Hamlet-1.1-1-13

1. How is interest created in the opening scene?

All the guards are calling out who’s there, and then a ghost of their king appears and then disappears. This pulls in the audience to find out what is actually going on.

2. What information are we given to help us understand the situation?

The king had recently died, and his son is next in line. The guards think it would be a good idea to tell the son that they saw a ghost of his dad, but the ghost wouldn’t talk to them so they think that the ghost will talk to the son.

3. What happens at the end of the scene to create suspense and keep up the reader’s interest?

The ghost appeared and then disappeared again at the end of the guards’ shift, and the guards decided to go tell the ghost’s son of the encounter.

4. What is the mood of the scene?

The mood is dark, scary, like a beginning of a horror film until they set off to find the son.

5. Why are the sentries apprehensive (there are two reasons)?

It is dark. First, it was just the two guards alone, and then a guard and nobleman showed up. Also, the king just died so when the ghost appeared, and looked like the late King, and wouldn’t (perhaps couldn’t) talk, they were spooked.

6. What reasons are suggested by Horatio for the appearance of the late King’s ghost?

Horatio thought that the king might have found some battle information regarding the future of the kingdom and came back to tell them. It would have been something that he would have only found out after death.

7. Who are the characters present in the scene?

Barnardo, Francisco, Marcellus, Horatio, and Ghost King

8. List one thing Horatio says about the former King?

Horatio said that the king was a really good fighter and won a contest against Fortinbras and killed him. The king took all Fortinbra’s his land and wealth and left his son with nothing.

9. Who is young Fortinbras?

Young Fortinbras is the son of the older Fortinbras who was killed and lost his land to the Danish King, Old Hamlet, who is dead.

10. What does Horatio say happened in Rome after Julius Caesar was murdered?

“The graves stood tenantless and the sheeted dead

Did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets:

As stars with trains of fire and dews of blood,”

11. How does Horatio differ from Marcellus and Barnardo in scene 1?

Horatio is a noble as opposed to being a guard.

12. What is Horatio’s purpose in scene 1 (why is he present)?

He knows history, specifically the Danish people and the Romans, and he was there to speak with the ghost.

13. What past history (Denmark’s history) is revealed in scene 1?

There is some connection to Rome because they all say something related to Rome or about it. The King won against old Fortinbras of Norway and took his lands from him. The King had also just recently died, and his son was to take over the throne.