Structure

The play can be analyzed using Freytag’s pyramid

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is structured into five acts like most classical dramas. It can be analyzed in detail using Freytag’s pyramid. This diagram divides a plot into five parts: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

Below, we show you how to analyze structure in Hamlet.

Act 1: Exposition

The first act, consisting of five individual scenes, forms the exposition of the drama. In it, we are introduced to the main characters and conflicts. Already in the first scene tension and a feeling of doom are created, as the ghost of Hamlet’s father appears as a mystical and scary figure.

The next scene underscores the impression that all is not right in the state of Denmark. Although the old King Hamlet has only been dead for a few weeks, his wife Gertrude is celebrating her marriage to his brother Claudius - a situation that is difficult for the young Prince Hamlet to bear. 

Hamlet’s dark premonitions are confirmed in the last scene of the first act. The ghost of his father reveals to him that he has been murdered by his brother Claudius. The ghost’s demand for revenge from Hamlet is a major turning point and what sets the wheels in motion. This sets the stage for the main conflict: Hamlet must restore justice within his own family - but first he must be...