Hamlet 5: Discussion with Mother

               Throughout the entire play, there are instances of King Claudius and Queen Gertrude try to spy on Hamlet in order to determine his state of madness. Each time, Hamlet is too wise to be fooled, discovering the trickery being committed. When the prince storms into his mother's room, he quickly discovers Polonius spying on their conversation. In the scene before, the king and queen send Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to bring Hamlet to England to isolate him from his murderous plans and to then kill him. The deception and trickery always backfires due to Hamlet's quick-witted and skillful role-play. However, in his encounter with the Queen he loses control, letting his emotional fury take over. It is here when his mother thinks him mad, though he is not embodying a prepared role of madness. She feels his hurtful but truthful remarks: "These words are like daggers enter into my ears" (III.iv.108) and "thou has cleft my heart in twain!" (III.iv.177). Hamlet makes the most emotional impact when unleashing his overpowering emotions to his mother. Yet even with the emotional confession and accusation, Gertrude does not seem to take Hamlet's plea to not "spread the compost on the weeds / To make them ranker" (III.iv.172-173). Gertrude does not stop Claudius' wrath from taking control of her, of Hamlet, and of Denmark with corruption and deceitfulness. She does not pursue the King and simply regards Hamlet as being mad beyond recovery.