Question

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 What does the audience learn about the setting of the play from the opening lines of the first scene? A. The weather is cold. It is late at night. B. The country is at war. C. The story takes place at a castle. D. The castle is near the sea.

Answer 1

Answer:

The correct answer is A.

Explanation:

It is important to state that the original opening scene from Hamlet does not contain the "stage directions" included in this excerpt ("Elsinore, a platform before the castle"); and what is more, there is no explicit allusion to a place before the action actually starts.

Having said that, the correct answer is A because Bernardo asks "Who's there?" and Fransisco returns "Nay, answer me; stand, and unfold yourself" (meaning, you tell me who you are and identify yourself). This interaction can only be possible if it is very late at night, since the characters imply that they can's see each other by asking who is approaching. Once they have identified themselves they talk about to things:

1. "'Tis now struck twelve; get thee to bed, Fransisco"

="The clock says it's twelve, so go to bed" This is an explicit reference to the time in which this scene takes place, so now we can be certain that it is very late at night.

2.  "it's bitter cold, and I am sick at heart"

= "It's very cold and I feel depressed" This is an explicit reference to the weather being cold.

Answer 2

Answer:

A,B,D

Explanation:

"The weather is cold. "

"It is late at night."

"The story takes place at a castle."