Act 1, Scenes 4 and 5, Hamlet Summary

Scene 4 - Later that night, as Hamlet, Horatio and Marcellus wait on the battlements for the reappearance of the Ghost, they listen to the sounds of revelry in the castle below. Hamlet comments that Claudius has revived a long-dormant tradition of such revelry, adding that the festivities have become so extreme that the country's reputation is suffering. At that moment, the Ghost reappears. Hamlet recognizes it as his father, and cries out for an explanation as to why he's there. The Ghost beckons for Hamlet to follow him, and against the urgings of Horatio and Marcellus, Hamlet does, with Horatio and Marcellus not far behind.

Scene 5 - The Ghost confirms that he is Hamlet's father, saying that he has been consigned to hell because he was murdered without a chance to confess his sins. When he demands...