Geest verschijnt aan Hamlet en zijn moeder 1778

Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki created this print depicting a scene from Hamlet. We see Hamlet pointing, seemingly accusingly, at the ghost of his father. His mother, the Queen, appears oblivious, held by Hamlet, suggesting her inability to perceive the spectral figure. Hamlet's pointing is a complex motif. Throughout art history, the act of pointing has varied meanings—accusation, guidance, or even revelation. Think of John the Baptist pointing towards the Lamb of God, a gesture of divine recognition. Yet here, the gesture is fraught with tension and disbelief, underscoring Hamlet's isolation in his knowledge of the ghost’s truth. This scene resonates with the collective anxieties surrounding death and the unseen. The ghost itself, a recurring figure in folklore, embodies the unresolved traumas of the past. Chodowiecki captures not just a literary moment, but a deep-seated human struggle with the haunting power of memory. This print evokes a psychological space where personal and collective fears converge.