Act 2 Notes

Summary:
In scene 1 Polonius wants Reynaldo to talk to some people about his son. He wants him to say he barely knows him but has heard of some of the sins he has commited while he has been in Paris. After Reynaldo leaves Ophelia comes in and tells her father that Hamlet was just in her room and she thinks he is crazy in love with her. Then they go see the king.

In scene 2 it begins with the king and queen asking Hamlets old friends Guildenstern and Rosencrantz to try and figure out what has changed Hamlet. Then Polonius goes to talk to Gertrude and Claudius to tell them that Hamlet lost his mind when Ophelia rejected his love and thats why he's crazy. When Polonuis talks to Hamlet he realizes just how crazy he is but Hamlet has no idea that it is Ophelia's father he's talking to. Then Hamlet starts talking to his old friends, one of the first things that he admits to them is that his home is like a prison to him. When the actors come Hamlet requests a specific speech that he once heard about. Then they decide that the next night they actors will preform The Murder of Gonzago.

Love or Game:
I think Hamlet's emotions towards Ophelia right now are more complex than "real or fake" after all this is not the only thing going on in his life right now. A theory of mine is that Hamlet had slight feelings for Ophelia before and ever since his fathers death, he's wanted something or someone else to focus on and think about and that is what deepened his feelings and actions towards her. So I do not think he is playing her I think he is just making himself seem more caught up in her than he really is, he may even beleive this lie himself. I don't think Hamlet is crazy, I think he is just trying to put off some things that he needs to sort through.

Themes:
Loyalty- (Hamlet guilts his friends into the reason they were sent here)
Respect- (For the actors)