Character Appearance In Hamlet

In the drama The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark there are different types of characters. There are some characters who appear quite a bit, but are essentially irrelevant when considering their overall importance in the play. There are some that appear all of the time and play key roles in the development of the play. There are characters who appear seldomly, and have little to no influence on anyone else in the play or on the play as a whole. Finally there are certain characters who rarely make a physical appearance, but have a remarkable effect on other characters and on the overall plot of the play. These characters play a key role in the development of the play because without them either there essentially wouldn’t be a play or some

King Hamlet was murdered before the play, but in the play his ghost makes a few important appearances that contribute to the actions of other characters, the development of other characters, and the theme of the play in general. His few appearances are exciting events in the play that help push the development of the entire story and the characters he interacts with.

The character, Ghost King Hamlet, first appears before three of Prince Hamlet’s most trusted soldiers and “friends”, Horatio, Marcellus, and Barnardo. They witness the ghost and believe that he resembles their former king in looks, body position, and clothing. Horatio asks the ghost “What art thou that usurp’st this time of night,/ Together with that fair and warlike form/ In which the majesty of buried Denmark/ Did sometimes march? By heaven I charge thee,/ speak” (1.1.46-9). Although he says this almost fearlessly Barnardo still notices that Horatio is scared for his life when he asks “How now Horatio? You tremble and look/ pale” (1.1.53). When they witness King Hamlet’s ghost the first time they

Claudius is calm and relaxed until the ghost appears before Hamlet. It’s almost as if Claudius could feel the presence of the man he assassinated in cold blood. Claudius tries to forget the sin he committed when he murdered King Hamlet, which goes well until the ghost appears. Ghost Hamlet’s appearance eventually drives Prince Hamlet insane.Hamlet starts out as simply acting to be insane to confuse Claudius, and to keep him from uncovering Hamlet’s plot to slaughter Claudius. He starts to contemplate literally everything that comes across his mind. From sadness and happiness to life and death. These thoughts that constantly cross his mind help develop is final thoughts about life and what comes after. Hamlet has a hard time deciding how he wants to kill Claudius and when he wants to do it, and if he even wants to do it at all. Hamlet wants Claudius to suffer for the pain he put Hamlet through and the pain he put the previous king through. He also wants to make sure he goes to heaven even after he kills Claudius. He wants to make sure Claudius goes to hell to make sure he suffers forever for what happened to his father, but Claudius asks for forgiveness when he says “Or pardoned being down? Then I’ll look up./ My fault is past. But, O, what form of prayer/ Can serve my turn? ‘Forgive me my foul murder’? That cannot be, since I am still possessed/ Of those