1. Sc. 1, Lines 1–9: Describe the setting of this scene. What actions and phrases contribute to a mood of foreboding?

Lines 1 through 9 establish that the scene opens with a couple of guards so we take that they are outside guarding Elsinore Castle. It is dark because Bernardo doesn't initially see Francisco who he is to replace on guard duty. As Berardo says to Francisco, "’Tis now struck twelve. Get thee to bed," We know it is midnight. We also know it is "bitter cold" from Francisco. Keeping within lines 1 through 9, two things stand out as odd. First, Bernardo is coming on to guard duty and he expects to find Francisco on his post. But as he "comes most carefully...", he is half-heartedly expecting to see something else: a ghost perhaps as we find out later. Second as Francisco departs telling us of the bitter cold he adds, "And I am sick at heart." This is our first indication of the "sickness" that is to spread through Elsinore and claim the lives of the ruling family. This sickness Francisco speaks of isn't a cold or the flu. It is a feeling of dread.