Once upon a time in a kingdom in Denmark, a ghost walked the corridors of the castle. The ghost, recognized as the late king of Denmark, is seen by the guards and later observed by his son, Hamlet. The ghost tells Hamlet that he was poisoned by his brother, Claudius, as a ploy to become king and marry the king’s wife, Gertrude. Hamlet is shocked by this news and promises his father that he will avenge his death and kill his uncle. Driven by this desire for revenge, Hamlet becomes mad and becomes a nuisance to everyone around him. Claudius sends the characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to act as spies and figure out the cause for Hamlet’s loss of sanity. Over the course of the tragedy, Hamlet is at war with himself and is constantly questioning whether he should take revenge of his uncle, which he finally does. The play ends with almost everyone in the castle, including Hamlet, dying. While many characters in Hamlet influence the actions of the young prince, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and the ghost of the late King Hamlet influence Hamlet greatly, resulting in the many deaths that occur over the course of this tragedy. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are important in the influence of Hamlet because their actions lead to their own deaths and the spurring of Hamlet to come back to Denmark and take revenge on his uncle. More importantly, the ghost of King Hamlet influences Hamlet because he implements the idea of revenge on Claudius onto Hamlet, driving Hamlet to kill his uncle. In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and the ghost of King Hamlet have an effect on Hamlet because Rosencrantz and Guildenstern cause Hamlet to come back to Denmark, and the ghost makes Hamlet take revenge on Claudius.   

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are important in the plot development of Hamlet because their scheming nature leads to their deaths and the return of Hamlet to Denmark. Throughout the tragedy, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are in cahoots with Claudius and work as spies for him. The two men try to receive information out of Hamlet about his mental state, mood, and feelings about his father’s death. During the play, Hamlet realizes the two-timing nature of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and compares them to a sponge saying, “He keeps them, like an ape, in the corner of his jaw, first mouthed to be last swallowed. When he needs what you have gleaned, it is but squeezing you and, sponge, you shall be dry again” (4.2.19-21). Claudius makes Rosencrantz and Guildenstern take information from Hamlet and when they are through, he sucks the information out of the two men for his own personal gain. Their own deviousness leads to their deaths in England. In the last act of the play, Hamlet reveals that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were working with Claudius and trying to plan the death of Hamlet. The plan was to send a letter to the King of England that Hamlet’s, “head should be struck off” (5.2.26). When Hamlet finds out about this order on his life. He switches the letter saying that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are the ones that should be killed. Therefore, the two men are killed and Hamlet returns home to Denmark to finish his business by killing Claudius. The two men and their wiliness can be credited for spurring Hamlet to take the final step and kill his uncle, resolving the tragedy and paving the way to the deaths of everyone at the castle.

The other character that greatly influenced Hamlet and the events of this tragedy is the ghost of King Hamlet. The ghost of King Hamlet first enters the tragedy when four guards, including Horatio, are keeping watch. The ghost refuses to talk to anyone except Hamlet, his son. The ghost tells Hamlet to, “revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (1.5.25). He tells Hamlet that Claudius, the king’s brother, was the one who killed that king and his death must be avenged. This realization and order by the late king implemented the idea of revenge on Claudius on Hamlet. Also, the king’s request provides the play with the major conflict of whether or not Hamlet should kill Claudius for his actions. The ghost can also be seen ordering Hamlet around again in act 3 scene 4 when Hamlet and Gertrude are fighting. The ghost appears and tells Hamlet not to harm her but instead to “Speak to her” (3.4.116). Because of this appearance by the ghost, Hamlet did not harm or possibly kill Gertrude. While the ghost of King Hamlet only makes three appearances over the course of this play, he still can be charged with being the force that guides all of Hamlet’s actions and choices.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and the ghost of King Hamlet are the two characters in Hamlet that most influence Hamlet. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern act as spies for King Claudius and are put in charge of making sure Hamlet dies in England by beheading. However, when Hamlet figures out their scheme, he makes sure that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are the ones who end up dead and after their death, Hamlet travels to Denmark to kill his uncle. These two men influence Hamlet because, through their scheming, Hamlet heads home and finally kills his uncle. Similarly, the ghost of King Hamlet leads Hamlet to kill his uncle as well. Through the appearance of King Hamlet and the information he gives Hamlet about his death, Hamlet is spurned to seek revenge on his uncle. The ghost can also be seen as a guiding force on Hamlet when he tells Hamlet not to hurt his mother, Gertrude. While the two are fighting the ghost appears and tells Hamlet not to kill his mom, which Hamlet listens to. Overall, these three characters influence Hamlet the most because, by their actions, Hamlet does what he was always meant to do, kill his uncle.