Hamlet's encounter with the players gives us an indication of how
serious he is about the play. It is much more than a show for him. He
believes that drama can expose certain realities of life. In this case,
Hamlet is looking at Claudius for any hints of guilt for killing Hamlet's
father. He is hoping that by watching Claudius' reaction to the play, he
can finally know the truth one way or another. In addition, Hamlet also
thinks that drama reflects mankind. Earlier in the play, he tells the
player that the purpose of acting, "was and is to hold, as it twere, the
mirror up to nature, to show virtue her (own) feature, scorn her own image,
and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure" (III.ii.22-
26). This statement reveals that Hamlet wants Ophelia and Claudius to see
their evil nature. In order for them to be moved, the actors must do a
Hamlet desires to act against the king provides him an opportunity to
approach the player king in a way in which he cannot approach Claudius.
Hamlet is not completely mad because he is still very aware of his
inability to approach Claudius about killing King Hamlet. The acting
provides a release for Hamlet to at least get some of his hostility out of
Hamlet is a good actor because he convinces those who are closet to him
that he is mad. When he speaks with Polonius earlier in the play, Hamlet
convinces him that something is wrong with him because Polonius says that
Hamlet is "far gone" (II.ii.206). Hamlet's behavior around Polonius is
also confusing. When he and Hamlet discuss Polonius' acting the part of
Julius Caesar, Hamlet makes an ironic play on words when he tells him that
it was a brute part of the actor playing Brutus to "kill so capitol a calf
there" (III.ii.111-2). Hamlet's mother is also convinced that her son is
not well because she tells Claudius that Hamlet is "Mad as the sea and wind
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