William Shakespeare's Hamlet, a story grounded in mundane issues such as morality, justice and punishment, begins in a very otherworldly way: the appearance of a ghost who desires revenge from beyond the grave. The supernatural confrontation between Hamlet and his father's ghost is perhaps the most important scene in the play, as it not only sets the stage for the tragic whirlwind of emotion and death that follows, but offers some of the deepest insights into Hamlet's life. character and the relationship with his beloved father that the text has to offer. In the brief conversation between the two, the intense admiration and respect Hamlet has for his father are clearly revealed, as are the differences between father and son that explain Hamlet's inability to act or find concrete moral truths in his world . While Hamlet is continually conflicted over issues of death and the afterlife, morality, and violent punishment throughout the play, his father's ghost sees the situation as nothing more than a case of crime deserving punishment, a concept so simple but effective that the constantly philosophical Hamlet fails to fully grasp it and is ultimately destroyed by it. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The memory of the dead king seems to be preserved by few people other than Hamlet throughout the play. Although he is widely recognized as a great and noble man, his son is the only person who still sadly mourns his death and worries about the state of the new kingdom. This leads the other characters in the play to constantly question Hamlet's mental state before he discovers the truth about his father's death. Even though he doesn't yet know that the king has been murdered, why is Hamlet still so devastated by the loss of his father, and when, if ever, will he move on with his life? Hamlet's first contact with the ghost helps answer this question. he asks, expounding on the stability and support he finds in the words and presence of his powerful father. Although he is at first unsure whether the apparition is "a spirit of health or a damned goblin" (1.4.40) and his friends frantically warn him against following the ghost to an isolated place, Hamlet pleads with the ghost "why Is this it?" Why? What should we do? » (1.4.57) He quickly dismisses his friends' doubts about his personal safety, affectingly ignoring his reason and logic in the presence of what could be his father. The ghost has not yet said a word or established who he is and what he wants, but Hamlet is still eager to obey and follow all the instructions the ghost has for him because he wants to believe that it is really his father. ghost are alone, the dead king finally confirms his identity and prepares his son for the shocking news, saying "So are you to take revenge, when you hear." (1.5.7) Before going into the details of his murder, he goes to great lengths to convey the extent of his agony and anger to his son by stating that "a story might unfold whose lightest word / Would wrench your soul , would freeze your young blood / Make your two eyes start like stars from their spheres" (1.5.15-17) Before Hamlet is even told the full story, his father has already made it clear what he expects of his son: shock and outrage so great that the motivation to act quickly in revenge will be all-consuming. Hamlet responds accordingly to the ghost he is now sure is his father, stating, "with swift wings / As meditation or thoughts of love / Can sweep towards my vengeance." (1.5.29-31) We know, of course, that this is not the case at all; after his father's ghost is gone, Hamlet is not.