Question

Act I. Scene i.

Elsinore. A Platform before the Castle.

FRANCISCO at his post. Enter to him BERNARDO.

Bernardo: Who’s there?

Francisco: Nay, answer me; stand, and unfold yourself.

Bernardo: Long live the king!

Francisco: Bernardo?

Bernardo: He.

Francisco: You come most carefully upon your hour.

Bernardo: ’Tis now struck twelve; get thee to bed, Francisco.

Francisco: For this relief much thanks; ’tis bitter cold,
And I am sick at heart.

–Hamlet,
William Shakespeare

How do the setting and dialogue in the first scene of Hamlet affect the audience?

They give the audience hints about the personality of the hero.
They give the audience a preview of how the play will end.
They introduce a light, comic mood to keep the audience entertained.
They set a dark and eerie mood appropriate for a serious play.

Answer 1

They set a dark and eerie mood appropriate for a serious play.

The midnight watch, coldness, nervous dialogue (“Who’s there?”, “I am sick at heart”), and tense atmosphere create suspense and foreboding, preparing the audience for a tragic, serious drama.