“HAMLET” SETTING AND TIME OF THE FIRST ACT

The first act of “Hamlet” is set in the Elsinore castell in Denmark.

In the first scene the characters are on a stands (outdoor). It is a medieval setting.

The era, the year, the month and day are not specified.

The only thing we know about the time is that the grand part of the first scene is set on night because the cock has not sung yet. The other part is set in the early morning.

The part set in the night tells about the apparition of Hamlet ghost to the guards and to Horatio, friends of the princess Hamlet. After the cock's song the ghost goes away and Horatio decides to tell what happened to his friends.

The second scene is set in a room of the castell (indoor). About the time we know only that this scene is setting during the day, we do not know if it is morning, afternoon or evening. In this scene the prince Hamlet speaks with the king and the queen, and when he is left alone Horatio tells him about the spirit.

The third scene is set at Polonius’s house (indoor) where Ophelia is speaking with his brother and then with his father Polonius. Even in this scene we do not know nothing about the time.

The fourth scene is set on the castell’s stands (outdoor). It is set in the night because the ghost reappears to the soldiers and to his son Hamlet (the spirits appear only during the night).

The fifth scene is set away from the stands (outdoor) because the ghost wants to speak to his son alone, he tells him how he died and to punish the guilty. The scene is still set in the night.

The scene continues in the stands where Hamlet speaks to the soldiers.