Act 3, Scene 2, Hamlet Summary

In another part of the castle, Hamlet speaks at length to the Players about how they should present their performance. When he hears that Claudius and Gertrude are coming to see the play, Hamlet hurries the actors out and then calls for Horatio, calling him a good friend and then revealing his plan to trap Claudius, through the performance, into revealing his guilt. He asks Horatio to watch Claudius closely and, as Claudius, Gertrude, and other members of the court (including Polonius and Ophelia) approach, Horatio agrees.

Claudius greets Hamlet warmly, but Hamlet speaks confusingly, joking with Polonius about Polonius having once played Julius Caesar and being "stabbed" by Brutus. Hamlet also refuses an invitation to sit next to Gertrude, choosing instead to lie at Ophelia's feet. The Players enter, and after a mimed prologue (which includes action of...