1. Well, this scene was fairly short. In the beginning Hamlet and Horatio are waiting for for the ghost to appear and while they wait they begin to discuss the reputation of Hamlet's people as drunkards. Finishing the conversation, Horatio hears the first sounds of the ghost appearing, making Hamlet unnerved with the presence asking questions aloud about why the ghost appears before him when he was just so recently buried. After arguing with the other guards and Horatio, Hamlet decides his life is worthless and can not do any harm to his soul for he is only a ghost; basically, Hamlet feels he has nothing to lose in following the ghost in the hopes he will prompt him to speak. The other guards decide to follow Hamlet in case the ghost forces him to hurl himself into the sea or something else extremely dangerous.
4. Why, what should be the fear?
I do not set my life in 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.
I appreciate these lines spoken by Hamlet to the guards. I think it is admirable that he is willing to take the risk. Also, his revealing of the value of his own life is not surprising, but almost expected after all he has been through and his admitting this to the guards shows his carelessness at the time and his will to speak to the ghost.
2. I think that this scene is significant because it pieces bits together before the actual scene of the conversation with the ghost. It serves the purpose of preparing the reader for the conversation by reviling Hamlet's attitude before and after seeing the ghost. It shows the effect of the presence and how real the situation has become to him.
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