Hamlet by William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare employs the use of symbolism throughout his play Hamlet , although the most important symbol is the ghost of Hamlet 's father . tThis essay will explore the various symbols used in Hamlet the focus will rest on the ghost of Hamlet 's father which represents a subconscious call to action on the part of Hamlet , the play 's central character as well as symbols of interest are flowers and the discovery of orick 's skull

The ghost of Hamlet 's father both represent physical reminders to Hamelt of death , a subject

with which he becomes obsesed with following the murder of his father .Marvin Rosenberg describes the appearance of the ghost as the start of Hamlet 's symbolic journey to Hades . This symbolic journeys begins when Hamlet is visited by the ghost of his father who shares unfortunate tales of adultery and murder with his son and attempts to push Hamlet on a vengeful course

Maurice Francis Egan explains that for Hamlet , his father 's appearance in ghost form has a personal significance ' Egan writes of Hamlet

He believes that this is the spirit of his father , King and Royal Dane but he accepts the mission as one of personal vengence .He is not the Prince , the heir of the kingdom , the savior of his country , but the wronged man threatening to return evil for evil

Throughout Hamlet the appearance of the ghost alternates between illusionary and foreshadowing of certain doom . It symbolizes the constant reminder of unaccounted wrongs and the call for accountability The ghost also symbolizes evil in the sense that it attempts to lure an otherwise harmless and moral being to commit immoral acts . Hamlet observes

This time is out of joint O cursed spite . That ever I was born to set it right

For Hamlet , his mission haven been defined by his father 's ghost , he is determined to embrace it

The ghost names Claduis as his murderer and it is against Claudius that Hamlet must seek his revenge . In this vein the ghost is symboic of society 's need for retributive justice . Cluadius has sinned and in for the Kingdom to be restored to , Claudius must be compelled to atone for his wrong . The ghost symbolizes a need for closure not only for the murdered man , but also for his grieving son

Another important symbolism to the appearance of the ghost is the nature and mechanisms of certainty . The fact remains , one can never actaully be certain of anything . The reader is left with this impression by the alternating representations of the ghost of Hamlet 's father . Is it real or is it a figment of Hamlet 's imagination ? More importantly , is it from heaven or is it from hell ? Connected to this enigma is the uncertainty that Hamlet feels toward Claudius . He slowly comes to the realization that he can never know the depths of Claudius 's dark soul by merely observing his conduct

The uncertainty of the ghost is...