Ghosts in Hamlet and The Spanish Tragedy: A Comparison
This paper examines the use of ghost characters in two landmark works of Renaissance drama: Thomas Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy and William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Through close reading and comparison, the paper identifies key similarities between the two ghosts — including their shared desire for revenge and the use of a play-within-a-play — while also highlighting important differences in how each ghost communicates, interacts with other characters, and drives the plot. The analysis also considers how each play would differ without its ghost, arguing that the ghost of King Hamlet is especially central to the plot's logic, while Andrea functions more as a theatrical device providing foundational context throughout the action.
- Introduction: Context and overview of ghosts in both plays
- Similarities Between the Two Ghosts: Shared revenge motive and dramatic parallels
- Differences Between the Two Ghosts: How each ghost communicates and drives plot differently
- How Would the Plays Have Been Different Without the Ghosts?: Counterfactual analysis of each ghost's narrative necessity
- Conclusion: Synthesis of comparisons and dramatic significance
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper establishes a clear comparative framework early, identifying that both texts use ghosts for information provision before moving on to explore how they diverge in function and execution.
- Direct quotations from both plays are integrated to support key claims, grounding the argument in textual evidence rather than general assertion.
- The counterfactual section ("How Would the Plays Have Been Different Without the Ghosts?") adds analytical depth by asking what each ghost contributes structurally, not just thematically.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates comparative literary analysis by systematically organizing its argument into similarities and differences before synthesizing both into a broader claim about dramatic function. This structure allows the writer to move from surface-level observation toward interpretive conclusions about authorial intent and theatrical convention.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a brief introduction contextualizing both works historically. Separate sections address similarities and differences between the two ghosts. A dedicated section then explores the counterfactual question of what each play loses without its ghost. A short conclusion synthesizes the comparison. The argument progresses logically from description to analysis to synthesis, making it easy to follow.
Introduction
Throughout history, writers have used unusual methods to illustrate points in their work that they want the reader to understand. In two classic works of literature, a ghost is used to provide many of the details essential to each story — details that would otherwise remain unknown. In The Spanish Tragedy and in Hamlet, ghosts provide the foundation for much of each story's action. Without them, many of the events that occur would not make sense to the reader. While both works use a ghost for the purpose of information provision, the ghosts themselves — and the ways in which they are used — have both differences and similarities worth examining.
Thomas Kyd penned The Spanish Tragedy in the 1580s, a time when there was no electricity or technology to speak of, and when innovative storytelling relied heavily on theatrical convention. Perhaps the most innovative method of conveying certain strands of information came by way of ghosts, and the ghost Kyd used worked well within the framework of the story. In The Spanish Tragedy, the author invents a ghost called Andrea. Andrea was slain by Balthazar, and the story is built around this event and its tragedy. This is the first and most obvious difference between the ghost of The Spanish Tragedy and the ghost of Hamlet. In Hamlet, the ghost is a king who did not engage in personal combat but rather ordered his men into battle on his behalf during his lifetime.
In The Spanish Tragedy, the ghost of Andrea remains on stage for almost the entire play. The ghost serves the same purpose that the off-stage chorus of earlier theatrical tradition used to serve. In the days when only one or two actors were allowed on stage at the same time, the chorus provided information and details needed to advance the story from off stage. In The Spanish Tragedy, the ghost of Andrea is present on stage for almost the entire play so that certain needed pieces of information can be provided through occasional comments as the plot advances.
Similarities Between the Two Ghosts
There are several similarities between the two ghosts. One of the most obvious is that each ghost's nemesis is offered the opportunity to wed the ghost's widow or lover. In both Hamlet and The Spanish Tragedy, the ghosts were men of stature who led active and powerful lives. When they are killed, the person responsible for their death is then given the chance to marry or court the women these men left behind.
Another similarity between the two ghosts is the idea of a play used to re-enact and portray the death of the ghost. Each of them uses a play to exact revenge, though the plays are used in different manners.
One of the most overlooked yet most significant similarities evidenced in the two works concerns the reason the ghosts are present at all: they want revenge. Each ghost is angry at having been killed by those who should not have killed them, and each wants to find revenge before letting go of this world and moving on to the next, as was believed by society at the time these works were written. That desire for revenge drives the entire story in each case, though it plays out differently for each ghost. The ghost of King Hamlet must endure the knowledge that his widow falls in love with and marries the man who killed him — because she had no idea that Claudius was responsible for her husband's death. The ghost of Andrea, by contrast, is comforted by the knowledge that Bel-Imperia not only knew who murdered the man she loved but also shared in his desire to exact revenge. As the text makes clear:
"But how can love find harbour in my breast, / Till I revenge the death of my beloved?" (1.4.64–65)
Conclusion
The works of these two authors share many similarities. Both revolve around the death of a man who returns as a ghost, and each ghost seeks revenge for his murder. Each uses a play to enact that revenge, though in different ways: one commits murder during the play itself while the other uses the performance to unsettle the new king and expose his guilt. Each play uses ghosts in ways that were dramatically advanced for their era. Without the ghosts, both works would be sadly lacking in substance and plot. The ghosts are not merely devices — they are the very heart of what makes each play what it is.
References
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Barron's Educational Series, 1996.
Kyd, Thomas. The Spanish Tragedy. Theatre Communications Group, 1997.
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