I don't know if I'm supposed to admit this in a literature class, but I know the basic story of Hamlet because one time they did it on The Simpsons. I hate to admit, that that has been helping me figure out the plot line in the book. Act III is brilliant. I believe Shakespeare is really trying to show the power that theatre can have by having the actors show the King his wrongs. I wish I knew the cultural context because it seems as though Shakespeare could be using this play to reinforce something like Richard II and its political point. Back on topic, however, one thing that helps lead up to the eventual outcome has to be the death of Polonius. This is the first time in this class that we have seen a major character die besides Richard, but that wasn't until Act V of that play. The fact that a major character is dying in the climax of the play along with the fact that the play started around a death hint at more to come. I used this quote in a comment recently, and now this is the exact quote by Paulo Coelho: "Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time." Since death happens all the time, it is important to note that the two deaths I mentioned were politically based and therefore the third death that will most likely follow will be within the royal courts.