Unjust Murder

p. 59, lines 38-48

"Ghost:  I find thee apt;
And duller shouldst thou be than the fat weed;
Wouldst thou not stir in this.  Now, Hamlet, hear.
'Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard,
A serpent that did sting thy father's life
Now wears his crown.

Hamlet:  O, my prophetic soul!  My uncle!"


Hamlet knows his father is dead and has been for over a month.  However, what he does not know originally is the true persona of King Hamlet's killer.  Young Hamlet is led to believe the king of Norway murdered the King of the Danes.  Only when the ghost of King Hamlet appears does the son know the true nature of what occurred. 

Hamlet and his friends know that the ghost is his father's because it's wearing the King's armour and has a similar scraggly, gray beard.  The ghost will speak with none other than Hamlet, and speak with Hamlet it does. It describes a scene of tranquility and ignorance; while "sleeping in my orchard" indicates that the King was in a time of repast when he was attacked.  Suddenly, "a serpent that did sting thy father's life" murdered the King on the spot.  Now, there's a troupe of snakes being deceivers, sly, and embodying everything that is evil on this earth and beyond.  In the biblical story, a snake convinced Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit, thus plunging her on the path of darkness and expelling her and Adam from the Garden of Eden. Snakes are often portrayed as the evil henchmen for villains in movies and books.  Comparing Uncle Claudius to a snake is very apt, as he killed his brother, married his brother's wife, and deceived his subjects by convincing them that he is not the killer.  However, people that are killed unjustly often seek revenge as ghosts.  King Claudius presumably did not think of this possibility, and now stands to lose quite a bit for the oversight.

Hearing this news, Hamlet is furious, of course, exclaiming "O, my prophetic soul!".  The same man who told him that everyone dies and it's just part of life and it's completely okay that I married your mother less than a month after your father died is the one who murdered his father.  Certainly the murderer would want to sweep such a crime under the carpet.  The problem is, dealing with situations in such a manner often comes back to haunt you; in this case literally.  This conversation marks a turning point in how Hamlet views his uncle and life in general, as now he seeks to avenge his father's death.