Explain the dramatic significance of the ghost in hamlet

1. PAPER-1
 Name: Sagar B Vaghela
 Roll No: 53
 Enrollment No:2069108420180052
 Paper No:- 1 The Renaissance Literature
 Topic: Explain the dramatic significance of “The
Ghost” in Hamlet
 M. A. Sem-1
 Batch: 2017-19
 Email Id: sagarvaghela2020@gmail.com
 Submitted: S. B. Gardi Department of English
MKBU

2. INTRODUCTION
 Hamlet is the first tragedy in
Shakespeare’s series of great
tragedies which is believed to be
published in between 1601 &
1603.
 This play is one of his
successful, perfect and best
plays ever known.
 Hamlet centers on the problems
arising from love, death, and
betrayal, without offering the
audience a decisive and positive
resolution of these complications
for Hamlet himself is ambiguous
and the answers to these
problems are complex.

3. INFORMATION ABOUT THE PLAY
 Full Title: The tragedy of Hamlet, prince of Denmark
 Author: William Shakespeare
 Type of Work: Play
 Genre: Tragedy, Revenge tragedy
 Original Language: English
 Time & Place Written: London, England, Early 17th
century(probably 1600-1602).
 Date of first publication: 1603, in a pirated quarto
edition title The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, 1604 in
a superior quarto edition.

4. THE DRAMATIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE GHOST
IN HAMLET
 Ghost or supernatural plays an important role in the
plays written during Renaissance or Elizabethan
Age.
 The presentation of Ghost, witches, portents,
omens, uncommon happenings, disturbances in
nature was quite and common phenomenon on the
Elizabethan stage. According to Moulton;
“Supernatural agency has a place in the world of
Shakespeare”.

5. CONTINUE…
 In ‘HAMLET’ the supernatural appears in the form
of the Ghost in the first act, 500 & 50 lines out of
the 800 and 50 lines are concerned with the Ghost.
Therefore, it may be said that if remove it, the play
falls to pieces.
 The Ghost in Hamlet has at least a three fold
dramatic significance.
1. It contributes to the general tragic atmosphere of
the play;
2. It motives the entire action of the play;
3. It shows up the character and drives home a
certain moral effect.

6. CONTINUE…
 First, in this play, Shakespeare has introduced the
supernatural element in order to create an atmosphere
of mystery, horror and suspense. It diffuses an
atmosphere of awe through which tragedy becomes
more impressive. The appearance of the Ghost in
“HAMLET” chills our blood with horror, or to be more
correct with terror.
 Horatio does not believe in Ghost but the appearance
“horror him with fear and wonder”. Hamlet himself
comes to believe I some calamity or evil about to be
face when he says;
“My father’s spirit in are! All is not well, I doubt some
foul play”.

7. CONTINUE…
 Secondly, the Ghost motives the entire action of the
play. Without the Ghost’s initial revelation of truth to
Hamlet, there would be no occasion for revenge; in
other words no tragedy of “Hamlet”. The main
theme of the play is revenge.
 The motive force of this revenge theme is provided
by the Ghost when it says:
“Let me not the royal bed of Denmark be, A couch
for luxury and demond incest”.

8. CONTINUE…
 Thirdly, the presence of Ghost in Hamlet a moral
significance also. The play shows that we can not
conceal the truth for a long time. It must appear and
“murder speaks with most miraculous organ”. The
Ghost, we feel, is a representative of that hidden
and ultimate power rules in the universe, it is a
messenger of the divine justice.
 Hamlet says:
“Foul deeds will rise though all earth over whelm
them, to men’s eye”.

9. CONCLUSION
 To sum up, the presentation of the Ghost in Hamlet
is an artistic triumph. Without it these would have
been no tragic suspense or curiosity, no suitable
atmosphere and consequently no interest. This
artistic treatment of the supernatural reveals
Shakespeare’s universal dramatic gift.

10. REFERENCES:
 http://www.bachelorandmaster.com/globaldrama/ha
mlet.html
 https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/nurfazlinmohdnai
m/hamlet-51484257
 http://www.cssforum.com.pk/css-optional-
subjects/group-v/english-literature/18391-
significance-ghost-hamlet.html