Hamlet #2

As the first act progresses, it is clear that Hamlet misses his father and is desperate to keep the dead king's memory alive. After Horatio tells Hamlet that he saw a ghost in the form of King Hamlet, Hamlet stays up with Horatio and Marcellus to wait for the apparition. When the ghost appears and beckons Hamlet, the prince wishes to follow his dead father's shape, but Horatio and Marcellus urge him not to. Hamlet declares, "It will not speak. Then I will follow it"(I.iv.67) and Horatio responds, "Do not, my lord" (I.iv.68). The men do not know why the ghost has appeared, and it is valid that Horatio and Marcellus fear for Hamlet. Despite the mystery, Hamlet wants to follow the ghost because he hopes that it is really King Hamlet. He misses and still mourns his father, and the opportunity to speak to the dead king is not something Hamlet would pass up because of fear. In response to Horatio's and Marcellus' cautionary demands, Hamlet says, "Why, what should be the fear?/I do not set my life in a pin's fee" (I.iv. 69-70). Although Hamlet is referencing his depression caused by his father's death and his mother's matrimony, Hamlet also describes his desperation to see his father. He does not value his life and is therefore willing to potentially sacrifice it for the chance to speak to the dead king.When Horatio and Marcellus physically hold Hamlet back, the prince threatens to become violent: "By heaven, I'll make a ghost of him that lets me./I say, away!" (I.iv.89-90). Hamlet's frustration with Horatio and Marcellus displays his desperation to speak to his dead father. With the recent changes in Hamlet's family life, it's understandable that he would want to confide in his father. Additionally, Hamlet knows that if the ghost is actually his father, King Hamlet returned with a purpose. Hamlet wants to discover why his father has returned, so he follows the ghost and disregards his friends demands.