Hamlet – Act I
            
            
             The Shakespearean tragedy has a predictable pattern: It centres around the life of a hero, who is always someone of great standing, someone exceptional and unusual. There is a reverse of fortune and the hero falls from the position of man who has everything to a man who has less than nothing. The hero is always portrayed in the exaggeration and everything is in a grand scale. When he sacrifices he sacrifices everything and his reach always exceeds his grasp. This exaggeration contributes to the sense of tragedy. It raises the hero above humanity. Yet, we can find similarities between the hero and ourselves, which makes it easier for us to sympathize with him.
            
             A Shakespearean tragedy usually begins with a mirror scene, in our case, Act I, which will set the tone of the entire play. It is in this Act that most of the foreshadowing of what will occur is done. It foreshows Hamlet's fall in three stages. The hero is set up so the tragedy can begin. This happens when Hamlet learns of his father's murder. The second phase contains the conflict, crisis and fall of the hero. The main plot, revenge will have a large role in this, as we will see in the later Acts. Then comes his journey, a spiritual change in the hero's insight, which brings a conclusion to the tragedy.
            
             The play Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, is of no exception to this law. It first introduces the main character Hamlet as being a great individual, one of high status. He is contemplative. He loves to think. He needs to think in order to justify his actions, (Quote needed) which we find out is in contrast the opposite to his enemy Fortinbras. Fortinbras, the prince of Norway, the country that is currently in a state of war with Denmark, is the doer of the two. Unlike Hamlet, Fortinbras has heir himself an army and are now willing do whatever it takes to reclaim land from Denmark, even if it meant war. (Quote needed)
            
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