Hamlet follows the Ghost

Scene summary

Near midnight, on the icy battlements, Hamlet, Horatio and Marcellus hear trumpets and two cannon shots. Hamlet explains that King Claudius spends the night drinking and dancing, and that this custom is more honorable broken than kept. He also speaks of men marked by a vice who, because of it, lose everyone’s respect. The Ghost reappears. Hamlet calls it father and king and asks it to say why it has returned, and the ghost gestures for him to follow it to a remote place, where only he will hear it. Horatio and Marcellus try to hold him back, fearing the ghost will lead him to the cliff and drive him mad. Hamlet says his life is worth as much as a pin, draws his sword and threatens whoever detains him. He goes after the ghost. Marcellus, seeing him vanish, says that something is rotten in the state of Denmark, and the two follow the prince at a distance.