Shakespeare utilised the figure of a ghost to display Hamlet's devotion to God

the convention of a ghost in tragedy was tired in literature at this time, as it had originated from the classical period, with playwrights like Euripides and Seneca

with the advent of the Renaissance and the revitalisation of classical symbols and beliefs, ghosts were used extensively in contemporary literature also, such as Thomas Kyd's 'The Spanish Tragedy'

however, Shakespeare subverted the classical convention by making this ghost not from Tartarus, but of christian origin

however, sue to the religious reformation that had split the country and caused rebellions, Shakespeare could not specify the belief of the ghost or Hamlet as Catholic or Protestant lest he alienate a large part of his audience

rather, he used this lack of specificity to amplify the ambiguity of the ghost, and thus to test Hamlet's religious belief

Protestants at this time believed that ghosts were manifestations of the devil, and so this ghost 'could be a demon tempting [hamlet] to murder an innocent man' (Wiggins)

this is amplified by the fact that it was literary convention for the ghost to appear to the person who had wronged them. in this case Claudius, yet here he appears to hamlet, suggesting malicious intent

however, Catholic believed in purgatory and so would have viewed the ghost and simply old king hamlet in his 'fair and warlike form' awaiting heaven

this discrepancy is directly referenced when Hamlet probes 'be thou a spirit of health or a goblin damned?'

the binary opposition in religious lexis here reflects not only the reformation, but also the torment in Hamlet's psyche as he is not sure whether to trust the ghost

in this way, he is not sure whether to commit to 'revenge this most foul and unnatural murder' or to be pious and follow God's teachings, as revenge was prohibited in christianity

revenge represented a 'wild sort of justice' (Bacon) that seemed to undermine the power of God, as he was the one that was expected to right wrongs

therefore, the ambiguity of the ghost reflects the discourse between Hamlet's religious belief, and his attraction towards revenge and honour

it could be cited that this confusion was the reason for the play-within-a-play, as hamlet needed to prove that Claudius was guilty, and thus that the ghost was in fact not a demon, and was trustworthy, ensuring that his revenge would be less blasphemous and dangerous

overall, it is clear that 'all duties seem holy to Hamlet' (Goethe) as he must verify the ghost and his words before he can commit regicide, perhaps explaining the so-called 'indecision' of Hamlet throughout

critics have posited that Hamlet's decisions, or lack thereof, and guided by his incestuous feelings towards his mother, and the jealousy this creates

the Oedipal interpretation of Hamlet was spearheaded by Freud and Ernest Jones, and is based off of the classical play of Oedipus, in which a man mistakenly sleeps with his mother

the term has come to be used psychologically as one denoting lust for one's mother, and thus jealousy of one's father

indeed, the lust Hamlet has is perhaps best represented the he speaks of her 'swift dexterity' to 'incestuous sheets'

the sibilance used here facilitates a sense of disgust in Hamlet, as one can imagine an actor visibly spitting these syllables to display his contempt

thus this could merely symbolise his disapproval of Gertrude's 'hasty' remarriage and sexuality

yet, in line with the Oedipal interpretation, this serves as evidence for hamlet's jealousy for his uncle. as he has fulfilled his repressed desire of killing his father and marrying his mother

and thus, Hamlet's decisions, or rather indecision, is caused by his 'buried' (jones) feelings, as to kill Claudius would be to accept and address these incestuous feelings, and confront them within himself

for this reason, as Jones dictates, Hamlet 'cannot kill [Claudius] without killing himself'

this may explain Hamlet's inactivity throughout the play, and his emphasis on thought

this interpretation is scaffolded by the fact that Hamlet does not commit his eventual revenge until Gertrude, the object of his desire, is dead, and he is able to do so without affirming the Oedipal lust within

thus, his decisions are partly informed by his lust and loyalty towards his mother, which he tries to hide

some posit that Hamlet was truly mentally unstable, suggesting that his decisions were not informed by much other than his mental state

a contemporary text written in 1583 by Thomas Bright details the symptoms of those suffering from madness. It is titled 'the Treatise of Melancholy'

firstly, it suggests that sufferers see 'phantasticall apparitions'

this may explain why hamlet sees the figure of the ghost, especially when we consider that it was custom for ghosts to appear to those that had wronged them, in this case Claudius. the fact it appeared to Hamlet is a symbol of his madness

also, in Act 3 Gertrude is not able to see the ghost, showcasing the development of his 'antic disposition' into real madness

moreover, Bright suggests that sufferers see their homes as a 'prison or dungeon' rather than a place of 'repose'

indeed, Hamlet dubs Denmark as a 'prison...in which there are many confines, wards and dungeons'

the similarities here are obvious, and the use of a tricolour here reflects the melancholia and despair which has led to Hamlet's madness

moreover, the comparison of Denmark to a prison suggests the poor morality of those within, as they are sinners who have committed crimes, perhaps another reason for his madness

Furthermore, in this time prisons were merely used as holding cells for those awaiting execution, and not as places of punishment

this may suggest that Hamlet predicts the plot against him, and fears for his own life as he feels he is awaiting execution, which would certainly induce paranoia and madness, further reinforcing Bright's evidence and thus this interpretation

it is unsure whether Shakespeare was familiar with this work at his time of writing, but it is clear he wanted to include elements of insanity in Hamlet, so that his motive is unclear, and we cannot guess what informed his decision most