Act 1 Scene 4

Question 1

Act 1 scene 4 summary l

Answer 1

Midnight - Hamlet is waiting for the ghost with Horatio and Marcellus
A noise within the castle disturbs them - Claudius celebrating his wedding
Hamlets lengthy soliloquy of drunken customs often cut out from printed and performed editions - shows how Denmark is badly behaved drunkards as a result of kings excessive drinking

This is a commentary on the role a monarch plays in a nation’s reputation.
Negatively contrasts w old hamlet

Ghost appears- Hamlet asks if it is from heaven or hell but says looks like father. Horatio begs him not to go but he does and they follow him to keep him safe

Question 2

Religion in Act 1 scene 4

Answer 2

Is the ghost from heaven or hell?

Ultimately it does not matter- he just needs to know what it wants

Question 3

Form structure and language in Act 1 scene 4

Answer 3

‘Angels and ministers of grace’
Speech includes imagery of religion, Hell, death and heaven all intertwined

The ghost- doesn’t speak on stage- staging of ghost is tricky esp in Globe where play is usually performed in daylight

Hamlets questioning the ghost
Emphasises his desperation grief and loss over father’s death, and his desire to justify his feelings

Question 4

Key quotes act 1 scene 4

Answer 4

Hamlet to ghost : ‘Bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell’

Horatio: ‘what if it tempt you towards the flood’
‘draw you into madness’

‘Something is rotten in the state of Denmark’

Question 5

‘What if it tempt you towards the flood,

Draw you into madness’

Answer 5

Horatio is the only one to clearly see the threat the ghost poses.
He foretells Hamlet’s madness and the deaths at the end as they all are driving towards the cliffs edge

Oliver’s 98 version often uses the symbolic nature of Elsinore itself, high on a rocky cliff side to highlight the perilous nature of their actions

Question 6

Hamlet on drinking

Answer 6

Customs best left out

Resents the impressions it gives on other nations

‘Stamp of one defect’

Question 7

Hamlets first impression of the ghost

Answer 7

Calls it Ghost Hamlet, Father and King

Shows desperation to see hi dad again

He also uses apostrophes- showing his heartache and longing to talk to his father
‘O, answer me’

Question 8

Consider Horatio and Marcellus dramatic function

Answer 8

Chorus - tell you what’s going on
General observations
Reliable

Single lines - tension - fast pace