An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 772 words)
CENE IV. The platform.
Enter Hamlet, Horatio and Marcellus.
HAMLET.
The air bites shrewdly; it is very cold.
HORATIO.
It is a nipping and an eager air.
HAMLET.
What hour now?
HORATIO.
I think it lacks of twelve.
MARCELLUS.
No, it is struck.
HORATIO.
Indeed? I heard it not. It then draws near the season
Wherein the spirit held his wont to walk.
[A flourish of trumpets, and ordnance shot off within.]
What does this mean, my lord?
HAMLET.
The King doth wake tonight and takes his rouse,
Keeps wassail, and the swaggering upspring reels;
And as he drains his draughts of Rhenish down,
The kettle-drum and trumpet thus bray out
The triumph of his pledge.
HORATIO.
Is it a custom?
HAMLET.
Ay marry is’t;
And to my mind, though I am native here,
And to the manner born, it is a custom
More honour’d in the breach than the observance.
This heavy-headed revel east and west
Makes us traduc’d and tax’d of other nations:
They clepe us drunkards, and with swinish phrase
Soil our addition; and indeed it takes
From our achievements, though perform’d at height,
The pith and marrow of our attribute.
So oft it chances in particular men
That for some vicious mole of nature in them,
As in their birth, wherein they are not guilty,
Since nature cannot choose his origin,
By their o’ergrowth of some complexion,
Oft breaking down the pales and forts of reason;
Or by some habit, that too much o’erleavens
The form of plausive manners;—that these men,
Carrying, I say, the stamp of one defect,
Being Nature’s livery or Fortune’s star,—
His virtues else,—be they as pure as grace,
As infinite as man may undergo,
Shall in the general censure take corruption
From that particular fault. The dram of evil
Doth all the noble substance of a doubt
To his own scandal.
HORATIO.
Look, my lord, it comes!
Enter Ghost.
HAMLET.
Angels and ministers of grace defend us!
Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damn’d,
Bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell,
Be thy intents wicked or charitable,
Thou com’st in such a questionable shape
That I will speak to thee. I’ll call thee Hamlet,
King, father, royal Dane. O, answer me!
Let me not burst in ignorance; but tell
Why thy canoniz’d bones, hearsed in death,
Have burst their cerements; why the sepulchre,
Wherein we saw thee quietly inurn’d,
Hath op’d his ponderous and marble jaws
To cast thee up again! What may this mean,
That thou, dead corse, again in complete steel,
Revisit’st thus the glimpses of the moon,
Making night hideous, and we fools of nature
So horridly to shake our disposition
With thoughts beyond the reaches of our souls?
Say, why is this? Wherefore? What should we do?
[Ghost beckons Hamlet.]
HORATIO.
It beckons you to go away with it,
As if it some impartment did desire
To you alone.
MARCELLUS.
Look with what courteous action
It waves you to a more removed ground.
But do not go with it.
HORATIO.
No, by no means.
HAMLET.
It will not speak; then will I follow it.
HORATIO.
Do not, my lord.
HAMLET.
Why, what should be the fear?
I do not set my life at a pin’s fee;
And for my soul, what can it do to that,
Being a thing immortal as itself?
It waves me forth again. I’ll follow it.
HORATIO.
What if it tempt you toward the flood, my lord,
Or to the dreadful summit of the cliff
That beetles o’er his base into the sea,
And there assume some other horrible form
Which might deprive your sovereignty of reason,
And draw you into madness? Think of it.
The very place puts toys of desperation,
Without more motive, into every brain
That looks so many fathoms to the sea
And hears it roar beneath.
HAMLET.
It waves me still.
Go on, I’ll follow thee.
MARCELLUS.
You shall not go, my lord.
HAMLET.
Hold off your hands.
HORATIO.
Be rul’d; you shall not go.
HAMLET.
My fate cries out,
And makes each petty artery in this body
As hardy as the Nemean lion’s nerve.
[Ghost beckons.]
Still am I call’d. Unhand me, gentlemen.
[Breaking free from them.]
By heaven, I’ll make a ghost of him that lets me.
I say, away!—Go on, I’ll follow thee.
[Exeunt Ghost and Hamlet.]
HORATIO.
He waxes desperate with imagination.
MARCELLUS.
Let’s follow; ’tis not fit thus to obey him.
HORATIO.
Have after. To what issue will this come?
MARCELLUS.
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.
HORATIO.
Heaven will direct it.
MARCELLUS.
Nay, let’s follow him.
[Exeunt.]
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
When desperate for answers, we follow dangerous paths that promise truth while ignoring all rational warnings.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how manipulators exploit our desperate need for answers by timing their approach perfectly and offering exactly what we most want to hear.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when someone approaches you with 'secret information' or 'answers' during your most vulnerable moments, and ask yourself who benefits from your desperation.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark"
Context: He says this as Hamlet follows the dangerous ghost into the darkness
This line captures the sense that supernatural events reflect deeper moral corruption. When the natural order breaks down, it signals that something fundamentally wrong exists in the power structure.
In Today's Words:
This whole situation is seriously messed up
"This heavy-headed revel east and west makes us traduc'd and tax'd of other nations"
Context: He explains why Denmark's drinking culture bothers him while they wait for the ghost
Hamlet understands how group behavior affects reputation. He's embarrassed that other countries judge all Danish people based on their leaders' drinking habits.
In Today's Words:
Our reputation is shot because everyone sees us partying too hard
"So oft it chances in particular men that for some vicious mole of nature in them... the form of plausive manners"
Context: He reflects on how one character flaw can destroy someone's entire reputation
This shows Hamlet's psychological insight - he understands how people focus on flaws instead of strengths. It also hints at his awareness that he might have his own destructive tendencies.
In Today's Words:
One bad habit can ruin everything good about a person
"I'll make a ghost of him that lets me"
Context: He threatens to kill anyone who tries to stop him from following the ghost
This reveals Hamlet's desperation and emerging violence. His need for truth overrides his concern for friendship or safety, showing how obsession can make people dangerous.
In Today's Words:
I'll hurt anyone who tries to stop me
Thematic Threads
Betrayal
In This Chapter
The ghost's appearance suggests betrayal—why else would a father return from the grave?
Development
Building from earlier hints about Claudius's suspicious rise to power
In Your Life:
You might feel this when someone's success story doesn't quite add up but you can't prove why.
Moral Corruption
In This Chapter
Hamlet notes how Denmark's drinking reputation taints the whole country—one flaw ruins everything
Development
Expanding the corruption theme beyond individuals to entire systems
In Your Life:
You see this when one bad manager makes everyone assume the whole department is incompetent.
Family Loyalty
In This Chapter
Hamlet risks his life to speak with his father's ghost, driven by filial duty
Development
Introduced here as Hamlet's primary motivation
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when family obligations pull you toward choices that feel dangerous.
Power Dynamics
In This Chapter
Hamlet threatens violence against friends trying to protect him—grief gives him terrible authority
Development
Shows how emotional extremes can flip normal power relationships
In Your Life:
You see this when someone's crisis makes them suddenly controlling or aggressive with people who care.
Indecision
In This Chapter
Paradoxically, Hamlet shows decisive action in following the ghost despite obvious dangers
Development
Complicates the indecision theme—sometimes we're decisive about the wrong things
In Your Life:
You might notice this when you're paralyzed by small choices but impulsive about major ones.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
Why does Hamlet decide to follow the ghost despite his friends' warnings and his own knowledge that it could be dangerous?
analysis • surface - 2
What does Hamlet's comment about Denmark's drinking reputation reveal about how single flaws can define entire reputations?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see people today following 'ghosts' - pursuing dangerous answers because they're desperate for clarity about something painful?
application • medium - 4
How would you help someone you care about who is chasing after questionable promises during a vulnerable time in their life?
application • deep - 5
What does this scene teach us about the relationship between emotional desperation and clear judgment?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Create Your Warning System
Think about a time when you were desperate for answers about something important - a relationship, job, health issue, or family problem. Write down what your 'Horatio and Marcellus' were saying - the warnings from friends, family, or your own gut instincts. Then identify what your 'ghost' was promising that made you want to ignore those warnings.
Consider:
- •Who in your life consistently gives you good advice, even when you don't want to hear it?
- •What patterns do you notice in the times you've ignored good warnings?
- •How can you create a system to pause and listen when you're emotionally desperate for answers?
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you followed your own 'ghost' despite warnings from people who cared about you. What did you learn from that experience, and how would you handle a similar situation now?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 6: The Ghost Reveals the Truth
Alone with the ghost, Hamlet finally learns the shocking truth about his father's death. What the ghost reveals will set Hamlet on a path of revenge that will consume him and everyone around him.
