1. Presented by: Kayla Viaene Group: Gertrude
Hamlet: Act II
Presented by: Kayla Viaene
Group: Gertrude

2. Act II : Scene One Polonius converses with his servant, Reynaldo
Polonius orders Reynaldo to spy on his son, Leartes, who is currently residing in Paris
He is sent to spy on Leartes in an inconspicuous manner, questioning surrounding civilians and observing Leartes, himself
Reynaldo is suppose to investigate whether Leartes is partying, drinking, etc.
or studying music like he
is suppose to be doing

3. Act II : Scene One
Ophelia frantically approaches her father, Polonius, in an effort to define Hamlet’s erratic behavior
She explains to Polonius that Hamlet made a dramatic entrance into her room, appearing disastrous
Ophelia thoroughly explains to her father how oddly he acted toward her simply through his actions
The two of them contemplate whether there is a correlation between Hamlet’s uninvited entrance and his love for Ophelia
Polonius believes that forbidding Ophelia from being in contact with Hamlet is the reason that he is acting crazy
Polonius and Ophelia finally agree that informing the king, Claudius, about this specific issue, as well as Hamlet’s behavior in general, would be beneficial

4. Act II : Scene Two
The king, Claudius, and the queen, Gertrude, ask/order Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to be friendly with Hamlet in order to create a fun atmosphere for him and observe Hamlet’s current behavior and personality
Claudius and Gertrude hope that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern will be able to identify what is bothering Hamlet so they can propose a helpful solution for him

5. Act II : Scene Two
While delivering news about the ambassadors of Norway to Claudius, Polonius informs him that he knows the reason why Hamlet has been acting strangely
Of course, this greatly concerns Claudius and makes him eager to uncover the truth
Polonius gladly agrees that he
will tell Claudius right after
the ambassadors speak
Gertrude believes that
Hamlet’s father dying and
her immediate marriage to
Claudius is the root of the problem

6. Act II : Scene Two
One of the ambassadors, Voltemand, informs the king about the matters of Norway, including its king
The king of Norway’s nephew, Fortinbras, plotted an attack against Denmark without its king knowing
When the king of Norway gained knowledge of his nephew’s planned attack, he threatened to have Fortinbras arrested
Fortinbras promised to never threaten Denmark again, which let him off the hook
Claudius is given a document from Voltemand, written by the king of Norway, asking permission of Norway’s troops to pass through the Denmark kingdom on their way to Poland (led by Fortinbras)
This document also guarantees Denmark’s safety

7. Act II : Scene Two Polonius bluntly tries to persuade
Claudius and Gertrude that Hamlet is crazy
Polonius reads Ophelia’s letter, written by Hamlet, to the king and queen, trying to convince them that Hamlet is crazy because of the absence of Polonius’ daughter, Ophelia
Polonius suggests that they uncover whether this idea is the truth by having Ophelia meet up where Hamlet leisurely spends his time each day so Polonius can stake out the confrontation between the two

8. Act II : Scene Two
Polonius confronts Hamlet, who is reading a book, in efforts to observe him
Hamlet outsmarts Polonius with his striking, witty comebacks
Polonius leaves the confrontation still convinced that Hamlet is crazy, and still planning to unite Hamlet and Ophelia for a stake out

9. Act II : Scene Two
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern approach to have a friendly conversation with Hamlet, obeying the orders from the king and queen
Hamlet realizes that they are not just talking to him because they are friends but because they were ordered to be friends with him
The three of them converse for a while about random things
Then, they bring up the topic of actors that Hamlet liked as a child
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern let Hamlet know that those group of actors are coming soon to entertain Hamlet, and that those actors are currently being overthrown by children actors

10. Act II : Scene Two Polonius informs Hamlet that the actors arrived
Hamlet recites some lines from a play and instructs the actors to perform a specific speech from The Aeneid
Polonius becomes impatient and Hamlet retaliates to the comment Polonius makes by belittling him
When the actors are asked to finished performing, Hamlet orders Polonius to keep the actors comfortable until tomorrow, when they
are instructed by Hamlet to perform
The Murder of Gonzago

11. Act II : Scene Two
The act is completed with Hamlet wrestling with his own thoughts
Hamlet concludes with himself that he will have the actors reenact his father’s murder in an attempt to discover whether Claudius
killed him or not