What was Hamlet doing in Act 2 Scene 1?
Act 2, Scene 1 of Hamlet focuses on the spying and deceit that make the play’s second act increasingly claustrophobic. The moral clarity of the ghost’s message belongs literally to another world. In the first part of the scene, Polonius sends a servant, Reynaldo, to spy on his son Laertes.
Who is spying on who in Hamlet Act 2?
Claudius and Gertrude set Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two boyhood friends of Hamlet, to spy on him. When Hamlet himself enters, he is confronted first by Polonius and then by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, whom he quickly identifies as Claudius’s spies.
What do the main characters want to accomplish in Hamlet Act 2 Scene 1?
The description is one that Polonius immediately recognizes — “Mad for thy love?” — because Hamlet’s appearance embodies the contemporary stereotype of the spurned lover, indicating that his main objective in visiting Ophelia is to use Ophelia to convince others that his insanity was not due to any mysterious unknown …
What is Hamlet’s plan in Act 2 Scene 2?
At the end of act 2, scene 2, Hamlet describes how he plans on using the actors to confirm that Claudius murdered his father. When the group of actors arrive, Hamlet plans for them to perform the play The Murder of Gonzago in front of King Claudius and Gertrude in the hopes that the king will reveal his guilt.
Who speaks the first line of Act 2?
He frequently does this in Polonius’s presence by feigning madness. But perhaps the best example of Hamlet’s double-speak is his first line in the play. When Claudius refers to him as “my son,” Hamlet replies somewhat aggressively: “A little more than kin, and less than kind” (I. ii.
What was Ophelia doing when Hamlet scared her?
what was Ophelia doing when Hamlet scared her? what did Hamlet do that frightened Ophelia so badly? he stormed into her closet, looking disheveled with pale skin. he tried to grab her face to speak to her.
How does Reynaldo respond?
How does Reynaldo respond to this request? Reynaldo agrees to do this but questions if it will ruin his reputation and asks why Polonius wants to do so. After being explained he accepts. What does this scene reveal about Polonius’ character?
What happens in Act 2 Scene 1 of Hamlet?
Act II: Scene 1. Summary. Polonius meets with his sly servant Reynaldo and tells him to go to Paris and spy on Laertes. He charges the servant to find any Danes living in Paris and to question them as to Laertes’ whereabouts and reputation. Polonius even goes so far as to give Reynaldo permission to use lies to entrap Laertes.
What was the purpose of Act 2 Scene 1?
Summary and Analysis Act II: Scene 1. Thus, Ophelia’s purpose in this scene seems to be to give credence to the notion that Hamlet never loved Ophelia at all, but merely used her. If so, then Hamlet is as guilty of deceptiveness as are those he judges.
Are there any unexplained scenes in Hamlet?
And finally there are unexplained scenes—the Polonius-Laertes and the Polonius-Reynaldo scenes—for which there is little excuse; these scenes are not in the verse style of [Thomas] Kyd, and not beyond doubt in the style of Shakespeare.
Which is theme does Polonius give his servant in Hamlet?
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Hamlet, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Inside Elsinore, Polonius gives his servant Reynaldo money and notes to take France.