Scene I. A room in the castle.
In the royal chamber, King Claudius, Queen Gertrude, Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern discuss Hamlet’s erratic behavior. Claudius urges the two friends to press Hamlet for the cause of his “confusion.” The friends report that Hamlet has shown interest in a troupe of travelling players and that he seems delighted at the prospect of a performance later that night. Claudius then orders Polonius and Gertrude to arrange a scene in which Ophelia will encounter Hamlet, hoping to discover whether his “madness” is caused by love.
Later, Hamlet enters alone and delivers the “To be, or not to be” soliloquy, contemplating life, death, and the unknown after death. He then spots Ophelia and, in a sudden shift, addresses her with bitter sarcasm. He declines the gifts she offers, calls her honesty “honest” and “fair,” then renounces his prior love, tells her “Get thee to a nunnery,” and proceeds to insult her virtue and chastise women in a series of harsh tirades. Ophelia, distressed, cries out for divine help, while Hamlet continues his verbal assault, accusing her of falsehood and describing the world as full of “arrant knaves.” He ends the exchange by ordering her away, and Ophelian exits, lamenting Hamlet’s “overthrown” noble mind.
Claudius and Polonius re‑enter, having observed the encounter. Claudius acknowledges that Hamlet’s words reflect genuine madness, but suspects a deeper cause. Polonius asserts that Hamlet’s grief originates from “neglected love” for Ophelia. Both agree that the madness must be monitored and propose to use the forthcoming play to further test the king’s conscience. Claudius then declares his plan to dispatch Hamlet to England quickly, claiming it will satisfy the unpaid tribute to Norway and remove the dangerous “something” that haunts Hamlet’s soul. Polonius concurs, adding that Ophelia should continue to interact with Hamlet after the play to confirm his motives.