Ghost (Hamlet)

The ghost of Hamlet's late father is a character from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, also known as The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. In the stage directions he is referred to as "Ghost." His name is also Hamlet, and he is referred to as King Hamlet to distinguish him from the Prince.

He is loosely based on a legendary Jutish chieftain, named Horwendill, who appears in Chronicon Lethrense and in Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum. According to oral tradition, the Ghost was originally played by Shakespeare himself.

Overview

King Hamlet appears as a Ghost three times in the play: in Act I, Scene i; in the continuum of Act I, Scenes iv and v; and Act III, Scene iv. The ghost arrives at 1.00 a.m. in at least two of the scenes, and in the other scene all that is known is that it is night.

The Ghost appears first to a duo of soldiers—Bernardo and Marcellus—and a visitor to Denmark, Horatio. Francisco never sees the Ghost, having the immediate preceding watch to Bernardo and Marcellus. The men draw their swords and stand in fear, requesting that Horatio, as a scholar, address the ghost. Horatio asks the ghost to speak, and reveal its secret. It is about to do so when the cock crows, signaling morning, and the ghost instead disappears. In this scene, the Ghost is clearly recognized by all present as the King, dressed in his full armour. It is also said that he had appeared to the castle guards at least twice before at exactly the same time.