Why does Hamlet alone see the Ghost in Act Three and not Gertrude who is in the same room? I've been thinking about this since class and I have another idea. Perhaps the Ghost appears in Act Three not as an actual spirit, but as a projection of Hamlet's conscience.
Ever since Hamlet discovered the cause of the late Hamlet's death, and came to acquire the charge for revenge from the ghost, he has been conflicted. He wants to kill Claudius but when the opportune moment presents itself he refrains from doing so. This had to make him feel guilty, and once again like coward hiding behind his words. So in order to get rid of some of this guilt he begins to berate Gertrude in her chambers. But Hamlet is not an evil character, he is a young man who is in turmoil over what life has handed him. When he realizes the effect his sharp words are having on his mother, indeed cutting her to the core, I think he begins to feel guilty. But since he is so passionate he can't just apologize. So his conscience brings forth an excuse to restrain himself, something that had morally led him before, the ghost of his departed father. The ghost tells him that
This visitation
Is but to whet thy almost blunted purpose.
But look, amazement on thy mother sits.
O, step between her and her fighting soul
By projecting the ghost from his mind, Hamlet finds a reason to reel back his attack without once again appearing to be a coward. Since the ghost is in fact in his head this time, Gertrude is unable to see it.
Again this is just another thought that I had. There are of course also the possibilities that the Ghost chooses to appear to certain people, Gertrude's feelings of guilt prevent her from seeing the Ghost and of course, the idea that Hamlet has finally completely snapped and is simply hallucinating for no apparent reason.
We will never know why, unless of course Shakespeare's ghost is kind enough to appear and tell us...
I Would lean more to the thought that the ghost is there to refocus hamlet and not provoke or besettle his mother. Also as heated as hamlet is at this moment if it was his conciousness I think the ghost would have been more rash possible just because if the way hamlet reacts to the ghost:Hamlet. Do you not come your tardy son to chide,
ReplyDeleteThat, laps'd in time and passion, lets go by 2505
Th' important acting of your dread command?
O, say!
He expects a hard rebuke but instead comes the reminder to focus on Claudius. Also this fits with the ghost first desire for gurtrude:
Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive
Against thy mother aught. Leave her to heaven,
And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge 825
To prick and sting her. Fare thee well at once.
The glowworm shows the matin to be near
And gins to pale his uneffectual fire.
Adieu, adieu, adieu! Remember me. Exit.
I was thinking about what you said in class more thoroughly and it occurred to me, that while the ghost might be able to hide from sight, his voice is still heard (the whole Swear! thing). So we'd have to assume that if the ghost was actually present, he'd have to keep Gertrude from hearing his conversation as well....just a thought
ReplyDeletePersonally, I do agree that it can swing both ways, which is probably what Shakespeare had in mind. You could either use the ghost as additional confirmation of Hamlet's insanity, or it could be a really talented ghost. Either side works, it just depends which way you want to argue.
I always just thought that it was the ghost choosing not to be seen by Gertrude because he didn't want her to realize what was going on and to stop Hamlet, but I really like your way too. Like I talked about in my latest blog, I've never before thought of Hamlet as being crazy but now that I'm opening my mind to that possibility, your suggestion seems very plausible and highly insightful. I especially like the though of him mentally manifesting the spirit to excuse his guilty conscience, as we all know how powerful the mind can be and also how fragile it is.
ReplyDelete