Hamlet Act I Scene iv and v

-The ghost appears to Hamlet
-Though Horatio and Marcellus don't want Hamlet to follow the ghost, he is determined

-"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark"; signaling foul play
-The ghost is Hamlet's father; he is being punished for his bad deeds when he was living; won't tell Hamlet what they were
-People were told that a snake killed Hamlet; the real story is that Claudius, his own brother, did it
-Hamlet knows Claudius seduced Gertrude; she abandoned Hamlet before he was killed
-Hamlet was taking a nap in the orchard when Claudius poured poison in his ear
-He's in purgatory because he died in a state of sin
-Hamlet feels his son should leave Gertrude to her own guilt but take revenge on Claudius
-"I have sworn't," signifies that Hamlet is resolved; he is set on avenging his father; he has a large, heroic obligation
-This obligation weighs and pressures Hamlet greatly
-"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy"-Hamlet
-"The time is out of joint: O cursed spite, that ever I was born to set it right" (Hamlet was born to avenge his father's death)