Polonius spies on his son and interrogates his daughter.
Characters:
Polonius
Ophelia and Laertes’s father. He sends his servant, Reynaldo, to spy on Laertes in France.
Reynaldo
Polonius’s servant. He is sent to France to keep tabs on Laertes.
Ophelia
Polonius’s daughter. She reports to him about a shocking encounter she’s had with Hamlet.
Scene Summary:
Worried about Laertes in France, Polonius sends his servant, Reynaldo, to spy on his son. He wants to know all about what Laertes is up to, and with whom. After Reynaldo leaves, Ophelia enters, shaken by a recent interaction she had with Hamlet. She tells her father that Hamlet was acting totally insane, and he looked the part, too. Polonius thinks that this madness is evidence of Hamlet’s love for his daughter, and he decides to fill Claudius in on his stepson’s behavior.