Hamlet, Part 1: An Introduction to Elizabethan Theater — Quiz
Question 1 • British Literature and Composition
Read the excerpt from Hamlet, Act I, Scene i. Marcellus: Is it not like the king? Horatio: As thou art to thyself: Such was the very armour he had on When he the ambitious Norway combated; So frown’d he once, when, in an angry parle, He smote the sledded Polacks on the ice. ’Tis strange. Marcellus: Thus twice before, and jump at this dead hour, With martial stalk hath he gone by our watch. Horatio: In what particular thought to work I know not; But in the gross and scope of my opinion, This bodes some strange eruption to our state. What do Marcellus’s and Horatio’s characterization of the ghost imply?
Answer
A
that someone is tricking them
B
that the kingdom is cursed
C
that a large battle is looming
D
that something bad is going on
Explanation
Horatio says the ghost’s appearance “bodes some strange eruption to our state,” meaning he believes it signals troubling events for the kingdom. The ghost’s armor and military manner also connect it to past conflicts, but the characters do not say that a battle is definitely looming or that the kingdom is cursed. The best answer is “that something bad is going on.”
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