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MASTER SHAKESPEARE:
Good even, sir. I come where questions are sharp and nights are sharper.

MR. BARTLEY:
And the first question is simple:
Why begin Hamlet with guards on watch instead of opening with court life, or the prince, or a grand speech?

MASTER SHAKESPEARE:
Because the world must feel unsafe before you know why. The audience must stand in the dark with common men—those whose work is to keep danger out. And yet danger comes in anyway.

MR. BARTLEY:
So the Ghost is a kind of… proof that the job cannot be done?

MASTER SHAKESPEARE:
Aye. The watch exists to prevent intrusion. Yet what comes is not an army, nor a thief—but a question with armor on.

MR. BARTLEY:
Let’s talk about the Ghost’s entrance in this scene. He doesn’t speak. He barely does anything. Yet he dominates the stage. How?

MASTER SHAKESPEARE:
Because he arrives into fear already present. The men are tense before he appears—short greetings, challenges, passwords. Even friendship must announce itself. When the Ghost enters, he does not create fear; he confirms it.

MR. BARTLEY:
So he’s not just a character—he’s a verdict.

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