The ghost is the apparition of King Hamlet’s spirit, poisoned by King Claudius. He only speaks to Hamlet, informing him of the murder and encouraging him to take revenge on Claudius on his behalf. It becomes a significant moral dilemma for Hamlet, who is never completely sure that taking revenge is the right thing to do. As a result, the ghost becomes a symbol of confusion and is the physical manifestation of Hamlet’s insanity. Hamlet is not even sure that the ghost is real, and speculates that it might be an evil spirit sent to disturb him. More significantly, due to the fact that Gertrude cannot see the ghost when she and Hamlet are arguing, it is possible that the ghost is simply a figment of Hamlet’s vivid imagination as he grieves for the death of his father. This question is never properly answered, but ultimately the ghost is the instigator of most of the chaos in the play.
