The King welcomes Rosencrantz and Guildensten and asks them to help them distract Hamlet and understand what's wrong with him.

The two accept his request and the King send them to Hamlet.

Then Polonius arrives and tells the King that the ambassadors from Norway have returned and that he might know what's wrong with Hamlet.

The ambassadors tell that the King of Norway, Fortinbras' uncle, has stopped his nephew, who has swore to never try to attack Denmark again. They even ask to have their permission to pass trough their land to get to Poland.

The King is happy and plans to celebrate in the evening and sends the ambassadors to rest.

Polonius then tells them that he belives that Hamlet maddness in caused by his love for Ophelia.

Then he reads a letter that Hamlet had sent to Ophelia in which he declares his love for her.

He informs them that he also told his daughter to avoid Hamlet, and that he thinks this is the reason of his madness.

He proposes to see how Hamlet will react if he causually meets Ophelia.

In that moment Hamlet arrives reading a book.

Polonius sends away the King and the Queen, and starts talking with Hamlet, that pretends to mistake him for a fishmonger.

Hamlet warns Polonius to pay attention to his daughter, then he says that he doesn't like what they have written on the book he's reading.

Polonius then leaves Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive and greet the prince.

Hamlet asks them how they are doing and what they are doing in Denmark, that's like a prison for him.

They say that he feels like this because of his ambition and that they are at Elsinore to visit him.

He asks them to be honest and to tell him if they have been sent for by the Queen and King or no.

They admit that they were sent for.

Hamlet already knows why they are here.

Rosencrantz changes the subject, and tells Hamlet that while they were looking for him they saw the actors that came for entertain him.

They talk about them and about the late innovation that forced the actor to travel.

Then Polonius arrives to tell Hamlet about the players, and Hamlet makes fun of him.

The players arrive and Hamlet welcomes them, before asking them to play a speech that they have played only once.

After listening to the firts part of the speech, Polonius asks them to stop.

Hamlet asks the players to play The Murder of Gonzago the next evening with some other lines, and then sends them away with Polonius and, after them, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and now he is left all alone.

He explains his plan, that he chose that speech to see his uncle reaction so he can be sure that he is his father murderer.