In Act one, Scene one of Hamlet, Barnardo, Marcellus, and Horatio wait to encounter the ghost of King Hamlet of Denmark. When they finally do encounter the ghost, he does not speak. After the disbelieving Horatio encounters the late King Hamlet’s spirit, he is determined to tell Prince Hamlet. The first scene in Hamlet is crucial because it establishes the tone of uncertainty and internal distress, as well as the major conflict of the late King Hamlet’s appearance. The first line of the play reflects the tone of uncertainty and internal distress in a simple “Who’s there (line 1)?” This line is so powerful because it expresses that there is something that Barnardo has to be uncertain and anxious about. It is not until later that we discover
