Act 1 Scene 1

The first scene of this play begins on a dark night outside the castle of Elsinore, Denmark. The setting is actually modelled after the Kronborg Castle in Denmark. Barnardo, an officer of the castle, is relieving Francisco from his guard for the night. It is very dark at this time, and Francisco must ask “who’s there?” to be sure of what’s going on. Though this is a simple line, it immediately conveys the confusion that is present for the entirety of the play. The sickness and corruption of Denmark is also established early on by Francisco, who remarks “’Tis bitter cold, and I am sick at heart.” The guards wait until Horatio and Marcellus enter, at which point they begin to share a supernatural story. As usual with Shakespearean plays, we get to hear about some questionable events before we get to see them, which furthers the air of confusion and deceit. “Sit down awhile/ And let us once again assail your ears” is what Horatio is told to do, as the guards speak; they believe that for two evenings past, the ghost of the dead King Hamlet has arrived at the castle in his signature armour. The King was allegedly bitten by a serpent while sleeping in an orchard, which led to his death. Horatio does not believe that the ghost has been appearing; however, it arrives once again, stalking like a warrior, and shocks all the men on guard. They try to talk to him, but he does not respond and vanishes for a while.