Arguably Shakespeare's most popular play, Hamlet has intrigued audiences around the world since its writing nearly four hundred years ago. Not only did audiences find the play captivating, but academia pored over the text in an attempt to determine the nature of Hamlet's madness. The story unfolds with the late King Hamlet appearing to his son, demanding revenge on his brother, King Claudius, which is an event likely to upset the crown prince. Throughout the drama, Hamlet undergoes numerous tests of will and conscience, forcing him to strengthen his beliefs and the methods by which he will carry them out. Yet despite all this, Hamlet maintains his composure and ultimately succeeds in committing regicide against his uncle, although he himself dies in the process. Although Hamlet's mind seems shrouded in the haze of madness, his altered state is a carefully crafted ploy to murder his uncle, thus righting the state of Denmark. The text that was passed down to his ancestors from the works of the Great Bard is full of examples that seem to support Hamlet's madness. In the first act, Hamlet encounters the ghost of his father, who has been dead for two months (1.2.141-2; 1.4.44-62). The late king announces to Hamlet his death, caused by Claudius's will. So distraught and furious, Hamlet decides to take revenge on his uncle who has become king (1.5.31-47). Seeing such an apparition may call into question Hamlet's sanity, as may the deliberation he has with the poltergeist. However, this is an inappropriate perception. The use of ghosts in the play, and in all Shakespearean plays, is common. This stems from a widespread belief in the supernatural that most of England had at this time. For the young Dane, spotting a specter would have been understood by the public of the time either as the spirit of his father, or as that of an evil spirit who wishes to use Hamlet to carry out his orders (Waters). In the play, Hamlet decides that this spirit must be "an honest ghost", with Horatio's agreement (1.5.24). It is also notable that this vision is seen by a group of people, not just Hamlet, which further rules out the possibility that it is the product of Hamlet's lost mind. Although at first glance a ghost may seem to be a clue to Hamlet's madness, it is very easily proven to be a literary device employed by Shakespeare to set the play into action..