Shakespeare Electronic Conference, Vol. 4, No. 797.  Monday, 15 November 1993.
 
(1)     From:   Geoffrey Wilson <V428HA6E@UBVMS.BITNET>
        Date:   Sunday, 14 Nov 1993 18:26:53 -0500 (EST)
        Subj:   Hamlet's ghost
 
(2)     From:   Rick Jones <
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        Date:   Sunday, 14 Nov 93 21:43:00 EST
        Subj:   Re:  SHK 4.0789
 
 
(1)----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From:           Geoffrey Wilson <V428HA6E@UBVMS.BITNET>
Date:           Sunday, 14 Nov 1993 18:26:53 -0500 (EST)
Subject:        Hamlet's ghost
 
The status of the ghost in _Hamlet_ can be precisely determined without
recourse to historical material or to the hypostatized perceptions of other
characters on stage: it is exactly and exclusively material discourse; the
ghost consists of stage directions, attributed speeches, and the references
which appear in speeches attributed to other speech headings, just as do Hamlet
and Gertrude; the ghost is no less and no more "real" than any other named
collection of signifiers in the play.
 
And characters are not real--not Hamlet, not the ghost.  Neither of them
hallucinates any more than that train schedule under discussion.
 
Geoffrey Wilson
SUNY at Buffalo

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(2)----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From:           Rick Jones <
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 >
Date:           Sunday, 14 Nov 93 21:43:00 EST
Subject: 4.0789
Comment:        Re:  SHK 4.0789
 
David W. McFadden asks if there have been productions of _Hamlet_ in which
the Ghost and Claudius were played by the same actor.  The answer, as it
almost always is (:->), is yes.  Can't say I saw it, but I remember reading
about it a few years back.  And don't I recall reading on this list some
speculation that such doubling may indeed have occurred in the original
production?
 
-- Rick Jones

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