Act II, scene ii summary courtesy of Shmoop
Note: I just selected the part of the summary that focuses on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and the
players/actors (from line 225 to the end of the act). If you want to read more about the entire act, the
full summary can be found here: http://www.shmoop.com/hamlet/act-2-scene-2-summary.html
Summary of Act II, scene ii ll.225-end of act:
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When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter, Hamlet figures out pretty quickly that
the king and queen arranged their trip.
Hamlet, says he'll make it easy for them: everything sucks, and neither men nor
women "delight" him.
Rosencrantz has a bit of a giggle when Hamlet declared that men don't delight
him, and Hamlet wants to know what's funny.
Oh, it's just that there are a bunch of actors heading to the castle.
Why are they traveling? Hamlet wonders. Are they not as well loved on their
home turf as they used to be?
By way of explanation, Rosencrantz indulges in some theater gossip.
History Snack: This entire passage is an allusion to Shakespeare's day, an era
when public theaters were shut down during times of instability —like when
the plague got a bit out of control or when there was a civil disturbance.
When Rosencrantz says the actors are on the road because of some recent
"inhibition," Shakespeare could be alluding to the Essex Rebellion of 1601.
Shakespeare's company was asked to perform the play Richard II on the eve of
the Earl of Essex's (unsuccessful) revolt against Queen Elizabeth I.
Why? Richard II depicts the usurpation of a monarch (King Richard II), which
could be an effective tool for rallying the rebel forces. Shakespeare's taking a
little time here to basically create a public service announcement to the
Elizabethan audience.
There's now talk about children's plays. (Note: Plays with child actors were all the
rage in England at this time, and there's this thing called "the War of the
Theaters" between plays written for child actors and those written for adult
actors. Shakespeare was on the grown up actors' side, and is making a little jab
at the children's plays, especially when Rosencrantz refers to child actors as
"little eyases" or, little hawks. He probably just got tired of seeing all those child
actors descend into drugs and DUIs.)
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Shakespeare takes the chance to make fun of the folks that support the
children's plays in Elizabethan England by having Hamlet compare child-play
supporters to the men that used to make stupid faces at his Uncle Claudius, and
now pay big money for little pictures of him.
Guildenstern distracts Hamlet's attention by saying something like, "Hey —don't
hate everyone, here come the actors you love! Over there!"
Before talking to the players, Hamlet declares to Guildenstern that his "unclefather and aunt-mother" are deceived.
Guildenstern says something along the lines of, "About what?" Then Hamlet
makes the comment that he's only mad if the wind blows north-north-west,
because otherwise he knows a hawk from a handsaw.
This wind/handsaw business is another one of the crazy comments about not
being crazy that is supposed to confirm that actually, Hamlet's crazy.
When Polonius comes in, Hamlet keeps up the whole "I'm crazy" act by
addressing Polonius as "Jephthah, judge of Israel." Jephthah is a character from
Judges 11, of the King James Bible, who inadvertently offers up his only child, a
virgin girl, as human sacrifice in exchange for winning a battle.
But when the players (a.k.a. actors) arrive at the castle, Hamlet is
actually super excited to see them.
He asks for a speech he once heard performed; he thinks it was performed no
more than once, because the vulgar masses couldn't appreciate it, though he
and the critics did. (Hamlet's telling us here that he has a fine artistic sensibility,
and a penchant for poetry, unlike the groundlings or, common folks that sat in the
cheap seats at plays.)
What speech? It's the tale Aeneas told Dido about Priam's murder, all drawn
from Virgil's Aeneid. It's a significant story because Pyrrhus, son of the warrior
Achilles, comes to Troy in the Trojan horse to avenge the death of his father by
killing Priam, King of Troy.
Hm, a son killing a king to avenge his dad?
The speech details Pyrrhus's dark, scary, blood-covered rage. Then we get to
Hecuba, Priam's wife, who's pretty upset by the whole thing.
Hamlet starts reciting the speech himself, then lets an actor take over. The actor
gets so worked up by the description of Hecuba's emotion at her husband's
death that he has tears in his eyes.
Polonius, meanwhile, is super bored, since he only likes the bits with dancing
and sex.
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Hamlet then has a private confab with the main actor, asking if they can
perform The Murder of Gonzago for the court tomorrow night—with the little
addition of a speech that Hamlet will write himself. The player agrees. (Hamlet is
the prince, after all.)
Left alone, Hamlet berates himself for not yet having avenged his father's
murder, in one of the most famous soliloquies... ever. He basically asks how the
actor can weep for a fictional character, while he himself does nothing about his
own father's very real death.
Hamlet calls himself a coward and a promiscuous woman (seriously) for not
having acted on the ghost's revelation. Beyond his cowardice, he's ashamed that
even when Heaven and Hell would have him take revenge, he can only prance
about and whine.
One thing that's holding him back is the fear that the ghost was lying—since,
sometimes the devil takes a pleasing shape to ease a worried mind.
Hamlet decides to have the actors stage a version of his father's death in front of
Claudius so he can watch Claudius's reaction.
If Claudius flips out, Hamlet can rest assured that he's guilty.