Beginning of Essay
Hamlet begins with guards whose main importance in the play is to give believability to the ghost. If Hamlet were to see his father's ghost in private, the argument for his madness would be easier to follow. Yet, not one, but three men together witness the ghost ....

Middle of Essay
.... is also good reason for the ghost not to want the guards to know what he tells Hamlet, because the play could not proceed as it does if the guards heard what the ghost told Hamlet. It is the ghost of Hamlet's father who tells him, "but howsomever thou pursues this act, / Taint not thy mind. (Act 1, Scene 5, 84-5)" Later, when Hamlet sees the ghost again in his mothers room, her amazement at his madness is very convincing. But you must take into consideration the careful planning of the ghost's credibility earlier in the play. After his first meeting with the ghost, Hamlet greets his friends cheerfully and acts as if the news is good rather than th ....