# Ghost — Hamlet character guide

> Ghost in Hamlet by William Shakespeare.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Ghost of Hamlet's father, Exeunt Ghost, Exit Ghost

**First appearance:** 0001-act-i

## Snapshot

The late king's armored spirit, walking Elsinore's battlements with a demand for vengeance that will unmake his son's peace and sanity.

## Who they are

The Ghost appears first to the watch and then to Hamlet, claiming to be the murdered King Hamlet and naming Claudius as his killer. He commands revenge but leaves the method and the morality to his son, a burden that curdles into obsession and feigned madness. He returns once more in the closet scene, whetting Hamlet's 'almost blunted purpose' while remaining invisible to Gertrude — a reminder that the dead may haunt a marriage as much as a conscience.

## In the story

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-i-scene-i)

Appears twice in full armor, resembling the dead king, but remains silent and vanishes at dawn.

### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-i-scene-iv)

Appears on the platform and beckons Hamlet to a private conversation.

### [Scene V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-i-scene-v)

Reveals himself as Hamlet's father, describes his murder by Claudius, and commands revenge.

### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-iv)

Appears to Hamlet to whet his purpose, but is invisible to Gertrude.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/ghost
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters