Hire's Hamlet Log Act 2:2

OK - here is is, 3rd block. Geez.

1. Summary: Hamlet's good friends, Rosencranz and Guildenstern, arrive in Elsinore at the request of King Claudius to spy on Hamlet and try and figure out why he is acting so strangely. (My question here is...why is Claudius doing this? He knows why Hamlet is so upset...even Gertrude says "probably his father's death and our o'rehasty marriage." But is he just putting on a front that he cares about young Hamlet...covering his bases even more, or does he really care about him?) Polonius butts in briefly to tell the King that he knows why Hamlet is acting "mad." Claudius is like...oooh, tell me, tell me! and then agrees to let news of Fortinbras be heard before the Hamlet gossip. V & C say that they talked to Fortinbras's old Uncle and he agreed to tell Fortinbras to chill out on the attacking land. Claudius is pleased and is like "ok, get out" (so he can hear the gossip about Hamlet.) Polonius tells C &G how madly in love Hamlet is with Ophelia...he reads snipits of love letters and such...they quibble about if it could possibly be true and decide (of course) to spy on him and Ophelia. Hamlet comes in all emo (keep in mind here that he knows that Claudius killed his dad...) and is rather rude to Polonius (the father of the woman who just dissed him in the last scene). His behaviour strengthens Polonius's theory of why Hamlet is mad. Rosencranz and Guidenstern convieniently show up and Hamlet immediately calls them out as spies. There's some witty banter about sexy stuff...off color Shakespeare, you cad. So they talk about how the king and queen are "concerned" about Hamlet's well-being...a.k.a. mental state. Hamlet mentions that he is mad "north-northwest" and I'll talk about that later! Yay, players (actors) come...Polonius is all excited because he loves the theater...Hamlet is rude again, calling him Jephthath. (ouch) Hamlet asks one of the players to perform a speech (a scene) so he chooses a scene from the Aeneid...when Phrryus kills king Priam during the Trojan war. A long scene...but for some reason, Hamlet is into it...(why do you think so?) ANYHOO...Polonius leaves and Hamlet asks the players to perform a one of his "favorite" plays tonight..."The Murder of Gonzago." He also asks if he could insert like 16 additional lines of dialogue into the play and the actors agree. THEN, Hamlet's second most famous soliloquy: he relates back to the scene the players just told about Priam's death in the Trojan War. Hamlet is impressed at how the actor's portrayal of the scene moved him so much that he, in fact, grew pale. He's like "whoa...this actor is so good, so filled with passion when performing a scene that he has no real connection with! (what's he to him or him to Hecuba [ Priam's wife]). What is this actor dude had the same motive for passion that I have! What would the audience at that performance think?!" Then Hamlet is like all down on himself...he is embarrased that he's not man enough to face Claudius right away, by himself...he's embarrassed that he has to sit and think about it...talk to himself about it...instead of doing something about it straight away. (like a whore...unpack my heart...) Then he's like..."oh well, I'll do it my way...in my own time." But in the meantime...I'll see his reaction to this play (and the lines I've added). Everyone at the play will see how guilty Claudius looks and then everyone will know and....well, maybe he'll confess everything right there! That's what happens, in a nutshell.


3. Questions: How should Gertrude say her lines 59-60? What's her tone?
Based on the conversation in lines 404-444, what is Polonius and Hamlet's relationship like? And why?
Hamlet makes many comparisons and allusions in his last rant in lines 575 on. What are the most profound comparisons and what is your reaction to him at this point?
What's the level of Hamlet's "maddness" and what does he mean when he says his is mad "north-northwest"?
Why the heck is there the bit about Priam and Hecuba that takes SO LONG in this scene? What's the point of these lines? Is there any bigger meaning at all? What is Shakespeare doing here?!!!

4. Lines 595-609 - "Like a Johnadreams, unpregnant of my cause, and can say nothing....remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villian!! These are great lines...and I can really connect with what Hamlet is feeling right now. You know when you are so mad at someone...that all you want to do is tell everyone how mad you are at them! You can't confront them because you have no idea what you'll say. Well, poor Hamlet feels like he can't tell anyone...they probably won't believe him (think about why). He's completely on emotional overload and it's hard to function when you have so much on your plate. I think this part of his "maddness" is genuine. I think he plays it up in front of authority figures, but I think he is genuinely suffering too.