act 2

Question 1

Hamlet behaves strangely

Answer 1

Ophelia tells her father that Hamlet has been behaving strangely and that he visited her in her room ‘As if he had been loosèd out of hell’. Polonius is worried and thinks that Ophelia ‘hath made him mad’ by refusing to see him.

Question 2

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive

Answer 2

King Claudius employs two of Hamlet’s old friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to find out what is wrong with Hamlet.

Question 3

Is Hamlet mad?

Answer 3

Polonius goes to Claudius and Gertrude to tell them Hamlet has gone ‘mad’ with love for Ophelia. The king and queen want evidence so Polonius suggests they listen in on a conversation between his daughter and Hamlet and ‘Mark the encounter’ to see how he behaves.

Question 4

The players arrive

Answer 4

A group of travelling actors, or players, arrive at the castle to perform and Hamlet arranges for them to perform a play called ‘The Murder of Gonzago’ in which a king is murdered in a similar way to the old king was murdered by Claudius.