Hamlet+1.1

2. The significance of this scene is to introduce the presence of King Hamlet's ghost. Without this scene, the play would only lose an introduction and a premonition of something unfortunate in the future. The first sentence in the scene/entire play is "Who's there?" (1.1.1). This immediately suggests the jumpiness and anxiety felt by these characters - and the feeling that somebody bad is going to happen/premonition. This line is necessary to introduce the presence of a ghost and something else that the characters are anxious about/Shakespeare wants the audience to get anxious about, that we will discover throughout the play.

4. Marcellus says, "Horatio says 'tis but our fantasy/ And will not let belief take hold of him" (1.1.28-9). This line introduces a perspective/theme of illusion vs. reality. The guards are questioning whether the ghost is actually there and what it is trying to convey to them. Horatio exemplifies a disbeliever amongst the rest of the frightened guards. He refuses to accept the presence of the ghost of King Hamlet, until the end of the scene when he sees it again. Horatio later days, "I might not believe/ Without the sensible and true avouch/ Of mine own eyes" (1.1.66-68). This quotation questions the evidence necessary to believe in the existence of something. At first, Horatio appears more courageous than the guards due to his willingness to speak with the ghost; Once he sees the ghost, he begins to really believe in it and becomes afraid.

8. The ghost the appears in the scene definitely adds an ambiguous aspect to the beginning of the play. Rather than in an in-between state, the ghost seems to be closest to extreme ambiguity. However, since all three of the guards are seeing the ghost, the question becomes even larger as whether or not it is an illusion. King Hamlet's ghost also does not speak. The readers and the characters are then forced to understand the meaning of the silence/what is left "unsaid." This leads into an even bigger ambiguous concept of questioning/trying to understand the unknown, unsaid, silence, etc.

Notes: - The eerie setting adds to the atmosphere/mood of the scene. It is around midnight, "Not a mouse stirring" (11), so no one is around, it is silent. -This setting reflects the behavior of the characters. The eerie-ness of the night makes them nervous, jumpy, and tense.