Hamlet Act II Outline
Act II, Scene 1
 Polonius sends Reynaldo, a servant, to France to spy on his son Laertes.
 77 - Ophelia enters and tells her father, Polonius, that Hamlet just visited her and was
acting very strange.
 Polonius interprets this behavior as an indication that Hamlet went mad because of his
love for Ophelia. But we know better.
 103- Polonius decides that he must tell the King and Queen, Claudius and Gertrude, that
Hamlet is love-crazy.
Act II, Scene 2
 Claudius sends for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on his nephew/step-son Hamlet.
Claudius tells them to spend time with Hamlet and find out what is troubling him. The
Queen is also in on this plot and tells Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that they will be paid
for their efforts.
 60 - Polonius enters with Voltimand and Cornelius, who have just returned with the good
news that the king of Norway has made Fortinbras promise never to take up arms against
Denmark. The king does request that Fortinbras be allowed to take his army across
Denmark on his way to do battle with Poland.
 86 - Polonius (Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,…I will be brief), in his long
winded way, tells Gertrude and Claudius that he discovered why Hamlet is acting so
strangely.
 160 - To prove his point Polonius proposes to set a trap for Hamlet by spying on a
meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia.
 The king and Polonius will hide behind a curtain and eavesdrop on Hamlet.
 167 - Hamlet appears reading a book. Polonius starts a conversation with Hamlet.
Hamlet’s comments lead Polonius to believe that Hamlet is really crazy, when Hamlet’s
true intent is to poke fun at Polonius. He calls Polonius a “tedious old fool.”
 222 - Rosencrantz and Guildenstern appear and begin questioning Hamlet.
 294- Hamlet outwits them and tells R and G that he knows that the king and queen sent
for them to spy on him.
 Hamlet tells R and G that he feels disillusioned and nothing in life gives him pleasure.
Hamlet says, “The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals – and yet to me, what is
the quintessence of dust?” 306-309
 316 - R and G tell Hamlet that they passed a troop of Actors (players).
 380 - Hamlet again makes fun of Polonius. Polonius is again clueless and is more
convinced of Hamlet’s madness.
 421 - The Players arrive and Hamlet greets them.
 434 - Hamlet tells the players that he remembers a play they performed. Hamlet begins a
monologue from this play and one of the actors finishes this.
 521 - Hamlet tells Polonius to take the players to their rooms and treat them kindly.
Hamlet also pulls one of the players aside and asks him if they could perform a play
called “The Murder of Gonzago.” Hamlet then asks if he could write a speech to be
inserted into the play. The actor agrees to both requests.
 549 - In a soliloquy, Hamlet is angry at himself for not yet avenging his father’s death.
 Hamlet decides to test Claudius by having the players perform a murder scene. If his
uncle acts guilty, Hamlet will have his proof and take his revenge. “The plays the thing /
Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King.” 605-606