1. The turning point is when Hamlet goes crazy. This is right before the play starts. He becomes obsessed with catching the king being guilty.
2. Exposition: When the guards see the ghost and Horatio comes to talk to them. He tries to talk to the ghost unsuccesfully, but notices that its the king's ghost. He then goes and finds Hamlet thinking the ghost may try to talk to him. Hamlet is moping around because his dad died and his mom married her brother in law. The king tells Hamlet to stay around. The guards then find Hamlet and tell him about the ghost. He finds it and talks to it. The ghost tells him to go kill Claudius because he murdered the king.
Inciting Event: When Hamlet decides to seek revenge for his father by killing the current king. He is mad and decides to pretend to be crazy so people don't suspect that he knows about the murder. Hamlet also makes Horatio swear an oath of secrecy.
Rising action: Hamlet has gone crazy in the eyes of the king and his followers. They worry about him and try to figure out what's wrong. Polonius decides it must be that Hamlet loves his daughter. So he uses her to try and find out. Once Hamlet finds out she is being used to get to him he becomes mad and is driven closer to insanity.
1. The three are sent to England to be killed
2. Polonius is going to spy on them and listen to see if Hamlet confesses his feelings about Ophelia.
3. Hamlet does not think the king is able to pray because of his sins.
4. Hamlet is worried the king will be forgiven of his sin while he is praying so waits for a time when the king is sinning.
1. He tells her to be harsh with Hamlet.
2. He's calling Polonius a little rat who runs around under the radar and spies on people.
3. He is accusing his mother of the murder, which she had no part in.
4. She's worried about Hamlet's behaviour and wants to know why he's acting out against her.
5. His father is like a god. He is fair and noble, a good commander, and a good husband
His uncle is like just the opposite worthless and rotten.
6. Hamlet is trying to say his uncle is not supposed to be a ruler and that he has taken a place not belonging to him.
7. Hamlet is imagining his mother in bed with a man. This is disgusting and is incest.
8. The ghost tells Hamlet to stop because his mother is a good one.

1. The two report that Hamlet seems a less crazy now and perhaps could be made happier if he had Ophelia.
2. The king acts with regret. He has a guilty conscience and is burdened by the weight of the murder on his mind.
3. The three of them decide to give Hamlet his letters back and have Ophelia talk to him to see if he is in love and thats why he is crazy.
4. Hamlet is troubled and is debating whether or not to kill himself. He decides not to but is not entirely sure that is the right choice.
5. He argues that after death may be worse than life. He is scared of hell.
6. Ophelia gives Hamlet his love letters back and this makes him mad because it's a rejection of his love. This drives Hamlet even closer to madness.
7. Hamlet says there is one married who will not live. He is threatening Cladious's life.
8. The king decides to send Hamlet to England to be killed by those people. He is worried Hamlet knows.
9. He feels like he can trust Horatio.
10. Hamlet asks Horatio to watch the kings reaction to the play. He says if the king becomes agitated he's guilty.
11. The play starts with the king talking to the queen. She promises her love to him forever. Then he goes to sleep and his brother pours poison in his ear. The king dies and his brother takes his wife.
12. It is meant to trap the king and prove his guilt of the murder.
13. He yells for it to stop and leaves. He doesn't want to have to remember his murder again.
14. A pipe. He says his friends think he's easier to play than a pipe.

"To be or not to be, that is the question." Possibly one of the most famous lines in Shakespeare, this gives us insight into what's going through Hamlets head. He does not want to have to suffer through life anymore, because everything is falling apart for him. "and by a sleep to say we end the heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks.." Hamlet is saying that death can take away his pain, and by killing himself he won't have to suffer because of Ophelia and Claudius. However Hamlet does express his fear of death and is worried that he might be destined for hell. He is worried about what's going to happen in death and he talks like death is a permanent dream that you can't escape. Hamlet is very distressed during this speech and doesn't know what to do. We see that Hamlet isn't entirely sure what to do, and probably is a little crazy here.

1. Interest is created by setting up death with a ghost. The ghost signifies murder and death and helps set up the conflict in the story.
2. The two gaurds talk about the war and Hamlet killing Fortinbras. Also we are given a description of the ghost who is the king.
3. The Ghost appears again and Horatio tries to get him to talk. The ghost ignores him and Marcellus tries to hit him with a spear.
4. The mood is dark, set up with the ghost and the gaurds, who reinforce the idea that there is conflict somewhere. Also, because the ghost is the king it sets up more conflict because ghosts normally warn of things to come.
5. The sentries are apprehensive because they know that ghosts mean bad things to come. Also, the ghost is wearing armor and may mean there is war coming.
6. The king might be warning of a coming war and that Young Fortinbras is coming to take his land back.
7. Marcellus, the ghost, Horatio, Francsico
8. Horatio talks about the king fighting Fortinbras and defeating him to win land.
9. Young Fortinbras is the son of Fortinbras who was defeated by Old Hamlet. He is the prince of Norway.
10. Horatio says that Rome fell apart. There were comets and people crawling out of their tombs
11. Horatio is not as scared of the ghost and seems to understand why the ghost is there.
12. Horatio gives us some background information about the conflict.
13. Denmark has had a previous conflict with Norway, and that Young Frtinbras might be coming to get his land back.