Read from Act I, sc 4 line 43 (starts on page 51) through the end of
the scene. (Parts: Hamlet, Horatio, Marcellus)
1. Wherefore means “why.” What are three questions Hamlet wants to
ask the ghost?
2. Why does Horatio ask Hamlet not to go? Use text to defend your
answer.
3. Horatio says, “He waxes desperate with imagination.” How does that
reflect on Hamlet’s character? Should we believe Horatio?
4. BONUS: Interpret the line “Something is rotten in the state of
Denmark.” What’s rotten? Explain.
Read Act I, sc v line 99 (starts on page 61) through the end of the
scene. (Parts: Hamlet, Horatio, Marcellus, Ghost)
1. What does Hamlet mean “thy commandment all alone shall live/Within
the book and volume of my brain…”?
2. Horatio says, “These are but wild and whirling words, my lord.” How
does that reflect on Hamlet’s character? Should we believe Horatio?
3. Starting on line 186, what does Hamlet ask his friends never to do?
4. BONUS: Interpret the line “The time is out of joint.” Explain.
SUMMARY: Does Hamlet have a reasonable reaction to the ghost? Use at least two pieces of textual evidence.
