Shakespeare Ghosts Essay, Research Paper

Shakespeare used ghosts in his plays to add flavor to them. He especially

emphasized on the super naturals in the plays Hamlet and MacBeth. The ghosts in

these plays were used to build up the structure of the plot. In Hamlet the ghost

is King Hamlet, Hamlet’s murdered father. The ghost appears four times

throughout the play and is seen by many characters. Hamlet is the most

influenced by the ghost, because it is his father and he is telling him to

avenge his murderer. This influence by the ghost keeps the play going by

becoming Hamlet’s driving force to vindicate his father’s murderer. The ghost

infuriates Hamlet’s anger of his father’s murderer by telling him who it is. The

murderer is Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle and new stepfather. The ghost also tells

Hamlet of how the murder was done. The ghost tells Hamlet to speak to his

mother, but in this he tells Hamlet to be gentle and not to make any judgments

because that is God’s job. In MacBeth, Shakespeare used several super natural

occurrences, for example a floating dagger, witches, prophetic apparitions, and

Banquo’s ghost. These are a few examples to show the importance of super

naturals in Shakespeare’s plays. In MacBeth the ghost is Banquo. Banquo was a

general in MacBeth’s army. The two see three witches who tell them of there

future. MacBeth’s future consist of becoming a king, but having no heirs to the

throne. Banquo will not be king, but one of his descendants will be. MacBeth

gets scared that Banquo’s sons will be kings. He hires murderers to kill Banquo

and his sons. The Shakespeare’s Ghosts 3 murderers kill Banquo, but his son

manages to escape. While the murders are taking place MacBeth is hosting a

banquet for Banquo. During the banquet Banquo’s ghost comes into the party and

sits by MacBeth and says nothing. MacBeth sees this ghost and completely losses

it. MacBeth cannot take the ghost’s presence any longer and yells for him to

leave. none of the other guests see the ghost, therefore leading them to believe

that MacBeth has gone insane in the membrane. The differences in the ghosts in

MacBeth and Hamlet differ greatly, as do the actions and reactions in which they

cause. In Hamlet the ghost appears a few times and is seen by many people, it

also makes requests for things to be done. In MacBeth the ghost is only seen by

MacBeth and is never heard, it is there merely for intimidation. The reactions

caused by the sight of the ghost differ. In Hamlet the ghost appears in full

body armor dressed for battle and puts thought into young Hamlet’s head. His

first thought is that the ghost is sent by an evil force, but soon disregards

that idea. Hamlet then proceeds to carry out the ghosts request. King Hamlet’s

ghost does not cause Hamlet to go insane as does Banquo’s ghost did to MacBeth.

The resemblances of the two ghost were mainly that both of the people

represented by the ghosts had been wrongfully murdered. They both mainly

influenced the main character of the play, kept the plot inline, and gave

insight to the character. In conclusion, the ghost in each play were one of the

most important characters. The play would not have been as clear without there

insight. Therefore, one should always listen to ghost, because they provide

useful information.