The ghost of his father appears and tells him not to be so harsh on Gertrude. Hamlet’s fury builds as he confesses his disgust at his mother’s recent marriage. He is surprised when he pulls back the screen to see the dead body of Polonius. Hamlet is shocked and stabs through the arras with a knife. Polonius is spying on them from behind an arras and when Gertrude screams, Polonius makes a noise. Hamlet visits his mother in her closet and threatens her. Alone, Hamlet talks about revenge and says ‘now could I drink hot blood / And do such bitter business as the day / Would quake to look on'. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern summon Hamlet to talk to his mother and he snaps at them, declaring that he has known all along that they were spying on him. Hamlet and Horatio take this reaction as proof that the ghost was telling the truth and Claudius killed his brother. Hamlet announces that this man plots to marry the dead king’s wife and, at this moment, Claudius rises in fury and calls for 'light' before storming out of the performance. Another actor enters and poisons the player king. The performance begins by depicting a happily married king and queen but the player king becomes sick and worries that his queen may marry again. Hamlet instructs Horatio to observe Claudius’ response to the play to see if he shows any guilt. He wants the play to 'hold a mirror up to nature' as the plot is very similar to the events leading up to his father’s death. Hamlet talks to the actors before they perform. How many examples of Hamlet’s changing behaviour can you find in these two scenes? Do you think that these changes are part of Hamlet’s plan or has he really changed? In Act 2 we see Hamlet’s actions change and the people around him start to observe different behaviour. What do the letter and the conversation show you about Hamlet? He later suggests to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that he might not be mad and that he’s been putting on an act like one of the travelling players might - do you believe him? Is his conversation with Polonius a performance? Do you think he knows he is being watched? Take note of Hamlet’s letter to Ophelia and his conversation with Polonius. What does this tell us about the relationships between the generations? What kind of relationship does Polonius have with Claudius and Gertrude? What do you think his position is within the castle and how might this affect the way Polonius feels about a potential relationship between his daughter Ophelia and Hamlet? Look at the way the older generation behave in Act 2, all employing spies to investigate their children’s behaviour. Alone, he praises the actor who delivered the speech for connecting to his true emotions when performing and criticises himself for being unable to express his inner feelings. Before they leave he gets their permission for him to write a 12 line speech that he wants to be included in the play. He then asks them to perform 'The Murder of Gonzago' for the king and his guests the following evening. The travelling players arrive and Hamlet asks them to perform a moving speech from ‘Hecuba and Priam’. They announce that the ‘tragedians of the city’ are arriving to cheer Hamlet up. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter and Hamlet reveals that he knows they were sent to spy on him. Hamlet speaks in riddles, suggesting that he is mad, though his speech also contains hidden meanings which Polonius picks up on. Polonius suggests the king and queen spy on Hamlet as he talks to him. Polonius reads from a letter that Hamlet sent his daughter: 'Doubt that the stars are fire, / Doubt that the sun doth move, / Doubt truth to be a liar, / But never doubt I love'. Polonius enters and shares his view with Claudius and Gertrude that Hamlet has been driven to madness because of his love for Ophelia. Claudius invites Hamlet’s childhood friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to Elsinore Castle to investigate 'Hamlet’s transformation’ and find out why he is behaving strangely.