glowworm shows the matin to be near,”(1.5.85-90). The ghost wants Hamlet to leave his mother alone and let the God punish her. This is because he wanted the wife to die from guilt and also because he wanted Hamlet to focus on his objective which is to seek revenge and kill Claudius. He also tells him to focus on the main objective. This is proven when the ghost says,” Let not the royal bed of Denmark be/A couch for luxury and damnèd incest./But howsoever thou pursuest this act,(1.5.82-84). As mentioned the ghost tells Hamlet that his only job is to seek revenge, nothing should come in-between