Scene II. A hall in the castle.
In Act II, Scene II, Hamlet enters with the Players and delivers an extended directive on how the troupe should speak “trippingly on the tongue” and avoid exaggerated gestures. He warns against “mouth[ing] it” like other actors, urges a temperate, natural delivery, and stresses that drama must serve as “the mirror up to nature.” He rebukes any performer who “tear[s] a passion to tatters” and insists the comedy not be over‑done. After his lecture, the Players prepare to perform.
Polonius, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern and the rest of the court arrive. Hamlet banters with Polonius, mocking his claim to have acted in Julius Caesar, and continues to prod the king and queen with cryptic wordplay. He announces that the play they will see tonight is called “The Mouse‑trap,” a variation of the Italian tragedy of Gonzago, deliberately chosen to echo the murder of his father. He tells Horatio to watch Claudius’s reaction, saying that if the king’s “occulted guilt” does not “unkindle in one speech,” the play will expose it.
The court watches as the Players begin their performance, delivering the prologue and the “Murder of Gonzago” scene, while Hamlet and Horatio observe Claudius closely. The scene ends with the actors exiting, leaving the royal audience unsettled and the plot to confirm Claudius’s guilt in motion.