Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Hamlet Act 3 Blog Question

To what extent is the ghost of Hamlet's father real? Is Hamlet hallucinating at some point, possibly letting the idea of the gist infiltrate his psyche? Or is it real at all?

23 comments:

  1. I believe the ghost of Hamlets father is as real to Hamlet as he makes him real. I don’t think the ghost would really be able to be seen by others. I think that Hamlet’s mind is creating someone who will agree with his vengeful actions against his uncle Claudius. I think this is the way his mind is copping with the lose of his father and the great betrayer of his mother. I think that the more grief stricken Hamlet gets the more real the ghost seems to him even if others cannot see him.

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  2. I think that Hamlet's fathers ghost is real the first time he presents himself because more than just one person can see him. The second time the ghost presents himself in his mothers room I think he is hallucinating. He is so grief ridden and upset about the past events he takes his anger out on his mother. After remember he wasn't suppose to do that he thinks he is seeing the ghost that told him to keep her out of it.

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  3. I think that the ghost that Hamlet saw in the first scene was real. Two different men also saw him, and there were specific things that the ghost told Hamlet that Hamlet didn't know before he encountered him. But when he was in his mothers bedroom, I think he was hallucinating. I think that was more his mind reminding him, that he needs to fulfill his fathers wishes and that includes not hurting his mother, and he was taken back to that scene when he was with the ghost.

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  4. Given that two other characters had seen the ghost earlier in the book, I think that it's real. But I think it's real only to a certain extent. I strongly believe that in heated or tense situations, Hamlet only hallucinates that the ghost is present. I think that Hamlet is basing every move he makes upon what the ghost told him, instead of taking a step back to look at the entire picture and consider other paths of action.

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  5. There is much evidence supporting that the Ghost of King Hamlet is not a hallucination. Other characters, including the guards Marcellus, Barnardo, and Horatio have spotted the figure before Hamlet even knew of his existence. The first communication Hamlet had with the Ghost provided the murder of King Hamlet and how he was killed, which was proved accurate after seeing Clauduis' reaction to the play Hamlet held. Yet there are other elements that cradle the idea it is all in Hamlet's head. After the death of the king, Hamlet continued mourning long enough it could have made him sick and was in complete denial that his father was suddenly gone from the world. He could have possibly formed the visage of the Ghost as a form of closure he could use against his uncle, mainly because of his sudden climb to the throne and marriage to Gertrude. In Act 3, the Ghost had appeared in front of Gertrude,yet she is the only one who couldn't see the Ghost in his appearance. This only add an obstacle of confusion to if the Ghost didn't want to be seen if he really doesn't existence. Overall, the measures seen to tip the scale towards his actual existence being true, because is the only reasonable conclusion to how Hamlet knew of his father's murder.

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  6. With out a doubt the first time Hamlet sees his father’s ghost it is real. Other characters saw the ghost and King Hamlet told his son details of his murder that were proven to be true. The second time the ghost appears only Hamlet can see him. I personally do not think it matters if the ghost is real or not the second time. Either way, Hamlet is reminded not to harm his mother and of his true purpose. What does matter is Hamlets sanity. It is quite possible that he is so isolated and under so much strain that he truly has gone insane. But I think it is more likely that Hamlet is just as sharp as ever, now with a reminder of his vindictive goal.

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  7. I think that Hamlet believes that the ghost of his father is real and that he has to kill Claudius to avenge his death. In a way I feel that the Ghost will only show himself to those who want to believe in him. Gertrude doesn't have a reason to believe that her dicseased husband is lurking around the palace. In Hamlets mind he thinks that the only way to free his father is to avenge him and by doing so he will be commiting the same crime that Claudius did by killing his father. Throughout the play Hamlet has acted as though his is loosing control and going insane but with what he is going through knowing that his mom is maried to the murderer of his father, not to mention that he killed the wrong person thinking hat it is Claudius when it was actualy Polonius has pushed him over the edge. There is the possibility that he is immaginining that the ghost is there the second time that it appears.

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  8. The ghost of king Hamlet is real because multiple people saw him when he first appeared. This is still true for the bedroom scene even though Gertrude doesn't see the ghost. This is because the ghost knows that since gertrude is a weak person that if he (King Hamlet)appeared to her she'd go crazy , So he didn't. Just look at what Hamlet's talk did to her... imagine what would have happened if she saw the ghost of her late husband and found out what happened to him.

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  9. I do believe that Hamlet's ghost is real. I can think of few explanations as to why Horatio, Barnardo, and Marcellus, would see a ghost. Were it not for those three, Hamlet would never have thought for a moment about a ghost. The ghost actually existing is how I would explain all four of them seeing it.

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  10. Although it is impossible to be absolutely sure, I feel as though the ghost must be real, and not just to Hamlet. This makes the most sense to me because the ghost has pretty much been with Hamlet throughout the entire play, and so this makes it seem more realistic. Also, the ghost has been seen by other people which adds to the credibility. And, although I do believe that Hamlet is starting to go truly insane, the ghost is a real thing.

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  11. I believe that king Hamlet's ghost is real. The ghost plays a key roll in this story and I think Shakespeare had the intent that the ghost was a real figure that only certain people could see. Another factor is that Horatio, Barnardo, and Marcellus all saw the ghost and confirmed what they saw. It would be extremely difficult to make the ghost up and hallucinate all in the same way.

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  12. In my opinion the ghost is real. I believe that he only wants certain people to have the ability to view him. In the beginning when the ghost had first appeared, it seemed like he wanted Horatio, Bernardo, and Marcellus to be able to see him for certain reasons. He possibly wanted them to inform Hamlet of how they saw a ghost that looked similar to his father, just so he would get the chance to speak to his son, and inform him of his murder. Also, when he appeared in the bedroom scene, he most likely did not want Gertrude to have the ability to see him, and he could have possibly reappeared only to tell Hamlet to take it easy on his mother.

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  13. Hamlet’s father is real in my opinion. There has been other characters who have seen him to validate Hamlet. Hamlet’s main purpose in life right now is revenge on his uncle. I think that with this goal, it forces Hamlet to think clearer. When this goal is reached and he has no real purpose left in life I think he’ll start hallucinating until that leads to his death. Claudius’s reaction at the play further displays that King Hamlet was murdered by his brother.

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  14. The ghost is genuinely his father's ghost. Someone else told Hamlet that there was a ghost, therefore confirming his validity as a ghost. The ghost's original intent was to give Hamlet the information for revenge and he told Hamlet to leave his mother alone. Hamlet then proceeds to not do either of those things. If I were the ghost, I know I'd return to Hamlet to ensure my deeds are being done when they aren't.

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  15. at the beggining of the play after Hamlets fathers murder, the ghost appears multiple nights and is seen by several people including Hamlet. the First interaction between the two was no halucination. the ghost told Hamlet what has happened and what to do about it. Hamlet know has a goal to bring claudius to commit to the murder of his father. We know that this interaction is real because Claudius's reaction to the play inside the play shows that he is guilty. However, i believe that his imagination starts to run wild and the ghost is now an halucination. I don't believe Hamlet has let his father go and holds a vengence that keeps his father alive when ever he needs advice.

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  16. Hamlets ghost in my opinion is real because if he wasn't the only one to witness it, then it isn't just a figment of his imagination. Horatio and bernardo were the ones who had told hamlet of the ghost. What I don't understand is why the ghost allows Hamlet, Haratio, and Bernardo to whitness his spirit but not his wife Getrude? It couls be possible that at that moment when Hamlet and his mother were in discusion that he was letting the idea of the ghost infiltrate his psyche.

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  17. I think that King Hamlets ghost is indeed real. Horatio, Bernardo, and Marcellus all saw him in the beginning of the play. Although Hamlets mother did not see him and simply thought Hamlet was talking to himself I think that the ghost can make himself appear in front of certain people. I think that he can control who he wants to see him.

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  18. I believe that the ghost of King Hamlet is real and that Hamlet's mother didn't see him when Hamlet was trying to show her him, because the ghost can simply show itself to whomever it wants like many ghosts often do. Horatio and some other soldiers have also noted the presence of the ghost, so it's not just like Hamlet has been the only one to see it.

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  19. I think the bedroom scene is a pivotal point of the story. This is where we, as readers, have to decipher whether or not Hamlet has gone insane. Here, we must also question the existence of the ghost in the first place. The most common argument for the existence of the ghost is that a number of people claimed to have seen it. The modern day equivalent to this would be the thousands of people who claim to have seen aliens, Sasquatch, and the Loch Ness Monster. At this point, it's more than likely that the ghost has become nothing more than a projection of Hamlet's desire for revenge.

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  20. I do believe that the ghost is real, he is 100% real. I think that as a ghost, he is able to decide who sees him and how they see him. I think that in the beggining of the story he wanted everyone to see him to instill fear. I think that in the bedroom scene the Ghost chose not to let Gertrude see him because that would be contradicting the message he is attempting to portray to Hamlet in the first place, which was leave his mother out of it!

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  21. The ghost of Hamlet appears to be real, mostly based off of the first act, in which the ghost appears to multiple people in order to bring attention to a problem within his royal family and to gain credibility for when he eventually speaks to Hamlet. Although the ghost was no visible to the queen, this was most likely because if the ghost really was King Hamlet, I highly doubt he would want anything to do with a woman who had betrayed him for his own brother. And not only would she not be able to see the ghost because of the ghost's possible emotional ties, but also because the queen had no need to see the ghost, therefore she won't. In addition to the evidence in the play, the times in which Shakespeare wrote the play were much more superstitious than they are now, and so I feel as though the appearance of a ghost would not be that incredibly unrealistic to audience members.

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  22. The ghost which happens to be the dead king Hamlet is not a hallucination of Hamlet's because when he is first introduced into the play other people, besides Hamlet, saw him. However, the idea of the ghost does penetrate the psychological side of Hamlet, which make shim go a little crazy because he can't grasp the idea of the ghost and the fact its his dad. Hamlet also worries that the ghosts story of Claudius killing the king is false, and that he would be doing wrong if he kills Claudius.

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  23. I think that the ghost of King Hamlet that Hamlet sees in the beginning of the play is real, because that ghost gave Hamlet motive and told him about his last moments As the play goes on, we don't see the ghost for a while until the bedroom scene, when the ghost appears in front of Gertrude but she cannot see him. The reason the ghost appears in robes this time around and not armor is because I think the ghost isn't real anymore. I don't think it is real anymore because the ghost told Hamlet not to speak to his mother about what happened, and just as Hamlet speaks to his mother, the "ghost" appears.

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