An important aspect of most literature is strong motivation for the story’s main character. A motivator drives a character’s actions in a story, and keeps the protagonist and plot moving forward. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, a character who appears only briefly and as an apparition, Hamlet’s father, functions as the sole motivator for virtually everything else in the play. When the ghost of Hamlet’s father first appears, the ghost makes some very clear demands to his son, and following the conventions of revenge stories, Hamlet is bound to these demands and knows he must follow through with them. This drives the rest of Hamlet’s actions in the play. At the same time, the briefness of the encounter with his father’s ghost also allows little room for elaboration on the exact actions Hamlet should take and leaves questions as to whether Hamlet’s motivation is valid at all. The ambiguity of the ghost’s statements motivates much of Hamlet’s questioning, and is a key factor in his inability to act on his father’s demands. The ghost’s brief appearance at the beginning of Hamlet motivates Hamlet in every aspect, including the killing of Claudius and Hamlet’s hesitation to do so for so much of the play.
The ghost appears only twice in the play, and the only time he appears predominantly is when he first beckons Hamlet to hear his story, but this short encounter is the most important scene in the play. Right from the onset of the conversation, the ghost of the King makes it clear he wants his son to avenge his death, as he says, “If ever didst ever thy dear father love… Revenge his foul and most unnatural murther.” With these words, by the conventions of revenge plays, Hamlet is bound to follow his father’s orders; he now has no choice but to take revenge. Hamlet’s father then reveals Hamlet’s target, saying, “The serpent that did sting thy father’s life/Now wears his crown.” The ghost reveals that Claudius, the new king, murdered the king in his sleep. Now that Hamlet has his goal and his target, the stage is set for the rest of the events that unfold. Although it takes him awhile, Hamlet complies with his father’s demands and kills Claudius, satisfying his main motivation in the play.
However, while Hamlet now has all of the demands laid before him and knows exactly what he has to do, he hesitates and is unable to act. Hamlet’s first meeting with the ghost is what causes much of this hesitation and drives forward the aspect of indecision that makes that play more interesting. His meeting is brief and succinct, leaving Hamlet perplexed as to what steps he should take in order to comply with his father’s orders. The confusion of his encounter causes Hamlet to begin questioning whether his father’s brief appearance was really his father at all, and he worries “The spirit that I have seen/May be a devil, and the devil hath power/T’ assume a pleasing shape.” If a demon of some kind is deceiving Hamlet, the ghost may not be telling the truth. Hamlet wonders if the ghost’s demands to take revenge are valid at all. These questions cause Hamlet to stall until he is sure that he is killing Claudius for the right reasons. At the end of the book, questions about the validity of the ghost’s statements remain, since we see there is more to the Claudius character than just being a cold-hearted murderer.
After the scene where the ghost lays out his orders to Hamlet, all aspects of the rest of Hamlet are affected. The scene drives forward Hamlet’s thirst for revenge that keeps him pursuing Claudius’s grizzly end, at the same time keeping him from doing the deed. Working from such a brief encounter also allows Shakespeare to explore more depth in his storyline. A classic revenge play becomes a story of mystery and suspense. The ambiguity of the encounter allows for the indecision and questioning that allows these new themes to come out, and makes the play a deeper experience than if it were a standard story of revenge. The ability to work off of a brief encounter is a testament to Shakespeare’s superior writing ability.

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