On a dark night outside a Castle in Denmark, a soldier called Bernardo comes to replace the other watchman Francisco. The men can’t see each other because of the dark. Bernardo hears something and asks, “Who’s there?” After both soldiers make sure that they are both watchmen, they relax. Tired, and cold from many hours of guarding, Francisco prepares to go home and sleep.
Not long after, Marcellus joins Bernardo who is another watchman, and Horatio, Prince Hamlet’s friend. Bernardo and Marcellus persuade Horatio to stand watch with them, because they think they’ve seen something. Quietly, they talk about what they have heard the past two nights, and that they want to show Horatio: the ghost of the recently killed King Hamlet, which they think has come to them during the night.
Horatio is unsure, but then the ghost quickly appears and vanishes. Horatio is scared and acknowledges that the ghost looks like the dead King of Denmark, and it even wears the armour King Hamlet wore when he fought against Norway, and that he had the same face he had when he fought against the Polish. Horatio says that the ghost is a warning of bad for Denmark, and that perhaps it is a military attack. He tells the story of King Hamlet’s conquer of lands that belonged to Norway, saying that Fortinbras, the young Prince of Norway, now wants to get back the lands they lost.

Then the ghost appears for a second time, and Horatio tries to speak to it. The ghost says nothing, but disappears again as the cock crows at the first hint of dawn. Horatio then suggests that they tell Prince Hamlet, the dead king’s son, about the ghost. He believes that even though the ghost did not speak to Horatio, it will not refuse to speak to its beloved son.