Hamlet The Prince

of Denmark
SHAKEASPEARE
 ACT II
SCENE I

Polonius sends Reynaldo to Paris to spy on Laertes.

A distraught Ophelia tells her father of a strange encounter with Hamlet.
She reveals that she has ceased all contact with Hamlet, as her father had ordered.
 Polonius decides that Hamlet has lost his mind because of his love for Ophelia.
Polonius rushes to tell the king and queen.
 Analysis

The mood in this scene stands in stark contrast to the one we have just witnessed
between Hamlet and his father’s ghost.
Polonius’s sense of control is based on his ability to eavesdrop, gossip, and spy, all
the while acting like an absentminded, forgetful old man.
Hamlet’s bizarre behaviour:
(two interpretation)

• Hamlet may be using Ophelia as a pawn in his game of cat-and-mouse. If he feigns madness,
surely she will report it to Polonius, who will then tell the king and queen. As Hamlet indicated
at the end of Act I, he wants to create the impression that he is not stable.
• Hamlet may have spent the day trying to come to terms with the horrifying news he received
from the ghost. He may have wanted to talk to someone, and, naturally, Ophelia would be the
one he would choose as confidante. But Ophelia has been avoiding him and sending his letters
back unopened. Ophelia’s rejection could not have come at a worse time for Hamlet. Perhaps
his behavior in her room was meant to convey his disappointment.
 Scene II
This is the longest scene in the play, and the action involves five distinct
movements: 1) The king has summoned Hamlet’s childhood friends
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find out why Hamlet has changed so
drastically. 2) Danish ambassadors inform Claudius that Fortinbras,
nephew of the king of Norway, will not invade Denmark. 3) Polonius tells
the king and queen that Ophelia’s rejection has caused Hamlet’s
madness. Polonius suggests that he and the king eavesdrop on Hamlet
and Ophelia. 4) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern begin their efforts on behalf
of Claudius. 5). Hamlet temporarily forgets his melancholy when a
traveling troupe of actors arrives in Elsinore. Hamlet plans to use a play
to prove Claudius’s guilt.
King summoned Hamlet’s Childhood friends

• CLAUDIUS: “Welcome, dear Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. I’ve wanted to see you
for a long time now, but I sent for you so hastily because I need your help right
away. You’ve probably heard about the “change” that’s come over Hamlet—that’s
the only word for it, since inside and out he’s different from what he was before. I
can’t imagine what’s made him so unlike himself, other than his father’s death. Since
you both grew up with him and are so familiar with his personality and behavior, I’m
asking you to stay a while at court and spend some time with him. See if you can get
Hamlet to have some fun, and find out if there’s anything in particular that’s
bothering him, so we can set about trying to fix it.”
 2)Danish Ambassador's information

• VOLTEMAND : “Greetings to you too, your Highness. As soon as we raised

the matter, the king sent out messengers to stop his nephew’s war
preparations, which he originally thought were directed against Poland but
learned on closer examination were directed against you. He was very upset
that Fortinbras had taken advantage of his being old and sick to deceive him,
and he ordered Fortinbras’s arrest. Fortinbras swore never to threaten
Denmark again.”
 3) Polonius tells the king and queen that Ophelia’s rejection has
caused Hamlet’s madness

• POLONIUS:
“ Well, that turned out well in the end. Sir and madam, to make grand speeches
about what majesty is, what service is, or why day is day, night is night, and time is
time is just a waste of a lot of day, night, and time. Therefore, since the essence of
wisdom is not talking too much, I’ll get right to the point here. Your son is crazy.
“Crazy” I’m calling it, since how can you say what craziness is except to say that
it’s craziness? But that’s another story.”
 4) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern begin their efforts on
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
behalf
enter
of
and
Claudius.
greet Hamlet. He receives them
happily, seemingly excited by their presence, and the old friends catch up and
discuss how their lives have been going. Both Hamlet’s old friends state that
while they aren’t as well off as they could be, neither are they faring as poorly as
some fare, either. Hamlet asks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern what has landed
them back in the “prison” that is Denmark. The men say Denmark isn’t a
prison, but Hamlet insists it feels like one to him—they suggest that his
ambitions and dreams are what make Denmark feel small.
• Hamlet asks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to answer him plainly, as friends,
and tell him why they have returned to Elsinore. Rosencrantz they have come
for no reason other than to visit Hamlet. Hamlet asks them if they were sent for,
urging them to be honest—he says the two of them are not “craft[y]” enough to
lie about having been summoned by the king and queen. Rosencrantz attempts
to play dumb, but Hamlet begs him to answer him with the “even and direct”
truth. Guildenstern quickly caves and admits that the two of them were sent for.
 ACT III

SCENE I

Hamlet muses about life and death in his fourth and most famous soliloquy. Polonius and Claudius eavesdrop on

Hamlet and Ophelia to try to discover if Ophelia’s rejection has caused Hamlet’s madness. The scene between the

lovers is filled with the pain of lost love. Polonius is convinced that Hamlet’s madness has been caused by “neglected

love” and suggests that Gertrude talk to her son. Claudius suspects that Hamlet’s madness has other origins.
 SCENE II– PLAY WITH IN A PLAY

Hamlet puts his plan to reveal Claudius’s guilt into action. The king and queen
attend the players’ performance, and Claudius flees when the story portrayed
reflects his own actions. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern summon Hamlet to
Gertrude’s chamber. Hamlet reveals his new determination to carry out the
command expressed by his father’s spirit.
• Hamlet coaches the actors in anticipation of the performance they are about to give for
Claudius, Gertrude, and the rest of the court. As the players leave the prince to ready
themselves, Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern enter, announcing that the king and
queen will join them shortly. Hamlet sends the three of them off to hurry the players just as
Horatio arrives.
• Hamlet tells Horatio of his plan to use The Mousetrap—his version of The Murder of
Gonzago—to catch the king off guard. He further reports that he has amended the
presentation so that one scene re-creates what the ghost told him to be the circumstances of
his father's murder. Most importantly, Hamlet instructs Horatio to watch the king's reaction.
• As the play unfolds, Hamlet's additions to the original piece make for a strong, disturbing
performance. It becomes too much for Claudius, who leaps to his feet and leaves. In the
ensuing confusion, the play is halted, and all leave but Hamlet and Horatio, who recap what
they've just seen.
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter, telling Hamlet that the queen wishes to see him. They
go around and around with Hamlet, trying to convince him to go to the queen. They are
joined by Polonius, who speaks to Hamlet as if he is humoring a fool. They rouse Hamlet's
anger, and he sends them off with word that he will join Gertrude soon. Left to his own
thoughts, Hamlet's resolve to kill Claudius rises again, even as he plans to visit Gertrude.
 SCENE III
• This scene takes place the same evening as the production of The Murder of Gonzago. After
everyone has dispersed from the hall where the play was performed, Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern meet with Claudius. Claudius tells them that Hamlet, being dangerous in his
madness, must be taken away to England for everyone's safety. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
accept the assignment and leave to prepare.
• Polonius comes to Claudius, reporting that Hamlet is headed to see Gertrude in her chambers.
Polonius hurries off to hide somewhere in the vicinity so that he may observe the interaction
between mother and son.
• Left alone, Claudius contemplates the murder that audiences now know he committed. In a
soliloquy, he talks about seeking forgiveness for his sin and praying over it—and he wonders
about being pardoned for it if he retains all the power he gained in committing it. From his
speech, it appears Claudius wants to be pardoned for his deed but not if getting pardoned means
giving up crown and queen.
• Hamlet, en route to see his mother, finds Claudius attempting to pray. He momentarily considers
killing the king then and there but realizes—according to beliefs of the time—that if he were to
kill Claudius while in prayer and seeking repentance (which he thinks Claudius is)—he would
inadvertently send him straight to heaven. With that, he moves on to find his mother.
 SCENE IV
• This scene also takes place on the night of the production of The Murder of Gonzago in which
Hamlet has tried to prove to himself that Claudius has killed his father. In the queen's chambers,
Polonius instructs Gertrude on speaking with Hamlet and hides himself behind a tapestry before
Hamlet enters.
• When Hamlet arrives, he and Gertrude begin talking, with Hamlet verbally sparring and growing
angry with her. His behavior frightens Gertrude, and she cries out. Polonius cries out in anger
from his hiding spot. In response, Hamlet shouts that he hears a rat and stabs Polonius through
the tapestry, killing him.
• As Hamlet pulls aside the tapestry to find Polonius, both he and Gertrude are hysterical. She is
terrified and filled with sorrow for Polonius; Hamlet rages at Gertrude with all the thoughts that
have been festering in his brain, including the ideas that Claudius killed King Hamlet and, worse
yet, that she may have been part of the scheme to kill his father.
• In the chaos of their exchange, the ghost appears. He tells Hamlet he has returned both to put
him back on task and to remind him to leave his mother alone. As Hamlet responds to the ghost,
it becomes clear Gertrude neither sees nor hears the spirit, and the exchange further convinces
her of his madness. Hamlet reminds Gertrude he is being banished to England, and that he
knows she has hired Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on him. He leaves her, dragging
Polonius's body with him.
ACT IV
 ACT IV
SCENE I
• King Claudius and Queen Gertrude, along with Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern, come together once again in Elsinore Castle.
Gertrude dismisses Rosencrantz and Guildenstern so that she may
tell Claudius of her meeting with Hamlet. Comparing the prince's
madness with the wild power of the wind and the sea vying to see
which is mightier, Gertrude tells Claudius of all that transpired
between them, including how Hamlet killed Polonius.
• Claudius says Hamlet must be sent away at once, and immediately
summons Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He tells them Hamlet has
slain Polonius, asks them to find Hamlet, and instructs them to
bring Polonius's body to the chapel. Claudius and Gertrude leave to
inform their closest supporters, hoping they can control the fallout.
 SCENE II

In a passageway somewhere in Elsinore castle, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

find Hamlet. They insist he tell them where Polonius's body is so they can take
it to the chapel, but he at once runs verbal circles around them and taunts
them. When he won't tell them where the body is, they demand he go with
them to the king. He agrees to go with them, and then sprints away, as if in a
game of hide-and-seek.
 SCENE III

Claudius, by himself, talks of his intent to send Hamlet to England—a plan made
all the more reasonable because Hamlet has killed Polonius. Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern come to the king with Hamlet in tow. When Claudius asks the
whereabouts of Polonius's body, he too is answered in riddles until at last, as if
tired of the game, Hamlet tells them where to find the corpse.
Claudius then tells Hamlet they must send him away—for his safety—to England.
Hamlet consents, and as he exits, Claudius instructs Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern to follow, saying they must set sail tonight.
Once alone, Claudius reveals the papers he has sent with Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern ordering Hamlet's death.
 SCENE IV

In this scene, set somewhere near Elsinore Castle, Hamlet, Rosencrantz,

and Guildenstern are headed for the ship that will carry them to England.
They pass Fortinbras and his army, which is passing Elsinore en route to
Poland. Hamlet stops to speak with the captain whom Fortinbras has sent
to greet King Claudius and thank him for permission to pass through
Denmark.
When the captain presses on, Hamlet stops a moment, alone, and compares
himself to young Fortinbras. He rebukes himself for his failure to seek
revenge for his murdered father when Fortinbras, another young prince who
also lost his father, goes to war for honor over a worthless piece of land. At
the close of this soliloquy, he again pledges himself to the act the ghost has
assigned him.
 SCENE V
Back at Elsinore Castle, Ophelia has requested an audience with Gertrude. Having heard that
Ophelia has been acting strangely since her father's death, the queen does not want to speak
with her. But Horatio and other advisers suggest it might be better to speak with her than to
let her wild talk and accusations fall on fertile ears. Gertrude submits.
Ophelia enters and is obviously in a disturbed state, singing and talking in a disconnected
way. Claudius joins them and both king and queen are shocked by Ophelia's behavior.
When Ophelia leaves, Claudius informs Gertrude that Laertes has secretly returned from
France after hearing of his father's death. As they speak, there is noise beyond their door, and
a messenger enters to warn king and queen that Laertes, leading a riotous group of people,
has come to see them.
Laertes enters; though angry, he convinces his followers to wait outside. He confronts
Claudius and Gertrude, demanding answers and his father's body. As the king and queen try
to calm him, Ophelia returns, still singing, offering flowers, and wandering in her distraction.
Laertes's anger is nearly overwhelmed by his grief at the sight of his sister. Claudius seizes
Laertes's moment of weakness and, with comforting words and gestures, convinces Laertes to
come with him so that he may explain the circumstances of Polonius's death. Claudius
promises Laertes that he will give his crown and kingdom if they find him—or Gertrude—at
fault, but otherwise they will stand beside Laertes and help him through this tragedy.
 SCENE VI

Horatio is approached by sailors bearing letters from Hamlet. One

of the letters is for him; the others are for the king. In the letter to
Horatio, Hamlet explains that en route to England their ship was
overtaken by pirates, and he alone was taken prisoner. He
explains the pirates are "thieves of mercy," and he is to do
something for them. He asks that Horatio help the sailors get the
other letters to the king and then have the sailors deliver Horatio
to Hamlet. Having read his letter, Horatio departs with the sailors
to find Hamlet.
 SCENE VII
• Claudius and Laertes are together in Elsinore. As promised, Claudius
explains the circumstances of Polonius's death to Laertes, as well as
his reasoning for sending Hamlet abroad. Just as they touch on the
subject of Laertes's revenge for his father and sister, a messenger
enters with letters for the king from Hamlet.
• Hamlet informs Claudius that he is back in Denmark and wishes to
meet with him the next day. Hamlet writes that he will explain
everything when they meet. Knowing that Hamlet has returned,
Claudius and Laertes devise a plan for a fencing match where Laertes
will use a poisoned foil. As a backup plan, Claudius will also have a
poisoned drink waiting for him.
• Just as the plan is settled, the queen enters with news that Ophelia
has drowned.
ACT V
 Act 5 Scene 1

• The intention of the graveyard scene is to add a comic element to the play.
• What the scene does do is get Hamlet thinking on death and mortality.
• There is an element of irony when Hamlet describes Laertes as noble
(L215).
• Hamlet is shocked to find that Ophelia has died and Gertrude comments on
how she thought Ophelia would have been Hamlets wife (L235).
• Laertes jumps into the grave in grief. Hamlet is appalled and jumps in after
him.
• As the grapple Hamlet warns Laertes that he is capable of doing him harm
(L254-L256).
• Hamlet declares that he loved Ophelia (L262-L264).
• The Queen blames Hamlets reaction on his madness.
• Claudius tells Laertes that they will push on with the duel as soon as
possible (L287-L289)
 SCENE II
• Hamlet shows his belief that there is a divinity behind mans actions.
• Hamlets new belief comes from the turn of events that brought him
safely back to Denmark.
• Hamlet shows that he has an ability to act by sending Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern to their deaths (L58-L59).
• Hamlet now has his reasons to kill Claudius and give the four of
them to Horatio (L64-L68).
• Hamlet even regrets his confrontation with Laertes knowing that
they are on a similar purpose (L77-L78).
• Osric enters to deliver the message of the duel to Hamlet. Osric
further brings into view the falseness of the Danish court using a
similar method that he used on Polonius.
• As Hamlet and Horatio discuss the possibility of a trap Hamlet
mentions the frailty of women (L203-L204).
• The final action;
1.Hamlet apologises to Laertes and it is accepted (L239-L240).
2.Gertrude drinks the poison cup with Claudius making a half hearted
attempt to stop her (L279).
3.Laertes feels some guilt for what he is about to do (L286).
4.Hamlet and Laertes wound each other with the poisoned rapier.
5.As an act of remorse Laertes tries to redeem himself by confessing on
Claudius (L303-L310).
6.Hamlet stabs Claudius with the poisoned rapier and makes him drink the
poisoned wine.
7.Before he dies Laertes tells Hamlet he does not blame him for the deaths
of his family (L230-L231).
8.Hamlet asks Horatio to tell his story to the world and names Fortinbras
as successor to the throne of Denmark (L345-L346).
9.The new ruler of Denmark has the final say in the play (L385-L394).