Question

When Hamlet sees the ghost for the first time, Shakespeare does not provide stage directions, although he does make the physical actions of the characters clear through their words. Describe the actions of the characters in Act 1, Scene 5 after Marcellus says in line 88, "You shall not go, my lord." What are Horatio, Marcellus, and Hamlet doing, and why are they behaving in this manner? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

Answer 1

Answer:

When Hamlet meets the ghost of his father in Act I, Scene V, he learns that his father has been murdered by Claudius so that he can obtain the throne.

The ghost disappears, and Marcellus and Horatio enter the stage. Hamlet is still in a state of shock, but as the ghost reappears, it invites Hamlet to follow it. Both Marcellus and Horatio try to convince Hamlet not to do it (this is when Marcellus says: 'You shall not go, my lord'), but he has already made a decision, and leaves. Horatio comments that Hamlet 'waxes desperate with imagination', meaning that after everything that he went through, Hamlet's imagination is driving him crazy.