Hamlet knows that he's stalling, and hates himself for it. He is too lost within his own mind in order to take decisive action against Claudius—it's not in his nature to act promptly and brashly, even though he told the ghost he was committed to swiftly securing vengeance.
In Act II Hamlet is angry with himself because he doesn't understand how an actor can get so emotional over a speech that he is reading, while Hamlet, who is actually in the real situation, is passive in his emotions, "Is it not monstrous that this player here, but in a fiction, in a dream of passion, could force his ...
He is mad only some of the time and at other times is sane. Polonius enters to announce the arrival of the players, who follow him into the room. Hamlet welcomes them and entreats one of them to give him a speech about the fall of Troy and the death of the Trojan king and queen, Priam and Hecuba.
Hamlet hopes that seeing his crime reenacted in front of the assembled audience will make Claudius act guilty and reveal that he murdered King Hamlet. Such an admission will prove to Hamlet, once and for all, that the Ghost is real and not simply a devil or the figment of his imagination.
Hamlet's most mad-seeming outburst, against Ophelia, may be explained by the fact that Claudius and Polonius are spying on the conversation: if Hamlet suspects that he's being spied on, he may be acting more deranged than he really is for the benefit of his listeners.
After all, when Hamlet asks himself why he has not taken any action against Claudius, though prompted by heaven and hell, he has an answer. To his self-posed question, “Am I a coward?” he responds unequivocally, YES.
Act 2, Scene 2
Voltemand tells Claudius that the King of Norway has put a stop to Prince Fortinbras' threats, and Fortinbras has vowed not to attack Denmark. Polonius then tells Gertrude and Claudius that he thinks Hamlet's behavior is due to his feelings for Ophelia.
Here, in the famous balcony scene, Romeo and Juliet reveal their love to each other, and at Juliet's suggestion, they plan to marry. Shakespeare uses light and dark imagery in this scene to describe the blossoming of Romeo and Juliet's romance.
Internal conflict happens on Hamlet's when the spirit of his father comes and asks him to do a revenge on the death of his father murdured by his uncle, Claudius.
At the start of this scene, Romeo hides beneath Juliet's balcony and overhears her talking about him. He eventually comes out and they talk to each other. They declare their love for each other and arrange to meet the next day when Romeo has promised to marry Juliet.
He is angry, dejected, depressed, and brooding; he is manic, elated, enthusiastic, and energetic. He is dark and suicidal, a man who loathes himself and his fate.
I'll watch my uncle closely, and if he reveals his guilt, I'll know what I must do. The ghost I have seen may be the devil, because the devil has the power to appear in a welcome shape. Yes, and perhaps as I was feeling so sad and weak (as he is so effective with such people) the devil abuses me to send me to hell.
One of Hamlet's tragic flaws that leads to his ultimate downfall is his indecision. In Act II scene ii, Hamlet's soliloquy reveals how much loathing he has for himself. He sees himself as weak and useless for not avenging his father's death after the spirit of King Hamlet discloses the information of his murder.
Hamlet poses the problem of whether to commit suicide as a logical question: “To be, or not to be,” that is, to live or not to live. He then weighs the moral ramifications of living and dying.
Hamlet shows us two emotions, one where he feels he is a coward and then one that shows he will act. In the end Hamlet decides he will use the players to find out the truth (L593-594).
Act II. Polonius sends a spy, Reynaldo, to France to keep an eye on Laertes. Ophelia enters and tells Polonius that Hamlet entered her room in a mad state, grabbing her wrists and staring wildly into her eyes. She also adds that she has cut off all contact with Hamlet.
Conflict- Main Conflict- Viola and Orsino- Viola is trying desperately to get Orsino to notice she is a girl and she loves him, but he is too enthralled with Olivia to notice her most blatant hints.
In 'Macbeth', one of the ways in which guilt is presented is through the reoccurring image of blood. In Act 2 Scene 2, the blood on Macbeth's hands after his murder of Duncan is both literal and a metaphor for his guilt: “Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?
When Romeo's friends can't find him, they assume he is mad about Rosaline when really he has fallen in love with a new girl. It's irony because we already know he is love with Juilet, but they think he is still mad about Rosaline.
Macbeth is anguished: he knows the consequences of this murder. Lady Macbeth soothes him and tells him to wash his hands, but notices he's still carrying the daggers he used to kill Duncan. Macbeth refuses to return to the scene of the crime.
Synopsis: Claudius and Gertrude set Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two boyhood friends of Hamlet, to spy on him. When Hamlet himself enters, he is confronted first by Polonius and then by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, whom he quickly identifies as Claudius's spies.
Act 2 Scene 2 - Claudius becomes suspicious
Polonius, chief adviser to the new king, tells Claudius that Hamlet's madness is due to unrequited love for Ophelia, Polonius's daughter, but Claudius is not convinced and plots with Polonius to spy on Hamlet.
SARAH: Hamlet's next line to Polonius is a subtle insult. Since Polonius claims he's not a fishmonger, Hamlet says he wishes that Polonius were as honest as an ordinary tradesman — a fishmonger might not necessarily be renowned for his honesty, but apparently, in Hamlet's eyes, Polonius's virtues are even lower.
Hamlet seemingly becomes fuelled by the knowledge that his uncle betrayed his father and all of Denmark, his mother fails him by marrying her husband's murder and his friends fail him by feigning loyalty to Hamlet. Yet above all this Hamlets melancholy stems from his failure to avenge his father, his inability to act.
Hamlet begins by insulting himself. 'O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I! ': Hamlet considers himself a 'rogue' (i.e. a cheat) and a 'peasant slave' (i.e. a base or low coward) for failing to do the brave and honourable thing and exact revenge on Claudius for his father.