The Ghost on the Terrace (Le Fantôme sur la Terrasse), from the Hamlet series
Eugène Delacroix
French, 1798–1863
Details
Title
The Ghost on the Terrace (Le Fantôme sur la Terrasse), from the Hamlet series
Artist/Maker
Eugène Delacroix (French, 1798–1863)
Date
1843, printed 1843–1864
Medium
Black and white lithograph on wove paper
Dimensions
10 1/8 × 7 9/16 inches
Credit
Purchase in honor of Mrs. Robert Wells, President 1972-1973 of the Members Guild
Accession #
73.39
Location
Currently not on view
Hamlet’s father’s spirit reveals that he was murdered by his brother, Claudius, and explains that, because he died unshriven, he must suffer in purgatory until all his earthly sins are purged. Hamlet reacts with shock, incredulity, and hesitancy to the ghost’s demand that he avenge his father’s “foul and most unnatural murder.” The caption quotes from the play, “I am thy father’s spirit. [. . .] Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.”