Scene II opens in a state room of Elsinore Castle. King Claudius, newly married to Queen Gertrude, addresses the court. He speaks of his late brother King Hamlet’s death, rationalizes his marriage to Gertrude, and explains the political threat posed by young Fortinbras of Norway. He reveals that Norway’s king is weak and promises to send envoys, Cornelius and Voltimand, to demand that Fortinbras cease his aggression. He then turns to Laertes, who asks permission to return to France. Claudius, after hearing Polonius’s approval, grants Laertes the leave. The king then turns to his cousin Hamlet, chastising him for his continued melancholy. Hamlet, aside, calls Claudius “a little more than kin, and less than kind.” Claudius urges Hamlet to abandon his “unreasonable” sorrow, to stay in Denmark rather than return to his studies at Wittenberg, and to fulfill his duties to the throne. Gertrude tries to comfort Hamlet, urging him to cast off his “nighted colour.” Hamlet responds with a bitter tirade on the emptiness of life, the rapidity of his mother’s remarriage, and his own desire for his “solid flesh” to melt – a full‑length soliloquy expressing despair.

After the soliloquy, the night watch—Horatio, Marcellus, and Bernardo—enter. Hamlet greets them warmly, teasing about their studies at Wittenberg and questioning their purpose. Horatio reports that on the previous two nights the watch saw a figure “like your father,” armored and moving slowly across the platform, the ghost’s visage pale and sorrowful. The guards describe the apparition’s appearance, its silent motion, and its disappearance at the crow of the morning cock. Hamlet, intrigued and upset, decides he will join their watch that night to see the ghost himself. He orders them to meet him “twixt eleven and twelve” on the platform, promising to reward them for their silence. The guards exit, leaving Hamlet alone, who reflects again on his father’s spirit, suspects foul play, and declares that “foul deeds will rise” until the night comes.

Thus the scene ends with Hamlet resolved to confront the ghost while the kingdom’s political maneuvers continue under Claudius.