1. Hamlet
Act II Notes

2. Scene i
Polonius sends his servant Reynaldo to give Laertes money and to spy on him secretly
Polonius advises that Reynaldo ask around Paris about Laertes before going to see him

3. Scene i continued
Then he gives specific instructions for how to find information about Laertes behavior in Paris
Find the Danish people and figure out their socio-economic status
Then mention you sort of know Laertes
Ask if it is the same Laertes that is a party animal and whatever else Reynaldo wants to add on, but don’t make him sound too bad, just average. Gambling, drinking, swearing, fist fighting, visiting houses of ill-repute

4. Scene i cont.
The reason for spying on his son and questioning his reputation?
If Laertes has been seen doing any of these things he will agree and say “I saw him. . .”
It is an indirect way to find out what Laertes has been up to in Paris
Then Polonius says to make sure he sees what Laertes is up to with his own eyes and not to trust gossip

5. Scene i cont.
Ophelia tells her father Hamlet came to her sewing room looking a “hot mess” and scared her
He grabbed her and stared at her for a long time
Then he shook her, nodded his head three times, sighed, let her go, then left while looking at her
Polonius says he is going to the king because he did not believe he was actually in love

6. End Scene i
Ophelia says that she did nothing to warrant Hamlet’s strange behavior, she just did as she was told and ended all contact with him
Polonius jumps to the conclusion that unrequited (not returned) love is the reason for Hamlet’s insanity
So he heads off to the palace to inform the king and queen of his revelation

7. Scene ii
King Claudius asks Hamlet’s childhood friends (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern) to find out what is really bothering him and make him go have some fun
Rose and Guild agree
Polonius arrives at court saying he knows what is causing Hamlet’s unstable behavior
Queen Gertrude (Hamlet’s mother) says she knows it is his father’s death and her quick marriage to his uncle

8. Scene ii continued
Before Polonius gives his theory he lets Voltemand, who just returned from Norway, tell the King his news
Old Norway immediately sent messengers to stop Fortinbras, Old Norway thought his nephew was preparing for war with Poland, not Denmark
Old Norway was angry his nephew was taking advantage of his age and illness and ordered he be arrested
Fortinbras said he would never threaten Denmark again
Old Norway was so happy with the answer he gave his nephew a yearly allowance of $3,000 and asked for permission for Fortinbras and the Norwegian troops to pass safely through Denmark on their way way to Poland
King Claudius likes the news, but says he needs time to think before allowing the troops to pass through Denmark

9. Scene ii cont. Polonius, then begins to give his theory about Hamlet
At first he is talking in circles and Queen Gertrude tells him to get the point, then he finally says he has a love letter that was written to his daughter, Ophelia, from Hamlet
The Queen questions whether Hamlet actually wrote the letter, but Polonius confirms it is from Hamlet
He then tells the king and queen that Ophelia showed this to him because she is a good and dutiful daughter.

10. Scene ii cont.
King Claudius questions how Ophelia reacted to the letter
Polonius is offended, but says he would not be a good father, and Claudius and Gertrude would not think well of him, if he had said nothing about the romance, though he knew of it before Ophelia confessed, or if he had pretended it wasn’t happening/turned a blind eye to it
He had to do something so he told Ophelia Hamlet is a prince and cannot marry her, and she must end it. She was told to cutoff all contact with Hamlet
When she did it made Hamlet sad, according to Polonius, he stopped eating and sleeping. Then he got weak, dizzy, then lost his mind (symptoms of lovesickness as described by Polonius)
Through this reasoning Polonius argues unrequited (not returned) love is why Hamlet has gone crazy

11. Scene ii cont.
The king and queen agree it may be a possibility, but are not completely sold on the idea
Polonius asks when has he ever told the truth and be proven false. The king says never, therefore Polonius must be right
Polonius then devises a plan to find out if he is correct:
While Hamlet takes one of his four hour walks in the lobby Polonius will send Ophelia to speak with him
Claudius and Polonius will be hiding behind a tapestry in the lobby to overhear the conversation
If Polonius is wrong, and Hamlet has not gone mad because of love, Claudius can fire Polonius from his job at the court (prime minister)

12. Scene ii cont. They agree to try the plan
Then Hamlet walks in reading a book and Polonius tries to talk to him right then
He asks Hamlet if he knows him, Hamlet replies Polonius sells fish. Polonius says no, then Hamlet says too bad because fish sellers are good men. Then Hamlet asks if Polonius has a daughter, he says yes. Hamlet then warns him he shouldn’t allow her in public because pregnancy would be bad for the family. (She is unmarried and she would be ruined for the rest of her life)
Polonius thinks this is more proof he is crazy in love with Ophelia because he cannot stop thinking and talking about her.
Then Hamlet continues to be rude to Polonius by not actually answering his questions and telling him he would be glad to see him go away

13. Scene ii cont Rosentcrantz and Guildenstern corner Hamlet
They banter as boys do, then Hamlet confronts them about why they have sought him out.
He says he knows the king and queen asked them to and if they are really his friends they will tell him the truth, the boys agree they were asked to speak with them
Hamlet tells them he is not sure of the reason why, but his depressed; however, Hamlet does not trust Rose and Guild

14. Scene ii cont.
He is told a theater troupe is in town for him, but if he is truly depressed and doesn’t want to be around people he probably won’t want to go
He agrees to see them, when Polonius comes back in he ignores he is there, calls him names, and is purposely rude to him
Then he introduces himself to the actors. He begins telling the tale of King Priam of Troy’s murder
One of the actors finishes the story
Hamlet asks if the actor can perform Gonzago, another play, tonight and if he would mind if Hamlet added some lines to the tale
The actor agrees to both

15. End Scene ii Then Hamlet is by himself and gives a soliloquy:
Resents that the actor could make him feel so much, especially for Hecuba who the actor cried for (parallel to Gertrude)
Calls himself a coward for having not already killed his uncle to avenge his father
Has a revelation that guilty people react to scenes in plays that are similar to their crime
Plans to have the play mirror what he believes his uncle did to his father and if he reacts he will have his proof of guilt and he can avenge his father
He believes this will be better than the ghost, whom he believes may be the devil