It is well-known that a revenge tragedy is centered on the protagonist’s
plight for revenge, most of the time for the death of a close relative. They
follow a defined structure. One of these steps is that the unforgiving ghost of
the murdered victim appears to the protagonist and asks him for revenge.
This
is a pretty old brochure, isn’t it?
But the big question that everybody asks is “Why does the ghost come
back?”
Each ghost probably has its own reason to come back and visit or haunt
someone:
Ghosts may be attached to someone or something that they don’t want to
leave; that means being that someone’s guardian. The ghosts may not be aware
that their time on earth has come to an end and they don’t actually realize
that they are dead already, or they think that they have an uncompleted task.
There are many reasons as you may see.
However, there’s a theory that explained that they come back because
they have died in a violent way, with fear, or with a lot of hatred. It’s
believed that strong emotions make the ghost blind and they are not able to
leave the place.
I think this is clearly the case of king’s Hamlet ghost. After being
killed by his brother Claudius, the ghost is probably full of rage by the act committed
by his brother and that is why he tells his son Hamlet that “The serpent that did
sting thy father’s life Now wears his crown.” That means that he has to “Revenge
his foul and most unnatural murder” so his soul can finally rest in peace.
So, is that the
reason why the ghost comes back? Is rage the responsible for him to come back?
Is it just a sentiment what triggers the whole plot?
I do not think this
is THE answer, yet it might help people understand why ghosts do not leave or
come back to our world. Perhaps we can mash up all these theories to justify
the ghost visit since he cared about his family, he died violently, and he had
strong emotions against his murderer.
Sources:
- R. (n.d.). Where Do Ghosts Come From? Retrieved November 2, 2014, from http://www.searchingforghosts.com/where-do-ghosts-come-from.html
- Revenge in ‘Hamlet’. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://shakespeare.about.com/od/hamlet/a/hamlet_revenge.htm
Oscar you provide good reasons for a Ghost to come, but I can think in one more.... maybe the ghost is just an apparition in Hamlet´s mind in his attempt of trying to find a reason for the death of his beloved father. And since his uncle Claudious is on the throne now, it´s very likely to may have done something to gain that position. Hamlet in his desperation could have seen things and mysterious actions where nothing happened but the strong desire made him see the world in a different way. We have to remember how powerful our minds are....
ResponderEliminarEste comentario ha sido eliminado por el autor.
ResponderEliminarI know it's hard to believe in ghosts, but it has been proven that when a person dies, he or she loses some weight, and if we take into account the fact that energy is neither created nor lost but transformed, and that mass (or matter) is energy that hasn't been transformed, then it makes sense to believe in the existence of the soul. And if the soul exists and maintains its consciousness, then the reasons you provided here make perfect sense to me.
ResponderEliminarOscar, I completely agree with your post. People died every day and at every minute, so for me it makes sense that a ghost come back to earth trying to revenge or to tell the hidden truth behind his dead.
ResponderEliminarIn the play "Hamlet", there is a mystery fog that did not allow to know the truth about King Hamlet's death.
That's why King Hamlet came back to earth, and maybe that's why his son was asking himself "To be or not to be".
In the "Nunnery Scene", Hamlet is asking himself if life is worth living, or if he had the right to end his life whenever he wanted. A completely situation, if we take into consideration the murder of his father.