The play begins near midnight at a castle in Elsinore Denmark. Bernardo a
guard on sentry duty enters to relieve his comrade Francisco. Suddenly two
figures emerged from the darkness. "Stand! who's there?" [Francisco] "Friends to this ground and
liegemen to the Dane" [Unknown Two People] The two new characters are Marcellus, another guard
and Horatio, a scholar. They've all come together at this late hour because
Bernardo and Marcellus claimed that they have seen a ghost while on duty lately.
And Horatio, ever the scholar, is skeptical about this so-called ghost.
"Horatio says tis but our fantasy and will not let belief take hold of him." [Marcellus]
"Tush,Tush, t'will not appear." [Horatio]
"Peace, break thee off" [Barnardo]
To Horatio's surprise the ghost does appear and moreover the ghost
resembles their former king who had recently passed away. The ghost is even
wearing the same armor that the dead king wore when he went out to the
battlefield. Marcellus and Bernardo urge Horatio to speak to the ghost since they
are merely uneducated soldiers, while Horatio is a smarter scholar.
Horatio orders the ghost to identify itself and speak but instead the ghost just
disappears.
Horatio is clearly shaken by the ghosts appearance and Marcellus communicates
that the ghost has already appeared twice now. For Horatio, the appearance of
the ghost sounds like very bad news.
"How now Horatio, you tremble and look pale.
Is not this something more than fantasy? What think you on't" [Barnardo]
In what particular thought to work I know not but in the growth and scope of mine opinion
this bodes some strange eruptions to our state.
To Horatio the ghosts appearance is an ominous event,
and it might mean that something bad is about
to happen in Denmark. Marcellus questions Horatio with something that he
is particularly curious about. He wonders why there has been so much tension
recently in Denmark's military alertness. Horatio explains: Before dying, King
Hamlet killed King Fortinbras in battle and as according to their
agreement by law the victor claimed the loser's territory. Now, the dead king Fortinbras
has a child named Fortinbras. Yes, they're the exact same names. And
apparently there are rumors that young Fortinbras is preparing to take back the
land that his father had lost as an act of vengeance.
This may be the reason that Denmark's military is so tense. Before we continue
with the story it's important to focus on just two key relationships.
King Hamlet who is now dead has a son named, Hamlet. King Fortinbras, also dead, has a
son named Fortinbras. So from this point on if Hamlet or Fortinbras are mentioned
we're referring to the children and not the dead fathers.
Suddenly, the ghost appears once again but this time, Horatio is more prepared to speak to it.
"Stay, illusion. If thou hast any sound or use of voice, speak to me. If there be any
good things to be done that may to thee do ease and grace to me, speak to me. If thou
art privy to thy country's fate which happily foreknowing may avoid, O speak!" [Horatio]
At the crowing of the rooster the ghost starts to disappear again.
Horatio orders Marcellus to stop the ghost from leaving
but of course this doesn't work out. Afterwards,
Marcellus admits that it was a foolish attempt to intimidate the ghost with
violence. Marcellus realizes that the ghost flew
away at the crowing of the rooster. The men agree that they've all heard stories
of how the crowing of the rooster expels evil, since the crowing signifies that the
god of day has now awakened. Horatio is convinced that they should inform Hamlet
of the night's event. He feels that although the ghosts did not speak to
them, it would speak to its own son, Hamlet.