Hamlet+1.4

2. Hamlet says, "I do not set my life at a pin's fee" (1.4.73). This demonstrates Hamlet's already evident depression; he has lost the will to live. Hamlet does not value his own life and this is an extremely significant part of his character (the scene would lose this contribution to the overall play without this sentence).

3. How come no one has tried to touch the ghost? Are the characters too afraid of it? What would happen if they did?... Is this a weird question?

6. This scene clearly displays Hamlet's respect for his father. He says, "I'll call thee 'Hamlet'/ 'King,' 'Father,' 'Royal Dane'" (1.4.49-50). Hamlet will do anything to speak to his father and maintain his relationship with him. In observing the play so far and Hamlet's character in this scene, specifically, Hamlet's father was a large part of who Hamlet was, and now he feels as though he has lost who he is. (This also refers back to the quotation in the previous scene, "To thine own self be true..").

4. "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark" (1.4.100) - ya think?

9. The beginning of the scene was set once again for the arrival of the ghost - It is cold, around twelve o'clock, and the characters are a little jumpy. The eerie mood is established throughout the scene (paralleling that of the first).