The King/The Ghost:
The humble unknowing King had very few parts in the play but his ghost was the key link to the whole plot of the play. The king appears to have done nothing wrong but his greedy selfish brother, Claudius, wanted the throne to himself so while the king was sleeping in the orchard, he got a poison called Hebbenon and put it into a vial and dripped it onto the king’s ear. The ghost is first seen by the guards and then they brought Haratio (a lord) to check and he saw it to so they both told Hamlet and they told him that the ghost looks like the dead king. So Hamlet comes and sees the ghost and follows it. This is where Hamlet is told how the king died. The ghost also told Hamlet to take revenge. There was a problem though, in those days there were people called the Elizabethans who believed that if you killed someone you would go to hell and that the devil would come in different forms to trick you into doing sins and going to hell but then he had to help his father so he decided to trust the ghost. I think the king's ghost is a very convincing character but still tells the truth to his son because he doesn't want him to be tricked by the devil. He convinces Hamlet to kill Claudius and he knew he will listen because he was his father's ghost. This are in the quotes,
Ghost
Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.
HAMLET
Murder!
Ghost
Murder most foul, as in the best it is;
But this most foul, strange and unnatural. (Hamlet Act I)
Here, the king's ghost tells him to revenge for him and Hamlet does listen and trusts his father's ghost.
And thy commandment all alone shall live
Within the book and volume of my brain, (Hamlet Act I)
Ghost
Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.
HAMLET
Murder!
Ghost
Murder most foul, as in the best it is;
But this most foul, strange and unnatural. (Hamlet Act I)
Here, the king's ghost tells him to revenge for him and Hamlet does listen and trusts his father's ghost.
And thy commandment all alone shall live
Within the book and volume of my brain, (Hamlet Act I)