The ghost of Hamlet’s father is a character from William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. In the stage directions, he is referred to as “Ghost”. His name is also Hamlet, and he is referred to as King Hamlet to distinguish him from the Prince, his son and the protagonist of the story.
First Appearance The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet Prince of Denmarke (1603) by William Shakespeare — First Quarto
First Publisher N. L. and Iohn Trundell
Appearance List The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet Prince of Denmarke (1603) by William Shakespeare — First Quarto; Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (1623) by William Shakespeare — First Folio printing includes Hamlet; Tales from Shakespeare (1807) by Charles Lamb & Mary Lamb — prose retelling for young readers; Hamlet (1868) by Ambroise Thomas — opera; A Midsummer Night’s Dream: and Other Stories by E. Nesbit (1890) (A midsummer night’s dream.–Hamlet, prince of Denmark.–Twelfth night.–King Lear) [Internet Archive]; Hamlet (1921) directed by Svend Gade & Heinz Schall — silent film adaptation; Hamlet (1948) directed by Laurence Olivier; Hamlet (1964) directed by Grigori Kozintsev — Soviet feature film; Hamlet (1964) starring Richard Burton — filmed/videotaped Broadway performance; Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1967) by Tom Stoppard — major derivative work expanding two minor Hamlet characters (first staged 1966; early book ed. 1967).
Sample Read Mr. William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [Internet Archive]
Description The ghost of Hamlet’s father is a character from William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. In the stage directions, he is referred to as “Ghost”. His name is also Hamlet, and he is referred to as King Hamlet to distinguish him from the Prince, his son and the protagonist of the story.
