Act 1.1 of Shakespeare's Hamlet, is
packed with information and exposition.
We learn guards are
on duty, we learn their names as well as the name of Horatio, who is trusted enough to
be brought along for verification purposes. We learn that he is a "scholar." We learn
that it is midnight and very cold.
We learn that they are
in Denmark, and we learn that these same guards have seen a ghost two nights in a row,
but that Horatio doesn't believe their ghost story--until he sees the Ghost
himself.
When the Ghost appears, we learn that he seems to
look like the dead King Hamlet.
Concerning the Fortinbras
situation, we learn that the guards are on duty primarily because of the threat of
Fortinbras. Fortinbras' father, then the king of Norway, lost lands to King Hamlet when
he was killed during a battle with Denmark. Fortinbras is now threatening to take these
lands back.
Horatio and the guards suspect that the
appearance of the Ghost suggests that trouble with Fortinbras is coming.
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