Act 1- In Act 1 we are introduced to most of the characters and quickly gain an understanding of what this novel is going to be about. We quickly realize the conflict between Hamlet and Claudius as Claudius has just killed Hamlet's father and married his mother to take the throne away from the rightful Prince of Denmark. Hamlet is approached by the ghost of his father to tell him to take revenge on Claudius for killing him. In this act, we are also introduced to Polonius, Laertes, and Ophelia. Laertes is lecturing Ophelia on how her love for Hamlet is forbidden and will not go through because of the social status that differs between the two. To sum it up, Act 1 is the introduction for what we can expect to come from the novel.
Act 2- This act discusses how Hamlet is dealing with the loss of his father as well as figuring out his uncle is the murderer behind it. The King brings in some of Hamlet's closest friends in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet and report back to him of his strange behavior. In the mean time Hamlet sets up a plan to see if Claudius is really the murderer. He plays to have people come in to perform a play for everyone in the castle. However Hamlet wants to change the play up so that it will capture the murder of King Hamlet done by Claudius, assuming that Claudius will react to it in a very harsh and guilty manner.
Act 3- The play has started. Everyone in the castle is there now watching the dumb show of the play. The part for the murder of the man who is secretly being portrayed as King Hamlet is going on. When Claudius realizes what is going on he quickly shuts everything down and quickly storms off. This now gives Hamlet his answer that Claudius has done it and now he will plot to take his revenge and kill him. Hamlet is going to talk to the Queen when he sees a praying King Claudius in his room alone. Hamlet debates on whether to kill his Uncle here or not but he does not want to kill him while he is praying because he does not want Claudius to go to Heaven when he dies. So he holds off until then. Hamlet now goes into Queen Gertrude's room where Polonius is in there spying on Hamlet and Gertrude's conversation. Hamlet gets very angry with his mother when she says "you have angered your father" (line 9;3;4). Hamlet knows that Claudius is not his father and the two start getting into an argument. Polonius makes a noise because he fears Gertrude is in trouble. This is when Hamlet quickly reacts and stabs Polonius through the dresser he was hiding behind. Polonius dies at the end of the act.
Act 4- This act starts off with people trying to figure out where Hamlet put the body of Polonius. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are assigned by the King to figure out where he put it. Hamlet will not give them straight answers at first, saying that he is in Heaven or Hell or that he is being eaten by worms. In the mean time, Laertes and Claudius are plotting to kill Hamlet for the death of Polonius and also the fact that Hamlet is now on to Claudius. They said that they wanted to set up a fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes. Laertes would poison his blade so when he struck Hamlet he would be poisoned to death before he could do anything. As a backup plan, Claudius would have a glass of poison wine just in case Laertes didn't win the fencing match.
Act 5- This is the final act within the plan. We start off in a graveyard where the two gravediggers are digging a grave for Ophelia. Hamlet stumbles into the graveyard to see the two diggers digging the grave. The one digger throws up a skull to Hamlet. The skull belongs to King Hamlet's, Hamlet's father, jester, Yorick. This is the famous scene that everyone connects to The Tragedy of Hamlet. We then move on the the fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes. The match goes on with everyone watching. Queen Gertrude comes in and sees the glass of wine oblivious to it being poisoned. She then takes a sip of the wine before Claudius could stop her from drinking it. While this is happening, Hamlet is hit with the poisoned blade however does not die from it right away. Hamlet then takes his sword and stabs Laertes. Laertes tells Hamlet that his father was the one who poisoned and killed his mother. Still wounded, Hamlet gets to Claudius and stabs him and forces him to drink the rest of the wine. After this Hamlet dies from the poison and his stab wound.