At the end of the soliloquy, Hamlet mentions that he must hold his tongue, or in other words, hide his thoughts. He then makes Horatio and Marcellus swear an oath of silence regarding the encounter with the ghost on the platform. Hamlet continues holding his tongue as he feigns insanity to hide his thoughts.
Q. What is the question Hamlet is asking in his famous soliloquy?
The first line and the most famous of the soliloquy raises the overarching question of the speech: “To be, or not to be,” that is, “To live, or to die.” Interestingly, Hamlet poses this as a question for all of humanity rather than for only himself.
Q. Why is the To Be or Not To Be soliloquy so famous?
Why is Hamlet’s ‘To be or not to be’ speech so famous? This is partly because the opening words are so interesting, memorable and intriguing, but also because Shakespeare ranges around several cultures and practices to borrow the language for his images.
Q. What is really bothering Hamlet?
What is it that is really bothering him about what has happened since his father’s death? Throughout the soliloquy it is clear that Hamlet is more upset from his mother marrying his uncle, than his father’s death, but uses his father death to give him reason for being so upset and betrayed.
Q. How long did Claudius and Gertrude mourn old hamlet before marrying?
two months
Q. Why does Horatio try to prevent hamlet from going with the ghost?
Why doesn’t Horatio want Hamlet to follow the Ghost? He is afraid that either the ghost will either harm or kill Hamlet. He makes them swear that they will keep secret the incident with the ghost; He is plotting revenge against Claudius.
Q. When questioning the ghost what is Horatio trying to find out?
Horatio is Hamlet’s friend, so if the ghost is going to talk to anyone, it makes sense that it would be him. The others are basically just guards. However, the one the ghost really wants to talk to is Hamlet.
Q. What is Horatio’s attitude toward the ghost prior to seeing it with his own eyes?
The ghost “harrows” or terrifies him. He demands it speak, and when it leaves he “tremble[s] and looks pale.” He says he would not have believed it had he not seen it with his own eyes. The appearance of the ghost fills Horatio with a deep sense of foreboding and unease.
Q. Where is the ghost compelled to go during the day?
purgatory
Q. Why does Hamlet swear Horatio and Marcellus to secrecy?
Amid the spectral atmosphere, Hamlet obliges his friend Horatio and the guards to maintain silence about the ghost because he does not want any knowledge of its appearance to reach anyone in the court of Claudius; in addition, Hamlet does not know at this point if the ghost is honest with him.
Q. Does Horatio see the ghost?
Before Barnardo can say much, however, the Ghost appears, and Marcellus encourages Horatio to address the spirit. Horatio cannot deny that he, too, sees the Ghost. All three men agree that the Ghost is real; in fact, they recognize it as the “majesty of buried Denmark” — the recently dead King Hamlet.
Q. Why does Horatio beg the ghost to speak?
Marcellus thinks Horatio should speak to the ghost because he will know what to say to him. He is a “scholar” and is educated. He wants to reclaim the land that his father lost to King Hamlet. He wants to fight the King of Denmark and go to war to get them back.
Q. Why does Shakespeare make Horatio in the ghost?
Horatio believes that the ghost is just their imagination and Bernardo wants him to see it again (to make him believe it is real) and talk to it. -He is a close friend of Hamlet. He believes the ghost is a bad omen, and knows a lot about the history between Norway and Denmark.
Q. What causes the ghost to leave before it will speak to Horatio?
Marcellus comments that the ghost was offended, meaning that by Horatio speaking to the ghost of the King with such lack of respect and with demands the ghost left.
Q. What does the audience learn from Marcellus question to Horatio?
1, Lines 74–108: What does the audience learn from Marcellus’s question to Horatio? The audience learns the history between Hamlet and Fortinbras and why the people beyond the wall are preparing for war. The feud between the polocks and hamlet’s men. The description of a military builds a suspenseful mood.
Q. Why does Fortinbras want to attack Denmark?
Fortinbras – The young Prince of Norway, whose father the king (also named Fortinbras) was killed by Hamlet’s father (also named Hamlet). Now Fortinbras wishes to attack Denmark to avenge his father’s honor, making him another foil for Prince Hamlet. He wants to reclaim the land that his father lost to King Hamlet.
Q. Under what conditions will Fortinbras not attack Denmark?
For the prince, it is a question of honor. In gaining control of the spot of land, despite the fact that it is totally worthless, Fortinbras will begin to restore his father’s honor. He cannot just attack Denmark because his uncle, the current king of Norway, has forbidden him from doing so.
Q. What country is Fortinbras going to invade?
In order to avenge his father’s death, Fortinbras invades Denmark and ends up taking the Danish crown for himself, thereby living up to his name, which means “strong-armed.” Fortinbras demonstrates how the son of a murdered king is supposed to behave.
Q. Why is Hamlet so angry with his mother?
At first, Hamlet is angry with Gertrude, his mother, because she married Claudius, the newly-crowned king (who was Hamlet’s father’s brother) too soon after the death of his father (the late king). Furthermore, the ghost charges, Claudius and Gertrude were having an adulterous affair at the time. This enrages Hamlet.
