SARAH:  Much of Act I of Hamlet is expository: we learn what’s occurred in Denmark before the play began. Shakespeare sets the stage, as it were, before the real action of the tragedy commences in Act II.

RALPH:  We’ve already learned that Hamlet is in a state of almost suicidal despair due to his father’s death and his mother’s hasty remarriage to his uncle. But now a strange event has piqued his interest — the appearance of a ghost resembling his father, King Hamlet.

SARAH:  The ghost appeared to some soldiers as well as Hamlet’s friend Horatio at the very start of the play.  Horatio then reported this sighting to Hamlet, and in Act I, Scene 4, Prince Hamlet has joined the guards for the nightly watch.

RALPH:  As Hamlet hoped, the ghost has reappeared and seems to be willing to speak with him. As Act I, Scene 5 begins, the ghost has led Hamlet away from his friends, as if to speak privately with him.

SARAH:  This might be a good time, if you haven't done so already, to watch our short film about the historical context for Hamlet. It's quite short, and it's rather useful for understanding this scene.