hameful lust the will of my mostseeming-virtuous queen” (I, v, 42-45). Hamlet, adopting this malicious spirit, laterresponds to the ghost with a fervent, “O most pernicious woman! O villain, villain,smiling, damned villain” (I, v, 105-106). Hamlet now has a valid reason to be disgustedwith both his uncle and his mother and proceeds to confront his mother on this incestualissue. He does this by comparing his father, a “combination and a form indeed whichevery god did seem to set his seal to give the world assurance of a man” (III, iv, 61-63), to his uncle, a “mildewed ear blasting his wholesome brother” (III, iv, 65). Hamletfocuses on a minute and inconsequential part of avenging his father’s murder; thus, hedelays action even more.The ghost also induces Hamlet’s preoccupation with death and decay, seenthrough Hamlet’s many allusions to the subject. Hamlet makes puns involving death: “Your worm is your only emperor for diet. We fat all creatures else to fat us, and we fatourselves for maggots. Your fat king and your lean beggar is but variable service-twodishes, but to one table” (IV, iii, 21-24). He ponders and foresees death: “I see theimminent death of twenty thousand men that for a fantasy and trick of fame go to theirgraves like beds... O from this time forth, my thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth”(IV, iv, 60-66). Hamlet even seems fascinated by death: “That skull had a tongue in it,and could sing once... That might be the pate of a politician... might it not?” (V, i,67-71). We can assume that Hamlet was not previously obsessed and intrigued by deathand decay. However, with the ghost’s appearance, and with his increasing feelings ofguilt, Hamlet becomes more macabre and (covertly) depressed. The ghost ultimately causes Hamlet’s destruction by requiring that his son avengehis death. The ghost also caus...
