Throughout Shakespeare's Hamlet, the ghost of old Hamlet pushes young Hamlet into action and informs him of recent events which lead him to act sporadically mad or sane, evidently, making those around him believe he has gone completely mad. The purpose of this essay is to show through research and evidence that Shakespeare tried to prove to his audience that Hamlet was not mad for any reason, but because he had recently conversed with a ghost who appears to be his father. In fact, I believe that Hamlet acted like a madman just to hide his real reactions and feelings after learning that Claudius had killed his father. However, there are many reasons and enough evidence to say that Hamlet has lost his sanity towards the end of the play. During the Shakespearean era, many people believed that ghosts had different purposes and could actually change someone if they wanted to. Could Shakespeare have been influenced by these ideas or beliefs when we created Hamlet? Questions as such will arise as I explore this topic, but will be answered as you ...