Hamlet

Act I

Act II

Act III

Act IV

Act V

Essays

Resources:

Elizabethan Time

Globe Theater

E-Text

Hamlet Act 2

|Summary|Famous Quotes |Quiz|Journals| Illustrations |Bibliography|

Act II Summary

By Dorothy Cao

Summary

Main Character: Hamlet, Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern

Event: King Claudius and Gertrude send two friends of Hamlet in Wittenberg to investigate Hamlet's abnormal and erratic behavior recently, “Guildenstern and gentle Rosencrantz:/And I beseech you instantly to visit my too much changed son./ Go, some of you,/and bring these gentlemen where Hamlet is.” (Act II, Scene 2) Polonius comes in and tells Claudius that Hamlet's madness is due to the rejected love for Ophelia, “For this effect defective comes by cause: thus it remains, / and the remainder thus. / Perpend. / I have a daughter--have while she is mine--Who, / in her duty and obedience, / mark, / hath given me this: now gather, / and surmise.” (Act II, Scene 2) Polonius wants to substantiate his thought and proposes a plan to investigate Hamlet by having Ophelia to confront him and both Gertrude and Claudius will have a scrutiny toward the reason of Hamlet's madness. Before having Ophelia does it, Polonius gives the first shot. He tries to find a clue of Hamlet's insanity, however, he is tricked by Hamlet's “insanity”. For example, when Polonius announces his leave, Hamlet tricks him: “You cannot, / sir, / take from me any thing that I will more willingly part withal: except my life, / except my life, except my life.” (Act II, Scene 2)

To The Top

Famous Quotes

"Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't." by Hamlet (Act II, Scene 2). 

"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so" by Hamlet (Act II, Scene 2)

"Brevity is the soul of wit." by Hamlet (Act II, Sc. 2)

"What a piece of work is man! how noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals!" by Hamlet (Act II, Scene II).

To The Top

Illustration

Bibliography

These image sources were used for illustrations

http://www.iifun.com/sms_diange.htm

http://dodecahedron.mit.edu/ell/photos/SeniorProject/dagger_in_hand.jpg

http://www.malabar.net/operaphotos/macbeth%20sarasota/macbeth-and-banquos-ghost.jpg

To The Top