Ghosts Defined

Here's a page from Z. Jones' 1586 English translation of Book I (out of four) of Pierre le Loyer's study on specters and apparitions. Move your mouse around over the text to find the definition of some essential terms.

The question of what, exactly,a person encountered when they saw a ghost was a complex issue over which there was considerable debate at the time Shakespeare wrote Hamlet. That debate is played out in the play itself, and contributes to an understanding of the most essential issues of the work.