Is Hamlet Really A Devil?
Is the ghost in Hamlet really a devil? Uploaded by xsparklyvix (1188) on Sep 5, 2005
‘The ghost that I have seen may be a devil’,
Can we be sure about the ghost in Hamlet?
What are your conclusions on this matter.
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a drama, which has been renowned for its content and depiction of characters. Over the years, it has gone through many variations of interpretations and criticisms. One such criticism is the nature of the ghost who takes the form of Hamlet’s dead father. At first glance it may be sufficient to accept the ghost as the spirit of Hamlet’s dead father who returns to the land of the living in order to have his son avenge his murder. However, looking deeper into the text, several signs …show more content…
Ghosts were believed to be agents of the afterlife but interestingly, they were not universally dreaded. Many counterparts believed they were a representation of the spirit of God. Ghosts could represent the angel or the devil to the Shakespearean sensibility.
Hamlet begins the doubting of the ghost’s origins by questioning if the ghost ‘airs from heaven or blasts from hell’. Deeply grieved by his Father’s death he is in shock and is unsure whether to trust or believe in the ghost. The ghost appears to Hamlet at night ‘What hour now? / I think it lacks of twelve’ and appears to shun the light which in Shakespearean times, suggested the works of the devil, ‘For Satan himself is transformed away from the Angel of light’ (II Corinthians 11:12).
Marcellus claims it is the Christmas season and that during this time of year ‘no spirit dare stir abroad’ because ‘so hallowed so gracious is that time’. This may explain the cautiousness of the ghost in only appearing at night time because he understands the crime he is committing in appearing at that time. Yet, It could be interpreted that as the spirit is still willing to appear during the ‘hallowed’ time, that it is the devil indeed, caring little for the season and God’s …show more content…
The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines purgatory as a "purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven," which is experienced by those "who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified" (CCC 1030). It notes that "this final purification of the elect . . . is entirely different from the punishment of the damned" (CCC 1031). The purification is necessary because, as Scripture teaches, ‘nothing unclean will enter the presence of God in heaven’ (Rev. 21:27) and, while we may die with our mortal sins forgiven, there can still be many impurities in us, specifically venial sins and the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven. However, this may argue that the ghost was indeed the spirit of Hamlet’s father returning to the real world as a ghost to avenge his death and reveal the truth to his son, Hamlet, in order to cleanse his sins to enter heaven. Catholics believe that, ‘As the sins are cleansed from your soul, you will be illuminated by the sun of Divine Grace’.
Nevertheless, the ghost tempts Hamlet to commit evil crimes, as does the serpent acting as the devil to Adam and Eve in the Bible ‘Did God tell you it to was evil?’ (Gen: 2). The ghost entices Hamlet to ‘Let not the royal bed of Hamlet be’, which plays on his previous suspicions of
‘The ghost that I have seen may be a devil’,
Can we be sure about the ghost in Hamlet?
What are your conclusions on this matter.
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a drama, which has been renowned for its content and depiction of characters. Over the years, it has gone through many variations of interpretations and criticisms. One such criticism is the nature of the ghost who takes the form of Hamlet’s dead father. At first glance it may be sufficient to accept the ghost as the spirit of Hamlet’s dead father who returns to the land of the living in order to have his son avenge his murder. However, looking deeper into the text, several signs …show more content…
Ghosts were believed to be agents of the afterlife but interestingly, they were not universally dreaded. Many counterparts believed they were a representation of the spirit of God. Ghosts could represent the angel or the devil to the Shakespearean sensibility.
Hamlet begins the doubting of the ghost’s origins by questioning if the ghost ‘airs from heaven or blasts from hell’. Deeply grieved by his Father’s death he is in shock and is unsure whether to trust or believe in the ghost. The ghost appears to Hamlet at night ‘What hour now? / I think it lacks of twelve’ and appears to shun the light which in Shakespearean times, suggested the works of the devil, ‘For Satan himself is transformed away from the Angel of light’ (II Corinthians 11:12).
Marcellus claims it is the Christmas season and that during this time of year ‘no spirit dare stir abroad’ because ‘so hallowed so gracious is that time’. This may explain the cautiousness of the ghost in only appearing at night time because he understands the crime he is committing in appearing at that time. Yet, It could be interpreted that as the spirit is still willing to appear during the ‘hallowed’ time, that it is the devil indeed, caring little for the season and God’s …show more content…
The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines purgatory as a "purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven," which is experienced by those "who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified" (CCC 1030). It notes that "this final purification of the elect . . . is entirely different from the punishment of the damned" (CCC 1031). The purification is necessary because, as Scripture teaches, ‘nothing unclean will enter the presence of God in heaven’ (Rev. 21:27) and, while we may die with our mortal sins forgiven, there can still be many impurities in us, specifically venial sins and the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven. However, this may argue that the ghost was indeed the spirit of Hamlet’s father returning to the real world as a ghost to avenge his death and reveal the truth to his son, Hamlet, in order to cleanse his sins to enter heaven. Catholics believe that, ‘As the sins are cleansed from your soul, you will be illuminated by the sun of Divine Grace’.
Nevertheless, the ghost tempts Hamlet to commit evil crimes, as does the serpent acting as the devil to Adam and Eve in the Bible ‘Did God tell you it to was evil?’ (Gen: 2). The ghost entices Hamlet to ‘Let not the royal bed of Hamlet be’, which plays on his previous suspicions of