![hamlet act 3 scene 1 hamlet act 3 scene 1](https://showme0-9071.kxcdn.com/files/54867/pictures/thumbs/199964/last_thumb1334577814.jpg)
Ophelia is shaken and, after Hamlet leaves, Polonius and Claudius come out of hiding and comfort her. Ophelia laments that his integrity and nobility are lost in his current state of madness. Enraged, Hamlet curses Ophelia and asks her once more to spend her time in a nunnery. Ophelia lies to Hamlet and tells him that Polonius is at home. Hamlet then abruptly asks her about Polonius’s whereabouts. Hamlet repeatedly asks Ophelia to join a nunnery and protect herself from the dishonest and vile men who surround her. Ophelia is offended and tells Hamlet that he only pretended to love her, and Hamlet agrees. He goes on to question her honesty and virtue. Hamlet, however, denies having given her any gifts or having made any propositions to her. Ophelia says that she wants to return the letters and gifts she had received from him. Hamlet then sees Ophelia and requests her to pray for him. The speech reflects his conflicted state of mind. He is tortured by the idea of actually killing Claudius as an act of revenge. Ophelia is worried that misusing a prayer book might be sinful, but later convinces herself to proceed with it.Īs Ophelia waits and Claudius and Polonius prepare to watch the young lovers, Hamlet enters delivering his famous soliloquy, “to be, or not to be…” He ponders the nature of being. After she leaves, Polonius instructs Ophelia to read a prayer book and “accidentally” bump into Hamlet. Gertrude seems genuinely concerned about Hamlet’s condition when she tells Ophelia that she hopes that Ophelia will be able to heal Hamlet. Polonius and Claudius ask Gertrude to leave so they can spy on Hamlet and Ophelia. They request the king and queen to watch the performance. They are, however, happy to report that a theater troupe is visiting the castle and that Hamlet is taking interest in them. Hamlet has cleverly used wordplay to avoid giving straightforward responses to their questions. They confirm that they have been unable to identify the cause of Hamlet’s madness. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern share their observations of Hamlet with Claudius and Gertrude.