1. Explanation of exposition, complication and resolution in a dramatic construction:

• Exposition is the beginning. It sets the action in time and place, introduces the main characters, reveals the situation they are in, starts the conflict to be developed, and hints at future resolution.
• Complication is developing the conflict. Between the main character (the protagonist) and his goals there are certain obstacles to be overcome, misunderstandings arise, and questions are debated
• Resolution is the ending, the clearing up of the complications, usually the final scene. In a tragedy the ending is called catastrophe, and in most cases the protagonist dies at the end.

2. The setting of Hamlet is Elsinore Castle in Denmark.

3. The main characters are Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, the Ghost and Ophelia. Hamlet’s tragic character flaw is his mind or maybe the fact that he’s pretending to be madness.

4. I think the main themes of Hamlet are: Revenge, loss of innocence, deception/appearance and reality, melancholy, madness and sanity, passion and reason, decay and corruption.

5. The plot

• The Ghost of Hamlet’s father reveals the truth about his death, that he was murdered with poison in the ear by his brother. He also claims that Hamlet must make up for this and murder his uncle.
• Hamlet pretends to be mad so that he gets the attention he needs first and that he can find proof of his fathers death more easily.
• Polonius and Ophelia think the reason for his madness is the unreturned love from Ophelia.
• The dilemmas in Hamlet’s monologue are to live or not… if he should revenge his father or not.