Act II of Hamlet begins with Polonius sending his servant Reynaldo to France to spy on his son Laertes. This shows that while at first he seemed to trust his son, he doesn’t fully think that he is capable of making wise decisions on his own, even after receiving advice. After Reynaldo leaves, Ophelia enters the scene, having been boldly approached by Hamlet earlier. This gives Polonius the idea that Hamlet’s madness stems from his love of Ophelia. He then leaves to go inform Claudius of his theory. Before Polonius enters the scene, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two friends of Hamlet, are welcomed to the castle by Claudius and Gertrude. They inform the two of Hamlet’s recent state of being and ask them to see if they can help in any way.
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Next, Polonius speaks about what he believes is the cause of Hamlet’s depression and madness: Ophelia. They come up with a plan that involves hiding and listening to a conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia to see if their relation is what is afflicting Hamlet. This is ironic that Claudius is taking part in a plan to see what is Hamlet 's reasoning for his current state, while Hamlet is, at the same time, working to see if Claudius is responsible for his father’s murder. As the king and queen leave, Hamlet enters the scene and has a conversation with Polonius. Hamlet is questioned, by the only responses were those of a very irrational nature, further covering up Hamlet’s true motives. Polonius then leaves to set his plan into motion. Hamlet’s two friends then enter the scene, to his delight. They begin to talk about recent events, and the two say that they have come to visit. Hamlet calls them out on their true intentions, to which they …show more content…
They have been unable to determine the cause of his state of mind, but they noted that he thoroughly enjoyed the play last night. Seeing that as a way to connect with the prince, Claudius and Gertrude agree to go to the play. Unbenounced to them, Claudius is walking right into Hamlet’s trap. At the same time, Polonius’ trap is ready to sprung on Hamlet. As he enters the scene, Hamlet is delivering the famous,”To be or not to be,” soliloquy, once again contemplating the idea of suicide. Ophelia than meets with Hamlet in the hall as Claudius and Polonius hide. As the two begin to converse, Hamlet becomes agitated by Ophelia’s position, and denounces her and women alike, claiming that beauty breeds dishonesty. As he leaves, Claudius and Polonius come to the conclusion that Ophelia is not the source of Hamlet’s madness, and that maybe sending him to England might help ease his nerves. Polonius then comes up with the idea of sending Hamlet to Gertrude 's chambers after the play so that he can once again spy on the prince. Claudius then agrees to the plan. Later that night, Hamlet meets with Horatio before play, excited and ready to catch Claudius. This scene shows that Hamlet is still fully in control of his sanity in order to catch his uncle and deliver justice. He asks Horatio to watch the king throughout the play to see any signs of guilt, to which he agrees. As
Next, Polonius speaks about what he believes is the cause of Hamlet’s depression and madness: Ophelia. They come up with a plan that involves hiding and listening to a conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia to see if their relation is what is afflicting Hamlet. This is ironic that Claudius is taking part in a plan to see what is Hamlet 's reasoning for his current state, while Hamlet is, at the same time, working to see if Claudius is responsible for his father’s murder. As the king and queen leave, Hamlet enters the scene and has a conversation with Polonius. Hamlet is questioned, by the only responses were those of a very irrational nature, further covering up Hamlet’s true motives. Polonius then leaves to set his plan into motion. Hamlet’s two friends then enter the scene, to his delight. They begin to talk about recent events, and the two say that they have come to visit. Hamlet calls them out on their true intentions, to which they …show more content…
They have been unable to determine the cause of his state of mind, but they noted that he thoroughly enjoyed the play last night. Seeing that as a way to connect with the prince, Claudius and Gertrude agree to go to the play. Unbenounced to them, Claudius is walking right into Hamlet’s trap. At the same time, Polonius’ trap is ready to sprung on Hamlet. As he enters the scene, Hamlet is delivering the famous,”To be or not to be,” soliloquy, once again contemplating the idea of suicide. Ophelia than meets with Hamlet in the hall as Claudius and Polonius hide. As the two begin to converse, Hamlet becomes agitated by Ophelia’s position, and denounces her and women alike, claiming that beauty breeds dishonesty. As he leaves, Claudius and Polonius come to the conclusion that Ophelia is not the source of Hamlet’s madness, and that maybe sending him to England might help ease his nerves. Polonius then comes up with the idea of sending Hamlet to Gertrude 's chambers after the play so that he can once again spy on the prince. Claudius then agrees to the plan. Later that night, Hamlet meets with Horatio before play, excited and ready to catch Claudius. This scene shows that Hamlet is still fully in control of his sanity in order to catch his uncle and deliver justice. He asks Horatio to watch the king throughout the play to see any signs of guilt, to which he agrees. As