Scene 1

The play opens during a bi erly cold night watch outside of the royal Danish palace. There is a changing
of the guards: Bernardo replaces Francisco. Soon two more characters arrive, Hora o and Marcellus. We
learn that Bernardo and Marcellus, two soldiers, have witnessed an extraordinary sight on both of the
previous nights’ watches: the ghost of the former King of Denmark, Old Hamlet, has appeared before
them in full armor. On this third night, they’ve welcomed Hora o, a scholar and a skep c who has just
arrived in Denmark, to verify their ghost sigh ng. Hora o ini ally expresses doubt that the ghost will
appear. The two soldiers charge Hora o to speak to the ghost but he does not. The ghost disappears just
as suddenly as it arrived.
Soon a er the ghost’s disappearance, Marcellus asks the other two why there has been such a massive
mobiliza on (preparing troops and supplies to war) of Danish war forces recently. Hora o answers, saying
that the Danish army is preparing for a possible invasion (enter territory violently) by For nbras, Prince of
Norway. We learn that For nbras’ father (also named For nbras), was killed many years before in single
combat (figh ng) with Old Hamlet, the now-deceased king whose ghost we have just seen.
Now that Old Hamlet has died, presumably weakening the Danes, there is a rumor that For nbras plans
to invade Denmark and claim that lands that were forfeit a er his father’s death.
• A er Hora o has finished explaining this poli cal backstory (a series of events), the
ghost of Old Hamlet appears once more. This me Hora o does try to speak to
the ghost. When the ghost remains silent, Hora o tells Marcellus and Bernardo
to try to detain (catch) it; they strike at the ghost with their spears but jab only air.
A rooster crows just as the ghost appears ready to reply to Hora o at last. This
sound startles the ghost away. Hora o decides to tell Prince Hamlet, Old
Hamlet’s son, about the appari on, and the others agree.
• Analysis
• The supernatural appearance of the ghost on a chilling, misty night outside
Elsinore Castle indicates immediately that something is wrong in Denmark. The
ghost serves to enlarge the shadow King Hamlet casts across Denmark, indica ng
that something about his death has upset the balance of nature. The appearance
of the ghost also gives physical form to the fearful anxiety that surrounds the
transfer of power a er the king’s death, seeming to imply that the future of
Denmark is a dark and frightening one.
• The scene introduces the character of Hora o, who, with the excep on of the
ghost, is the only major character in the scene. Without sacrificing the forward
flow of ac on or breaking the atmosphere of dread, Shakespeare establishes that
Hora o is a good-humored man who is also educated, intelligent, and skep cal
of supernatural events.
• This scene shows very clearly the problem of discerning between appearance and
reality. The Ghost appears, but is it really there? If it is there, is it really a devil
assuming the king's regal shape and garments? Dis nguishing between truth and
illusion is the focal dilemma of Act. Barnardo's ques oning of Francisco
introduces the idea that Hamlet's world is upside-down. Protocol dictates that
Francisco should ques on the newcomer, but here the interloper ques ons the
guard. Francisco's response reinforces the sense of malaise. His "sickness at
heart" prefigures the tension of the ensuing tragedy, while the changing of the
guard mirrors the tenuousness of the poli cal climate of Denmark — the
transi on from one king to another and the arrival of the Prince whose righ ul
place on the throne has been usurped.