Preview

Ghosts and Spirits

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1479 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Ghosts and Spirits
Unfinished Business:
Ghosts and Spirits

The average person may think of ghosts and spirits as something disguised in a white sheet with holes for eyes, a ragged figure dragging chains and moaning. In addition, something floating through the air and that can enter and exit rooms without the need to open doors. This is an example of the way ghosts and spirits are usually described in stories or depicted in movies. It has been said that ghosts and spirits are souls that cannot pass into the next world or dimension once they have died on earth. Although, truth be told that all ghosts and spirits have a purpose to be able to travel through two different worlds, life and afterlife. Ghosts and spirits proves to be a dominant symbol in the play of Shakespeare’s, Hamlet on numerous occasions and is especially manifested through the character of Hamlet Senior. It is said that the reason that ghosts stay on earth is that, they have unfinished business, and they are afraid to move on into the next dimension. This can be revealed throughout the play of Shakespeare’s, Hamlet. QUOTE (Shakespeare, 57). This is what demonstrates that the spirit of Hamlet’s father tells Hamlet about the tale of horror, he demands that Hamlet avenge Hamlet Seniors murder at the hands of Claudius. This is definitely a very strong description on how ghosts and spirits can return by having unfinished business on earth, which is shown with a dramatic and death filled ending. Obviously, there is much reason on why ghosts and spirits stick around, some are for good reasons and other are for bad.

What are ghosts and spirits? And why do they exist.

A ghosts and s spirit can be defined as a disembodied soul of a deceased person. In a large amount of sightings there is always a story associated to the spirit. That is why Halloween is a time of year that horror stories are frequently shared. The origin of Halloween started with the theme of death. Over 2 000 years ago, the Celts celebrated a holiday they

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Ghost Dance Assignment

    • 265 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In Ghost Dances there are a eleven dances, there were three people who represented the dead and the rest of the dances were the Sullivans who were just doing their normal everyday activities and didn’t know when death was going to come and take them away. These dances used traditional folk movement and accompanied by the andies folk music. At the beginning of Ghost Dances the Skelton like people that represent death start dancing without any music playing but just to a blood like dripping sound.…

    • 265 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Cats became symbols of Halloween because there were beliefs that black cats were humans souls and witches could turn into black cats. Also many single ladies had cats, there was a belief that single ladies were thought to be witches, in the 1600’s or so, the local cat lady would have probably been tried for witchcraft, so therefore black cats became part of Halloween because of humans souls and witches.…

    • 70 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    What exactly is a ghost? Well, “the word ‘ghost’ in English tends to refer to the soul or spirit of a deceased person that can appear to the living” (Wen). In general, these souls or spirits are those of loved ones, or alternatively spirits of negative energy…

    • 826 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There is a strong relation, throughout history, between religion as a belief, and the idea of ghosts as a part of this belief. Some ethnic groups believe in spirits and they do some religious rituals as a way of getting closer to the souls of the ancestors and satisfying them. Native American believes in reincarnation of their ancestor's souls. Also, Tlingit ethnic groups in Alaska and other ethnic groups in Australia and Africa believe in reincarnation. This relates to our subject through the idea of transportation of spirit, as invisible thing, to another creature or inanimate being and they can contact with them through some rites. The faith of hidden forces, believing in the supernatural, reincarnation, soul restriction, soul liberty or…

    • 152 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    i. Ghosts were thought to have danced in the graveyards on Halloween. If a person encountered a ghost it was a warning that death was coming.…

    • 2679 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Theory of Ghosts

    • 1628 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The study of labor is obviously important to those of us who live in a town like Flint, Michigan, but, when we broaden the definition to include the overall history of working people we find how important the story of labor is to all Americans. While this course will certainly focus on organized labor, it will also look at the history of work and workers from Colonial times to present day. This course, which is a combined lecture/discussion class, will also focus on the role ethnicity, race and gender have played in this history of American labor.…

    • 1628 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ghost In Hamlet

    • 1324 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the audience of Shakespeare’s time period as well as today’s audience would have recognized the play as a revenge tragedy. But, this is not your typical revenge tragedy but one with a twist. As in most Elizabethan revenge tragedies the ghost appeared to further the action or reaction of the hero. However, the ghost in Hamlet not only appears as part of the plot but surpasses the traditional role of the ghost and becomes an actual character within the play (Mandell).…

    • 1324 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    They all sopme up to one thing spirits and ghost are real. There are shows on T.V. They have exorsist in the world so that people can be free of sprits. There are many people that have experienced the cold chills and more. so people many people have seen them and felt there presents in there houses and every where. There is many people have had spirits in there house.…

    • 484 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet Cites

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages

    I think a lot of the confusion that has been whipped up over Hamlet--including all the nonsense about his supposed inaction--is because Shakespeare didn't plant the dramatic idea of Hamlet's doubts of the ghost's veracity at the right place. If it had been placed right after…

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet’s need to help the ghost starts from the moment he meets him, when the ghost describes his current dwelling place as being in “sulphurous and tormenting flames”. Hamlet feels pity towards…

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When the Ghost first appears to Hamlet, retelling the story of his ‘foul’ murder, Hamlet is quick to take action expressing his utter loyalty to his father in the simile, “That I with wings as swift/ As meditation or the thoughts of love/ May sweep to my revenge.” However as the play progresses he begins to question the Ghost, the use of antithesis identifies his uncertainty, “Be thou a spirit of health, or a goblin damned,/ Bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell,/ Be thy intents wicked or charitable.” Hamlet may be incapable of avenging his father’s death however he is capable of such actions as sending Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths and manipulating people to reveal their inner conscience. This suggests Hamlet’s inaction is due to his distrust and lack of loyalty to the Ghost, reflecting him as like a true renaissance man who relies on evidence to verify an accusation. Hamlet’s loyalty to his father is questioned as he begins to procrastinate the murdering of Claudius suggesting he is not yet convinced of the…

    • 746 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet was a man with religious beliefs, he is often referring to God in the play but is unsure whether the ghost is really his father’s spirit or if it is evil taking over his body. Hamlet was an educated man and wanted to be sure to do things correctly and make the right choices by fear of going to hell himself.…

    • 531 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Hamlet's Madness

    • 1974 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Gertrude, Claudius, Polonius and others base their convictions of Hamlet's insanity on his belief of the presence of a ghost. They are wrongfully condemning his guilt, because not only do others see the ghost, but also it makes a statement of its need to see Hamlet, and only him. Gertrude denied sight of the ghost of King Hamlet a few times throughout the play, but that is not true with everyone. Marcellus and Barnardo saw the ghost initially, and though they were unsure who the figure was, the two men were smart enough to find a more scholarly and cultured man to judge the identity of the figure. The play opens with Horatio, Marcellus, and Barnardo watching for the spirit. Horatio is skeptical at first, but after seeing the former king, he finds his friend Hamlet, and tells him what happened. That is the first time we meet the young Hamlet. He is confused and troubled upon hearing the news, but does not hesitate in volunteering to go see for himself. When they arrive at the tower and see the ghost, Horatio and Marcellus try to keep their friend Hamlet from going along with it. They knew so little about the image; it could very well have been a war omen, or a demon. After he is certain that the figure is the Dane, and not a demon, Hamlet converses with it. His father tells…

    • 1974 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    certified well. It is at this time he receives word from his friend Horatio that…

    • 959 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The play Hamlet, written by Shakespeare, was a poor representation of believability, likeable characters and a plot that makes readers want to continue reading. It is a story that represents honor and revenge. The emotion of the novel is over-exaggerated, therefor lowering the relatable factor. The ghost appears to Hamlet and tells Hamlet to seek revenge for his fathers’ murder. Although the ghost shows personal traits it is not believable that Hamlet would simply be convinced to commit himself to overtly violent actions from a character that he just met. With all the quick assumptions and lack of thought before killing, it makes the story unrealistic. The main characters Hamlet, Claudius and Gertrude show traits of a hero, villain and everything in between. The likability is lacking in all of these characters because it is impossible to go along and back up their outlandish decisions. They behave rashly and impulsively to a point where connecting…

    • 1113 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays