Act 1 Summary

In scene one, Bernardo and Francisco trade guard duty while Francisco goes and leaves, Horatio and Marcellus appear. They start talking about a ghost and Horatio doesn’t believe that its real until it appears. They discuss on how it looks like Old King Hamlet in his set of armor. They are scared and want to know why the ghost is there and not in the afterlife. In scene two, it starts off with King Claudius talking about the dead king, and how he is marrying his dead brother’s wife two months after his death. Hamlet is upset with this while he is all black at the wedding and doesn’t want to be Claudius’s son. He is also upset that the food from the funeral for his dad was the same food for the wedding. Horatio and Marcellus then talk to Hamlet about his king is a ghost and in his armor. In scene three, Laertes talks to his sister, Ophelia, about Hamlet supposedly lying to Ophelia and just trying to take her innocence away. Then Polonius talks to her as well and orders her not to see him anymore. In scene four, Hamlet, Horatio, and Marcellus are waiting for the ghost so that Hamlet can see his dad’s ghost in his battle-wear. The ghost appears and wants Hamlet to follow him but Horatio thinks it’s a trap and the ghost is luring Hamlet to his death or will cause him to go crazy. Final scene, Hamlet doesn’t care about Horatio’s warning and follows the ghost. The ghost then talks about how Claudius killed him, and married his wife.