Francisco and Bernardo, two castle guards in Elsinore, Denmark, stand alert on the castle steps at night. This is part of the plot’s

The opening scene introduces the setting, atmosphere, and some of the characters before the main conflict develops. Francisco and Bernardo standing watch at night establishes the play’s setting at Elsinore and begins building suspense, so this is the exposition. Falling action and resolution occur near the end, while the climax is the peak of the main conflict.

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