Hamlet

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1. 
   amy-lepore Teacher
   High School - 12th Grade

   I think you can do that with what the text provides you.  First, we know from the sentries who first see it that it looks just like him.  He is also wearing armor--Denmark is at war, so this seems plausible; however, there is also a war closer to home with his brother having killed him, married Gertrude, and stolen young Hamlet's birthright.

   Hamlet himself sees the ghost and is enamored.  He and his friend Marcellus are both learned men and recognize the likeness.  While they are both cautious, Hamlet himself does trust it enough to go alone to speak with the ghost.  While the others fear that it may just be a trick to lead Hamlet off a cliff somewhere, Hamlet believes that it may be his father come from the other side of death to communicate with him. His courage and resolve to follow the ghost contrast with his waffling character later as he struggles with the issue of revenge.

   During the Mouse Trap play, Hamlet is even more convinced that the ghost is that of his father since the seemingly unbelievable news the ghost delivers is proven to be accurate and correct. His resolve to believe in the ghost's identity is solid, but his decision about his next move is unstable.

   Later, in his mother's bedroom, Hamlet addresses the ghost familiarly as if he no longer questions the identity of the ghost and the reality that it is, in fact, his dead father.

   Check out the link below which analyzes the character of the ghost.

   Sources:

   http://www.enotes.com/hamlet

   http://www.enotes.com/hamlet/characters

   http://www.enotes.com/hamlet/ghost-character-analysis

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   Posted by amy-lepore on Sunday May 18, 2008 at 4:21 PM
   
   

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