The Ghost in Hamlet: Messenger of Earthly Justice
The Ghost in Hamlet is no messenger of Divine Justice but rather a messenger determined to convince Hamlet to pursue its personal justice. The Ghost's appearance is persuasive, but Hamlet is right to avoid jumping to conclusions about its demand. It is important for Hamlet to distinguish between its urgent request and what may lie beneath it. The Ghost's speeches emphasize human sins and mirror the Seven Deadly Sins of the human world. The dead king is as imperfect as Claudius, and shares in his sins. The Ghost is, therefore, human, not…
