Final answer:
In Shakespeare's play Hamlet, the dialogue and interactions between Bernardo, Marcellus, and Horatio about the apparition serve to establish a mood of uncertainty and introduce significant symbolic elements, such as the ghost potentially representing the oppression of Catholics during Shakespeare's time.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question pertains to a scene in Shakespeare's play Hamlet, where the characters Bernardo, Marcellus, and Horatio are discussing an apparition. This excerpt demonstrates how Shakespeare uses his characters' dialogue to infer their actions and surroundings, which are not explicitly described. When considering Shakespeare's insight into the conventions of his time, such as the nuance of subtle performance that he describes in 1602, it can be considered that the interactions and the relations between the characters in the play reflect the subtleties and dynamics of the time. Also, based on the dialogue, Horatio is persuaded by Marcellus to witness the apparition themselves to verify its reality. The appearance of the ghost in Hamlet provides a significant symbol, in this case, potentially representing the oppression of Catholics during Shakespeare's era, and provides a deeper insight into the play's overarching themes about the nature of the supernatural and its implications.