Hamlet Act 1, Scene 1

Summary

A sentry, Barnardo, takes Francisco’s post on the castle wall in Elsinore, and is joined by Horatio and Marcellus. Barnardo and Marcellus describe seeing a supernatural entity. The late King of Denmark’s ghost appears and withdraws silently. In light of an imminent war with Norway, the three agree that this visitation seemed particularly foreboding. When a cock crows, the Ghost reappears, only to vanish again. Horatio determines that they should inform Prince Hamlet of his father’s spirit’s appearance.

Analysis

The circumstance presented by Shakespeare at the start of Hamlet is that a powerful and revered monarch has died, and the throne has been inherited by his brother, rather than his son, as we might expect. No one knows what to anticipate from the new king, who is still mourning the previous one, and the guards outside the palace are afraid and suspicious. The ghost serves to amplify King Hamlet’s presence across Denmark, implying that something about his death has thrown the natural order wrong. Horatio, in particular, sees the ghost as a bad portent for the future of Denmark. Because Horatio is correct, and the ghost’s presence does anticipate the play’s following tragedies, the ghost serves as a form of internal foreshadowing, signaling disaster not only to the audience but also to the characters.

YouTube Analysis

When it comes to books, we always make up the story in our heads. When those books and stories come to you as a visual presentation our perception could be changed completely. I chose this scene because it starts the story, it creates your first visual. When watching the scene for the first time, the actors made the characters come to life. They directed the audience as if they were emersed in the story. With the video I had a harder time understanding the storyline because with each play they put their own spin on the story. But the actors do a great job working on the stage and bringing the story to everyone in the audience.