Something Hamlet never seems to wonder about

[Miss Plum]

I've never been a fan of the ghost. He wants Hamlet to avenge his death seemingly for his (the ghost's) own satisfaction, not to re-establish social justice or for the sake of justice itself. The farthest he goes beyond himself seems to be:


Let not the royal bed of Denmark be
A couch for luxury and damnèd incest.

At least he's gotten out to some matter of state, but wouldn't you know it's one that not-so-coincidentally is also a matter of intense personal resentment.

Hamlet does wonder whether the ghost is a seductive demon, since demons will assume pleasing forms in order to tempt humans to foul deeds. But as far as I can tell Hamlet never questions his father's love. He never asks, If my father loved me, why would he order me to commit the same kind of deed for which he's now suffering horrible tortures in Purgatory? In fact, Hamlet in his reminiscences of his father never says anything about what a great dad he was or how affectionate he was; he talks about what a paragon of kingliness he was, what a fine figure he cut. Yorick is the guy who made little Hamlet laugh and bounced him on his knee. Maybe the ghost figures Hamlet, unlike himself the ghost, will get a chance to repent and receive absolution before death, but you certainly never see the ghost say "Make sure for heaven's sake to have a priest handy when you go to stab Claudius." NOOO, it's just "Remember me."

It's true, Hamlet characteristically generalizes his situation whenever he contemplates it and sets all his considerations in a philosophical, not personal, context, but it seems to me the question of his father's character -- his psychology, his love -- could also be considered that way.

Anyhow, I can't find that Hamlet ever asks a question that to me seems quite obvious. Or does he? Am I missing it somewhere?

I have another few complaints/questions about the ghost's character coming up.

[Charles Darnay]

As for whether Hamlet loved his father: I think you have to place it within the context that it is set. The fact that we know that King Hamlet was both a great warrior and so loving to Gertrude is enough to count him a great man and one who Hamlet loved. Why would he be in mourning that far exceeds custom if he did not have such strong feelings for his father?

As for your point about the ghost's intentions, this is a far more interesting question. However, I would say that "yes, the ghosts intentions are personal, why shouldn't they be?" Hamlet is, when it comes down to it, a domestic tragedy, much like King Lear and Othello. A father was murdered, should the son not seek revenge? It hardly matters that Hamlet is Prince and that a king was murdered, a son must revenge his father.

There is still the matter of the ghost asking Hamlet to kill someone (guilty or not). I think you can make an excellent argument that this shows some flaw in his father's character - that his concern for honour supersedes human concerns. On the other hand, what else could Hamlet do? From a theatrical p.o.v, this provides an excellent ambiguity: we never actually learn if the ghost is "an honest ghost." Hamlet eventually assumes that yes, he is, but this is knowledge that will always be unattainable.

[Miss Plum]

Well, maybe I can concede a little more to the ghost then. I guess it's changing times. The day has passed when a son would be expected to kill his father's murderer instead of calling on civil authorities to investigate.

Next up, Ophelia . . .

[baffman]

But how convinced is Hamlet that the Ghost is telling him the truth? He sets up the Murder of Gonzago in order to test that theory. We may disbelieve in ghosts, but we cannot deny Shakespeare anticipated our trouble in trusting the Ghost. From Hamlet's conversation with Horatio, it seems clear he admired his father quite a bit. It seems misleading to consider the character of the Ghost based on its request. What character should a ghost have anyway?

[Charles Darnay]

But how convinced is Hamlet that the Ghost is telling him the truth? He sets up the Murder of Gonzago in order to test that theory. We may disbelieve in ghosts, but we cannot deny Shakespeare anticipated our trouble in trusting the Ghost. From Hamlet's conversation with Horatio, it seems clear he admired his father quite a bit. It seems misleading to consider the character of the Ghost based on its request. What character should a ghost have anyway?

Exactly. We don't often consider the distinction between hamlet the king and the ghost, mainly because we never see the former. But they are not the same. "I am thy father's spirit," he says, there is a key distinction there.

[kelby_lake]

Hamlet is a revenge tragedy, and the convention of the genre is that the son must avenge the father's death or vice versa. Therefore it's not a case of Hamlet wondering whether his father loves him- he just has to do it. It's about family honour and the filial bond.

[Miss Plum]

Interesting twist Shakespeare put on the genre, creating a son who is too contemplative for his role. I had thought Hamlet's One Big obstacle to killing Claudius was his fear that the ghost wasn't honest, but come to think of it Hamlet finds plenty of reasons to avoid action.

[Charles Darnay]

Interesting twist Shakespeare put on the genre, creating a son who is too contemplative for his role. I had thought Hamlet's One Big obstacle to killing Claudius was his fear that the ghost wasn't honest, but come to think of it Hamlet finds plenty of reasons to avoid action.

It is certainly a twist on the genre - which Shakespeare is wont to do. Just compare Hamlet to his earlier revenge tragedy - Titus Andronicus - or compare Hamlet to the "The Spanish Tragedy", which is seen as the epitome of the revenge tragedy. Shakespeare twists the genre by introducing a "thinker" as the protagonist: this has never been the case.

Interestingly, if you look at most revenge tragedies post-Hamlet, they tend to follow Hamlet more than they do The Spanish Tragedy. The best example I can think of right now is Count of Monte Cristo: Dantes learns to be a thinker from Faria - and while he is not as hesitant as Hamlet, he is more rational when it comes to revenge, his treatment to Mercedes notwithstanding.