The Supernatural in Hamlet

The supernatural in “Hamlet” is used in a negative way; it acts as a catalyst for chaos, unleashing death and wreaking havoc. “What, has this thing appeared again tonight?” (1,1,20). The opening scene of Hamlet introduces to the audience the ghostly element, which sets the plot in motion.

At first, the ghost appears in full armor. The dead King is in turmoil; he is angry and ready to fight and defend himself. The weight of the armor keeps him on the ground. The ghost appears in front of the watchmen the exact same hour for the third time; in the dead of night, a strange and unnatural presence walks the Earth. The Ghost’s appearance, which comes in and out of the determinate time of the earthly temporal-spatial realm, suggests an alternative time, an intrusion from another time and space continuum[1]. The boundary between the living and the dead is not decisively closed and its security is inevitably called into question by the appearance of ghosts[2]. In this first appearance, the ghost is silent. Horatio, as a scholar, takes it upon himself to perform the task of discernment, and determine whether “this thing”, “this apparition” and “illusion” is really the ghost of the dead King and not some demon. Horatio authenticates the ghost, based on his senses (I might not this believe without the sensible and true avouch of mine own eyes, 1,1,55-57) and on physical appearance (Is it not like the King? A thou art to thyself, 1,1, 58-59). However, neither appearance nor the senses can fully be trusted. Thus, the question of what the ghost is or where it comes from is never definitively resolved – afterall the ghost answered no discernment questions.

In the fourth scene of the first act, the ghost reappears silent on stage, in front of Horatio and Hamlet. Hamlet follows it. When they are alone, the ghost, now nothing but silent, speaks openly about his murder and Claudius’ and Gertrude’s relationship, essentially uttering what was in Hamlet’s mind. A strong connection is established, in such a degree, that the distinction between them becomes blurred. Hamlet’s obsession with remembrance questions the nature of the ghost. The overwhelming emphasis on the psychological dimension has the odd effect of eliminating the Ghost as ghost, turning it into the prince’s traumatic memory[3]. His contemplation with the phantasmal could then be a twisted memory-illusion of a grieving son with a troubled mind. The ghost’s final appearance (3,4, 102-133) supports psychological dimension to its existence. The ghost appears in a white nightgown, possibly moving towards the final stages in Purgatory, visible only to Hamlet.

The existence of the ghost cannot be disputed since it appeared on stage and was seen by many characters. However, for all the characters it was merely a silent apparition. However, for Hamlet, the ghost was an interlocutor, which could perhaps suggest that their discussions took part in Hamlet’s mind. Hamlet conjured his father’s ghost to confirm his suspicions against Claudius and somehow legitimize his later actions. The ghost thus acquires a similar power as dreams in other Shakespearean plays: it becomes more important than Hamlet’s reality.

[1] (DeCarlo, 2013)

[2] (Greenblatt, 2013)

[3] (Greenblatt, 2013)

Bibliography

DeCarlo, J. F. (2013). Hamlet and the Ghost: A Joint Sense of Time. Philosophy and Literature, pp. 37:1, 1-19.

Greenblatt, S. (2013). Hamlet in Purgatory. Princeton University Press.