In act 1 of Hamlet, William Shakespeare describes several unnatural occurrences.

The most notable of these supernatural elements is the appearance of the ghost of King Hamlet, Prince Hamlet’s father and the former king of Denmark. The apparition first appears to the sentries guarding the castle at Elsinore.

While waiting for the ghost to reappear, Horatio tells Bernardo about some unnatural occurrences in Rome that supposedly preceded the death of Julius Caesar. These unnatural events include corpses rising from the dead and running wild in the streets; stars shooting through the sky; bloody dew falling in the morning; solar abnormalities; and a lunar eclipse. Horatio believes these events were all portents of doom.

The ghost of King Hamlet later appears to his son and tells him he was murdered by his brother, Claudius. King Hamlet’s ghost then asks Hamlet to avenge his death by killing Claudius, which sets the play’s main storyline in motion.