In Act Three, Ophelia approaches Hamlet when they are apparently alone Claudius and Polonius hide behind a tapestry and observe. We realize that Hamlet plans to put on a play that depicts the death of his father, to see whether Claudius is really guilty, and the ghost is really to be trusted. Hamlet asks the player's whether they could play a slightly modified version of a tragedy. Hamlet's only consolation appears to be the coming of a troupe of players from England. He arranges to test his theory by setting Ophelia on Hamlet when they are apparently alone and then observing the proceedings with Claudius. Meanwhile, Polonius hatches a theory of his own: he thinks that Hamlet is insane due to Ophelia's rejection of his love. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's attempts to discover the reason for Hamlet's madness are met with evasion and witticism. Claudius summons two of Hamlet's school friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, in order to discover the meaning of this strange behavior. Hamlet has been behaving in a most erratic and alarming way. He has Horatio and the guards swear not to reveal what they have seen.Īct Two finds us some indefinite time in the future. The ghost makes Hamlet promise to take revenge on Claudius. When they are alone, the ghost reveals that Claudius murdered him in order to steal his crown and his wife. Hamlet questions the ghost, who beckons Hamlet away from the others. That night, Hamlet accompanies the watch. They tell her to avoid Hamlet and reject his amorous advances, emphasizing the importance of protecting her chastity.
Ophelia admits that Hamlet has been wooing her. Laertes and Polonius both question Ophelia (sister and daughter, respectively) about her relationship with Hamlet. Meanwhile, the court adviser, Polonius, sends his son, Laertes, back to Paris, where he is living. Horatio tells Hamlet of the appearance of the ghost and Hamlet determines to visit the spirit himself. He is disgusted by his mother's decision to marry Claudius so soon after his father's demise. Hamlet is in attendance at this wedding celebration he is hardly in joyous spirits, however. We watch their marriage celebration and hear about a threat from the Prince of Norway, Fortinbras, which Claudius manages to avoid by diplomacy. Claudius has taken Old Hamlet's widow, Gertrude, as his wife. Meanwhile, a new king of Denmark has been crowned: Claudius, Old Hamlet's brother. Though skeptical at first, Horatio sees the ghost and decides to report its appearance to Hamlet. The guards bring Horatio, a learned scholar and friend of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, to witness this apparition. If that doesn’t work, they’ll ship him off to England, where his crazy act can do no harm.Something is amiss in Denmark - for two successive nights, the midnight guard has witnessed the appearance of the ghost of Old Hamlet, the former King of Denmark who has recently died.
Polonius hatches a new plan: he’ll make sure Hamlet and his mother have some alone time after the play, and he’ll spy on them to see if Gertrude can figure out what’s bothering Hamlet once and for all. After Hamlet departs, Claudius and Polonius reenter, newly suspicious that Hamlet’s madness isn’t lovesickness after all. Hamlet insults her virtue and tells her that, while he may have loved her once, he certainly doesn’t love her now. Ophelia enters and the two begin a very strained conversation. It’s probably best to just face the troubles you do know, rather than face the uncertainty of the afterlife. He ponders the nature of death, realizing that while it might seem easier to leave the world behind, death is a great unknown. When they withdraw, Hamlet enters alone on stage and delivers his famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy. He’ll send Ophelia to talk to the prince, while he and Claudius will watch in secret. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are having no luck discovering the reason for Hamlet’s madness, so Polonius decides to make good on his plan from Act II, Scene 2.
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