The Ghost Speaks

Send us Fan Mail

Today we’re in Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5 — the scene where the ghost finally speaks.

And I want to emphasize something from the start:
The ghost’s message doesn’t just give Hamlet information.
It changes Hamlet’s operating system.

It changes what Hamlet thinks the world is.
It changes what Hamlet thinks he must do.
And it changes what kind of person Hamlet is allowed to be from this moment on.

[Music sting]

Segment 1 — What happens in the scene (plot, slowly and clearly)
GEORGE:
Master Shakespeare, let’s begin with the basic plot of Act 1, Scene 5. Hamlet has followed the ghost away from Horatio and Marcellus. What happens next?

SHAKESPEARE:
The dead speaks.
The son listens.
And the world is no longer the same.

GEORGE:
Here’s the plot in plain language:

Hamlet is alone with the ghost.

Support the show

Thank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.