Act 1 Scene 5

In the final scene of Act 1, the Ghost tells Hamlet that he is indeed the spirit of his dead father, and that he was killed by this brother Claudius. He tells Hamlet that he can not pass on until he is freed from the sins he committed on Earth, and he tells Hamlet to take revenge on Claudius but to spare Gertrude in the process. The Ghost leaves, and Hamlet quickly decides not to tell Marcellus and Horatio what has happened. When the two show up, Hamlet makes them swear that they will not tell about what they have seen that night and also not to act knowingly if Hamlet were to start acting strange.

I think that Hamlet would be fun to play in this scene. As the Ghost tells him of what has happened to his father, he could be taken aback and take the news very seriously. There could be a hint of morbid excitement underlying the seriousness, however, because Hamlet now has reason to harm him hated uncle. When Marcellus and Horatio arrive, I see Hamlet doing a complete 180 in order to cover up his true intentions. He could be excited, almost giddy to see the two, especially when he says "Oh wonderful!" (1.5.119) Hamlet's different behavior could be what completely confuses Horatio, lending to a bit of humor amidst the previous discovery.

The significance of this scene lies within Hamlet's discovery of his Uncle's treachery. He knows now that his father was killed, and based on his previous behavior, Hamlet is going to do whatever it takes to get revenge.