Importance of Scene One of William Shakspeare's Hamlet

Importance of Scene One of William Shakspeare's Hamlet

The play begins with the changing of the guard on a cold, winters,

night at the castle of Ellsinore where the guards are talking about a

ghost Bernardo thinks he has seen, with Horatio, a scholar and friend

of Prince Hamlet. The short sentences increase the dramatic tension.

Horatio is sceptical but the ghost appears again and Horatio is soon

won over to its reality. The men liken the appearance of the ghost to

the late King Hamlet and wonder whether it is an omen. The men believe

the ghost will speak to Prince Hamlet, the dead king's son, and agree

to tell him about it.

This scene is important to the rest of the play for several reasons.

It allows Horatio to give background information. It gives the

historical background of the play, introduces the main characters and

the ghost it also provides an atmosphere of death, tension, suspense

and uncertainty. The audience is aware from the beginning that this is

a revenge tragedy and will have certain expectations of what is likely

to occur in the play.

The information on the historical background is brief but important to

explain the setting of the play .The guards are on watch in a castle

at night suggesting the possibility of invasion or war. The audience

learn they are Danes "Friends to this land

And liegemen to the Dane"

The longer speech of Horatio in the middle of the scene is significant

as it occurs after the disappearance of the ghost and its

reappearance. In separating these two events it emphasises the

reappearance. The longer speech also provides a lull in the tense,

short opening lines of dialogue. Throughout the dialogue of Horatio,

the audience learn of the current political situation, that King

Hamlet is dead and that he won his lands after killing King Fortinbras

of Norway. The audience also learn at the end of this scene that King

Hamlet's Son and heir is called Prince Hamlet and has therefore not

succeeded his late father to the throne.