EVENTS:
The situation Shakespeare presents at the beginning of Hamlet is that a strong and beloved king has died, and the throne has been inherited not by his son, as we might expect, but by his brother.
MOOD:
The moods of Hamlet gloomy and ominous. It is gloomy for the King had just died, and ominous because his ghost was spotted multiple times by a group of guards.
SETTING:
The play opens on the ramparts of Elsinore Castle in Denmark during a changing of the guard. The old king, Hamlet's father, has died. The king's brother Claudius has replaced him, stealing Hamlet's rightful place on the throne.
REVEALED:
Young Fortinbras is bent on avenging his father's defeat at Old King Hamlet's hand, all of Denmark prepares for war. A single covenant inexorably propels the events of the play and is the medieval truth that rules Hamlet's life.