Question

read the excerpt from hamlet, act i, scene i.
marcellus: is it not like the king?
horatio: as thou art to thyself.
such was the very armour he had on
when he the ambitious norway combated;
so frownd he once, when, in an angry parle,
he smote the sledded polacks on the ice.
tis strange.
marcellus: thus twice before, and jump at this dead
hour,
with martial stalk hath he gone by our watch.
horatio: in what particular thought to work i know not;
but in the gross and scope of my opinion,
this bodes some strange eruption to our state.
what do marcelluss and horatios characterization of
the ghost imply?
o that a large battle is looming
o that someone is tricking them
o that the kingdom is cursed
o that something bad is going on

Explanation:

In Shakespeare's plays, the appearance of a ghost often signals an underlying problem or unrest. Marcellus and Horatio note the ghost's resemblance to the late king and its repeated appearances at a "dead hour." Horatio's comment that "this bodes some strange eruption to our state" implies that the ghost's presence is a portent of something amiss in the kingdom. A looming battle isn't directly indicated here. There's no evidence of trickery. While a "cursed" kingdom is too broad. The text focuses on an impending "eruption" (something bad) for the state.

Answer:

that something bad is going on