MARCELLUS   Holla, Barnardo!

BARNARDO    Say, what, is Horatio there?

HORATIO        A piece of him.

BARNARDO    Welcome Horatio, welcome good Marcellus.

HORATIO        What, has this thing appeared again tonight?

BARNARDO    I have seen nothing.              (1.1.15-20)

Holla, Barnardo! This could be one of the very, very limited circumstances in which it might be permissible to gloss as—YO. YO, Barnardo my man! Gidday! But Barnardo needs more clarification: say, what, is Horatio there? Another note of uncertainty: did you say that Horatio’s here too? (Is that a problem, why should that be a problem, the audience might wonder, although probably not.) The point is—and it might be apparent in costume, and especially that Horatio won’t have a weapon, or not a halberd, or machine gun—he’s not a soldier, he’s not part of the watch. Soooo—why’s he there? Yes it’s me, says Horatio, Horatio’s here, or rather a piece of him. There could be a handshake—a literal piece, as a hand is briefly offered from out of the folds of a warm cloak, a coat pocket, from under an arm—or he could be being more existential. Yes, I’m sort of here, wherever here is, shivering away in the dark with you. More pleasantries, Barnardo remembering his manners: welcome Horatio, welcome good Marcellus. Be polite to the civilian, he’s officer class even if he’s a civvy. (Scope for an eye-roll at Marcellus, or else an anxious glance: thank goodness we’ve finally got someone of rank interested.)

And Horatio says it, perhaps with a bit of defiant disbelief, just a shade louder than the others have been speaking previously, or else a touch of real anxiety, a genuine question, and the others can go very still: what, has this thing appeared again tonight? Oooo you’re good, Mr WS: this thing, keep them guessing, make it nameless (or unable to be named?) keep upping the suspense. There’s been a thing—appearing—apparitioning. And these soldiers on guard duty, used just to following orders, doing their job—they want a second opinion at the very least. Barnardo’s hedging his bets perhaps: I have seen nothing. Nothing–yet. (I don’t want to see anything! I certainly don’t want to see anything when I’m out here by myself!)