... 's scholarly concern that the ghost "bodes some strange eruption to our state." (I.i.69) Because of this confusion, not knowing whether Old Hamlet's ghost was "a spirit of health or goblin damn"d," (I.iv.40) the Elizabethan audience would have supported Hamlet in his choice to be sure before killing Claudius, his father's murderer. This shows how Shakespeare uses the audience's uncertainty to manipulate ... also uses conflicting culture to control the audience's reactions. Hamlet is set in Denmark, but written for an English audience. According to the Danish tradition of the blood feud, ...

• Word Count: 1416
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School