Act Three, Scene One

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are reporting to Claudius and Gertrude what they have noticed about Hamlet. They tell the king and queen that Hamlet has not revealed to them why he acts mad some of the time, but that he also seems distracted. They mention that Hamlet seemed much happier when the actors arrived and that he ordered them to perform for the court that very night. Polonius interrupts and mentions that Hamlet had asked him to invite Claudius and Gertrude to the evening's performance. Claudius happily accepts the invitation.

Claudius then asks Gertrude to leave, telling her that they will put Ophelia alone in the room so that she and Hamlet may "accidentally" meet. She agrees to depart and wishes Ophelia luck in bringing Hamlet out of his supposed madness. Claudius and Polonius proceed to hide themselves behind a curtain or tapestry in order to spy.

Hamlet enters the room giving his famous soliloquy, "To be, or not to be; that is the question" (3.1.58). He is grappling with the difficulty of taking action against Claudius and the fact that he has not been able to revenge his father's murder yet. Hamlet's introspective commentary is interrupted when he sees Ophelia.

Ophelia greets Hamlet and tries to hand him back some of the tokens of his affection he previously gave her. Hamlet tells her that she should never have believed him when he told her he loved her, and that she was deceived. He tells her, "Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?" (3.1.122). Hamlet then says that women are liars and should not be allowed to marry, unless the men they marry are fools. He is likely alluding to the fact that Ophelia rejected him after he proclaimed his love for her.

Ophelia is upset by his reactions, and says, "O what a noble mind is here o'erthrown!" (3.1.149). Claudius and Polonius emerge from their hiding-place and tell her they heard everything. Polonius still thinks the cause of Hamlet's misery is Ophelia's rejection of his love. Claudius, however, is convinced that Hamlet is not mad, merely deeply depressed and possibly dangerous. He tells Polonius that he will send Hamlet to England as soon as possible.

Act Three, Scene Two

Hamlet has written a scene for the actors and he is instructing them on how to perform it. He tells them not to be overdramatic, but also "Be not too tame, neither" (3.2.15). The actors tell him they can perform it exactly as he desires it to be.

Polonius, Guildenstern and Rosencrantz arrive and Hamlet sends them all to make the actors hurry up and get ready. Horatio soon shows up and Hamlet tells him that one scene in the play that night directly mimics the murder of his father. He asks Horatio to, "observe mine uncle" (3.2.73) in order to determine whether the ghost was lying or not. They plan to meet afterwards and compare their separate judgments as to what the reaction of Claudius means.

Horatio goes to find a seat, and Claudius enters along with the rest of the court. He greets Hamlet and asks him how he is. Hamlet gives a nonsensical answer and then asks Polonius if he was an actor during his university days. Polonius says he was a good actor, and that he played Julius Caesar.

Gertrude asks Hamlet to sit by her, but he says, "No, good-mother, here's mettle more attractive" (3.2.99) and sits next to Ophelia instead. He proceeds to make bawdy comments to her, all of which Ophelia tries to respond to appropriately.

The actors come out onto the stage and proceed to perform a dumb show, a silent scene in which they enact the murder of a king through poisoning. Ophelia is confused by the show, but assumes it foretells the actual plot. The players emerge a second time and start to perform the actual play. They pretend to be a king and queen. The queen protests her love for the king, telling him that she will never consider marrying a second man. The king tells her that such vows are quickly forgotten, but the queen continues to swear she will never marry a second time.

Hamlet turns to Queen Gertrude and asks her what she thinks of the play. Gertrude tells him that the queen "protests too much" (3.2.210). Claudius is worried that the play may be offensive, and asks Hamlet what the play is called. Hamlet says, "The Mousetrap" (3.2.217), alluding to the fact that he wants to catch Claudius.

An actor named Lucianus arrives onstage, and Hamlet tells them that he is meant to portray the nephew of the king. Lucianus pours poison in the king's ears, and Hamlet comments that he kills the king in order to steal his estate. Ophelia informs Hamlet that Claudius has stood up out of rage, thereby stopping the performance. Hamlet happily replies, "What, frighted with false fire?" (3.2.244). Claudius demands light to shone on him and leaves the room, followed by everyone except Hamlet and Horatio.

The two friends remain behind and Hamlet gleefully tells Horatio, "O good Horatio, I'll take the Ghost's word for a thousand pound" (3.2.263-264). Horatio agrees with him that Claudius is guilty. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive and tell Hamlet that the king is in a terrible mood and that Gertrude has sent for him. He agrees to meet with his mother soon, but they continue to ask him why he is so "distempered" (3.2.308). Hamlet gets mad at them for their insistence and grabs a recorder from one of the actors. He shows it to them and demands that Guildenstern play it. When he refuses, saying he does not know how, Hamlet says,

Why, look you now, how unworthy a thing you make of me! You would play upon me, you would seem to know my stops...do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe?" (3.2.334-335,339-340).

Polonius enters and Hamlet immediately pretends to be crazy again. Polonius also tells Hamlet that his mother wants to see him in her private chamber. Hamlet plays with him a little, pointing to the clouds and pretending to see various animals. Finally he makes Polonius leave, and tells Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to depart as well. In a soliloquy, Hamlet indicates that he will be "cruel, not unnatural. / I will speak daggers to her, but use none" (3.2.365-366). He wants to make his mother aware of the fact that Claudius murdered her former husband, but not physically harm her in the process.

Act Three, Scene Three

Claudius meets with Guildenstern and Rosencrantz. He tells them that Hamlet has become too dangerous to keep in Denmark, and that he is therefore sending him to England. He orders the two young men to prepare to accompany Hamlet on the voyage, to which they readily assent.

Polonius informs Claudius that Hamlet will meet with his mother in her private chamber. Polonius decides to conceal himself behind a tapestry in order to overhear their conversation. He promises to tell Claudius everything that happens.

Claudius, finally alone, states, "O, my offense is rank! It smells to heaven" (3.3.36). He then admits to killing his brother and laments the fact that he cannot repent his crime. He prays to the angels to help him. Hamlet enters behind him and draws his sword, preparing to kill Claudius. However, when he realizes that Claudius has been praying, and therefore would be absolved of all his sins, he decides not to kill him. "A villain kills my father, and for that / I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven.../ When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage.../ At gaming, swearing, or about some act / That has no relish of salvation in't, / And that his soul may be as damned and black / As hell whereto it goes" (3.3.76-78,89,91-92,94-95). Hamlet chooses to wait and kill Claudius when he is sure that Claudius will be sent to hell.

Act Three, Scene Four

Polonius admonishes Gertrude to rebuke Hamlet for the way he has acted. He quickly hides himself as soon as he hears Hamlet coming. Hamlet arrives and is immediately rude to his mother; he mentions her incestuous marriage to Claudius and tells her she has offended his father. He promises to hold up a mirror to her face so that she can see what she has become. "You go not till I set you up a glass / Where you may see the inmost part of you" (3.4.19-20). Queen Gertrude becomes afraid of her life and cries for help, a cry that Polonius foolishly answers.

Hamlet, having heard Polonius make a sound behind the curtain, pulls out his sword and thrusts it through the curtains, killing him. Hamlet asks Gertrude if it is the king, but then realizes he has instead killed Polonius. Gertrude is upset, but Hamlet comments that his act is, "A bloody deed - almost as bad, good-mother, / As kill a king and marry with his brother" (3.4.27-28). Gertrude does not understand what Hamlet means, and he is forced to explain to her. He pulls out two miniatures of King Hamlet and Claudius and compares them for her, telling her that Claudius killed King Hamlet in order to seize the throne.

Gertrude is upset and confused, struggling to believe Hamlet. The ghost reappears at that moment and Hamlet speaks to it, saying, "What would you, gracious figure?" (3.4.95). Gertrude, who is unable to see the ghost, believes that Hamlet has gone completely mad. The ghost tells Hamlet to keep speaking to Gertrude and to convince her, but she becomes even more convinced that Hamlet is mad as she watches him speak to empty air. Hamlet points to his father and urges her to look, but she cannot see anything and finally exclaims, "this is the very coinage of your brain" (3.4.128).

Hamlet shows her that his pulse is constant, convincing her that it is not a hallucination. She finally asks him what she must do. Hamlet tells Gertrude to go to bed that night, but to avoid sleeping with Claudius. He further tells her to let Claudius know that he is not mad, but rather merely cunning. Hamlet then leaves to get ready to go to England, tugging Polonius out of the room behind him.

Analysis

Hamlet's famous soliloquy is actually an internalized conflict between the old world and the new one. Hamlet is struggling to figure out whether he should use his mind (and consequently words) to overcome Claudius, or whether he should resort to vengeful violence.

"To be, or not to be; that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And, by opposing, end them."

Ophelia ends up in a very compromising situation in this act. Through her obedience of Polonius, she has lost her lover and is therefore reliant on her father. Hamlet, understanding what has happened, is cruel to her and orders her to, "Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?" (3.1.122). However, the nunnery is also an Elizabethan slang for a whorehouse. Either way, this is not a viable alternative for her, she must either marry and leave her father or suffer. With the loss of her father at the end of the act, Ophelia is left without anyone to protect her and eventually goes insane as a result.

Ophelia, while talking with Hamlet, mentions the fact that Hamlet has failed to live up to expectations, especially now that he is mad. "O what a noble mind is here o'erthrown! / The courtier's, soldier's, scholar's eye, tongue, sword, / Th'expectancy and rose of the fair state" (3.1.149-151). She is addressing the fact that Hamlet cannot hope to become king since he has "overthrown" his own self. Through his madness he has disqualified himself from being elected to the kingship, forcing him to either exact revenge on Claudius or flee the state of Denmark.

Acting takes on several important roles in this scene. It is foremost a form of action, since Hamlet is unable to act against Claudius until he pretend acts via the scene he has written for the actors. Through The Mousetrap, Hamlet tries to become sure whether the ghost is telling the truth. To do this, he will use a fiction, namely the play, to help discover the fact. It is only after Hamlet is convinced that Claudius is guilty that he is able to start taking action, evidenced by his failed attempt to kill Claudius immediately thereafter.

It is worth noting that there are two directors vying for supremacy throughout this act. Hamlet is staging a play which is sandwiched between two of Polonius' plays. It soon, however, becomes obvious that Hamlet a better director than Polonius. What Polonius fails to realize is the danger involved in staging a play, something Hamlet is acutely aware of. Polonius casts Hamlet in two plays, 3.1 and 3.4, first with Ophelia then with Gertrude. These plays frame The Mousetrap and the subsequent confession of Claudius. In both scenes where Hamlet is "acting" he fails to be drawn out of his shell. In fact, he kills the director Polonius in the final scene. Hamlet himself is more successful as a director, note the fact that he does get Claudius to confess. However, being aware of the danger facing him, he also realizes that he will have to leave for England as a result of his actions.

The Mousetrap is the story of Gonzago, a modern thriller, an Italian play that was current when Shakespeare wrote it into Hamlet. Italy traditionally has a reputation of intrigue and scandal, based on the Machiavellian plotting associated with the city-states. This is therefore a modern play, and it sends a signal to Claudius that Hamlet is ready to take action. Claudius deals with the new situation immediately by ordering Hamlet to be sent to England and out of Denmark.

There is a subtle shift in the description of light throughout these acts. Hamlet in the first act says, "I am too much in the sun", implying either that he receives too much attention from Claudius or that he himself is the rightful son and heir to the throne. This contrasts with the dark Denmark that Claudius rules over by the end of Act Three. After watching The Mousetrap, Claudius says, "Give me some light. Away" (3.2.247). This indicates that Denmark has become darker and bleaker throughout these acts. It will continue to get worse when Ophelia dies and the entire court will start to wear black clothing. In fact, the play goes from Gertrude in her presumably white wedding dress to black funeral robes, whereas Hamlet has the opposite progression, from black clothes to a white fencing uniform.

It is only after The Mousetrap that Hamlet is able to accept the word of the ghost. He says, "O good Horatio, I'll take the Ghost's word for a thousand pound" (3.2.263-264). Horatio agrees with this sentiment, allowing Hamlet to start to take action against Claudius.

The final scene where Polonius is killed is surrealistic in nature. After the murder, both Hamlet and Gertrude ignore the body on the floor and continue their dialogue. Hamlet indicates that he will be "cruel, not unnatural. / I will speak daggers to her, but use none" (3.2.365-366), which is exactly what he does. While avoiding physical harm, he still plays mindgames and accuses her of murder. Gertrude becomes very confused by this but possibly would have believed Hamlet if the ghost had not appeared. In fact, that ghost lends to the surrealism because it can only be seen by Hamlet. This contrasts the first act where everyone can see the ghost. For the first time we the audience question whether Hamlet is merely hallucinating. Indeed, Gertrude is forced to lie to Hamlet to get him to leave her alone.

The use of mirrors is always a powerful yet dangerous tool in Shakespearian plays. In Julius Caesar it is used by Cassius to turn Brutus into a traitor. Here, Hamlet promises to hold up a mirror to Gertrude's face so that she can see what she has become. "You go not till I set you up a glass / Where you may see the inmost part of you" (3.4.19-20). However, even though Hamlet tries to represent a true mirror, Gertrude is convinced of his madness and therefore views the image she sees as false.

The political world represented by Claudius is again contrasted with the old world of Old Hamlet. Hamlet holds two miniatures of the men in his hand and compares them to Gertrude. We already know what he thinks of Claudius, "O that this too too solid flesh would melt" (1.2.129), he compares Claudius to a fat man. Claudius is fleshy, not spiritual, and contrast strongly with the spirit of revenge that Old Hamlet represents. When Hamlet compares the two brothers directly, he notes that his own father has "Hyperion's curls, the front of Jove himself" (3.4.55), a mythological reference rather than a contemporary one. What Hamlet has failed to realize is that it will be difficult to return to old world, in fact it may not be possible anymore.

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