Commentary on Hamlet, act 3, scene 2 from line 216 "HAMLET Madam, how like you..." to line 249 "OPHELIA The King rises"

The passage under study is taken from Shakespeare's Hamlet which was first performed in 1601 at the Globe Theatre. The King, that is Hamlet's father, is dead and his uncle Claudius has already married his mother, the Queen Gertrude. Prince Hamlet then meets the ghost of late Hamlet who demands him to exact revenge from Claudius as he has poisoned him. Next, Claudius and Polonius his adviser apply themselves to trying to find the reason why …

…d he makes fun at Ophelia who rightly characterizes him as a chorus. He acts as a chorus but also as a puppet-master having directed The Murder of Gonzago and the lines of the characters depending on whether Hamlet is willing to converse with them or not. Metatheatricality is discerned as behind Hamlet's so-called powers hides Shakespeare himself. Lastly, this passage constitutes a climax since Hamlet has made an important step in the revenge plot.