Using a Ghost During the Elizabethan Period. Hamlet

During the Elizabethan period, a move was seen as a common feature in most tragedy plays. Shakespeares settlement is a prime example of the use of a nuance to entice fear and haul amongst the Elizabethan consultation. The ghost can be seen as projecting some(prenominal) functions throughout the play, all of which are vital to the plays ultimate impact. An Elizabethan audience were highly superstitious, held Roman Catholic beliefs of purgatory and were extremely fearful of afterlife and the uncertainness that surrounded it. Such views were powerful connotations that aided Shakespeare to influence his audience with respectable impact.However, the implications of a ghost were seen as very different for a Elizabethan audience as compared with the perception of a ghost by a modern audience. Therefore it could be said that the disparity in how the ghost is received may diminish the plays impact for a modern daytime audience. The audience of Shakespeares time were surrounded with h ighly religious concepts. During the period, whilst many were deemed protestants, on that point were many who challenged the idea of souls and their sins in relation to heaven and hell and go along to practise the old faith.Therefore an Elizabethan audience would have been known with the concepts of heaven and hell and the uncertainty surrounding ghosts. Whether the ghost of Old Hamlet is living in hell or purgatory is an issue which Shakespeare leaves open and unresolved. This leaves the Shakespearean audience with the question of whether there was hope of redemption for old settlement and in relation, themselves. This can be seen as one of the various functions of the ghost in hamlet, by engaging into the religious mindset of Elizabethans, they would question its presence and would be intent on discovering its existence and nature throughout the play.