Thursday, March 24, 2011

Hamlet Blog 2

"Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast, / With witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts— / O wicked wit and gifts, that have the power / So to seduce!—won to his shameful lust / The will of my most seeming-virtuous queen." (1.5. 49-53)

The ghost of King Hamlet tells Hamlet that he was killed by his brother: Claudius the king. This could be seen as suspicious because Hamlet already despises Claudius for taking his father's throne so easily and without mourning. He also does not like the fact that his mother acted in somewhat the same manner. The ghost tells Hamlet that it wasn't his mother's fault that she was not very upset over the death of King Hamlet. It was Claudius who tricked her into loving him. Claudius could have seduced the queen so that she wouldn't suspect anything. The main thing that the ghost brings up, is that Claudius killed him. But because Hamlet already had issues with Claudius and society for overlooking his father once he passed away, this conversation with the ghost who claims to be his father could be suspicious. Hamlet's confirmation bias could easily cause him to hear only what he wants to hear. The information given by the ghost can not be truly believed yet because Hamlet was the only one to hear it, and he has an incredible confirmation bias.

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