Banquo and King Hamlet the friendly ghosts Essay

Banquo and King Hamlet the friendly ghosts - Essay Example In both Hamlet and Macbeth, Shakespeare uses the supernatural element of ghosts to build his plot by making it more dramatic, and to resolve the play’s central conflict. In Hamlet the ghost is first seen by Horatio who interprets its appearance as a warning to Denmark of an impending threat. When it appears again, Horatio confronts it but it vanishes without uttering a word. When Hamlet is informed of visitations by a ghost that looks like his father he vows to confront it. When the ghost reappears, Hamlet calls out asking what its purpose is but it only beckons him to follow which he does despite Horatio and Marcello’s efforts to stop him. It identifies itself as the spirit of Hamlet’s father: The ghost informs Hamlet that Claudius, who is his uncle and currently his stepfather, is the murderer. This infuriates hamlet significantly enough to desire for vengeance. However, the ghost reminds him to be gentle with his mother and leave her judgment to God. The ghost commands Hamlet to avenge his father’s death which Hamlet is at first unable to do prompting the ghost to appear to him again in his mother’s boudoir. The ghost reproaches Hamlet for not carrying out its orders about avenging his father’s murder stating, â€Å"Do not forget. This visitation, Is but to whet thy almost blunted purpose† (3.4.101). Scared of the witches’ prophesy about one of Banquo’s sons becoming king, Macbeth sends killers to murder Banquo in the play Macbeth. The witches had prophesied to Banquo that, â€Å"Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none† (1.3.67). Banquo is murdered but his ghost later appears while Macbeth is hosting a banquet and quietly sits next to him without uttering a word. The ghost’s face is drenched in blood and covered with cuts all over. It is a terrifying sight only visible to Macbeth. It is invisible to other people in the feast. It has been argued that the since the ghost was only visible to