Can You Really Trick a Master Trickster?

Is he being watched or isn’t he? That’s the real question here. During the most famous Shakespearean soliloquy, we ask ourselves does Hamlet know he’s being watched or does he believe he’s truly alone. Hamlet, as we know, is a trickster who knows how to put on an act and how to manipulate people. He’s a clever man and uses that to his advantage so I believe that Hamlet does in fact know that he is being watched.

As we have seen before, Hamlet is able to pick up on when he is being closely watched. When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were sent by Claudius and Gertrude, Hamlet automatically knew they were sent to spy on him. Even with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern trying to hide the fact they were sent for by saying “To visit you, my lord, no other occasion” (II.ii.271), Hamlet knows they’re lying and gets the truth out of them. Also with Ophelia when he asks “Where’s your father?” (III.i.130-131), it seems like Hamlet is hinting to Ophelia that he is aware of this set up. He’s not actually concerned about the whereabouts of Polonius because he knows he’s right there with them. There was evidence beforehand to seeing how the king calls for him and Ophelia is the one there. Hamlet is clever enough to put these pieces together. So if Hamlet was able to pick on these situations so easily why would this have changed all of a sudden?

Comparing this soliloquy to his previous ones, there is really no emotion in it. Hamlet seems to be calm, cool and collected while in his others there's strong emotions behind them. In his first soliloquy (I.ii.129-155), he's really saddened by the passing of his father. The second soliloquy (II.ii.543-601), he's angry at everything that is happening. But in the to be or not to be soliloquy, there's absolutely no sense of any emotion. In his previous soliloquy, Hamlet was in fact alone so he was able to express his thoughts and emotions the way he wanted. We know Hamlet is not the most social person and he's not very comfortable around other people. He doesn't ever express his emotions fully in front of other people while in his alone soliloquies we got into the thoughts and emotions of Hamlet as they were.  

With the topic of life or death revolving around this speech don’t you think Hamlet would have put more emotion into it if he was talking about taking his own life? If Hamlet was seriously thinking about ending his life, he would have been more conflicted with the idea. He would have expressed his wanting to end his life by referring to himself more often which he didn’t at any point, instead he says for example “When he himself might his quietus make/ With a bare bodkin?” (III.i.75-76). I believe at this point, Hamlet was making an indication to Claudius that maybe he should be the one to take his own life.

In the end, can you really trick a master trickster? Hamlet is not stupid and knows that people are watching him more and more so why would he let his guard down now?

RE: Becky

I agree with you 100%. I think it’s interesting how you looked at Hamlet being cruel to Ophelia as part of his plan. I only looked at it has a way of him just getting back at Ophelia and acting on impulse. I enjoyed reading it in a different point of view. Also I also liked how you looked at Hamlet being cruel to Ophelia as a whole and not just one aspect of it. I believe it helped further prove your point!

Does Hamlet know he is being watched

Hamlet is aware or has a feeling that he is being watched by Claudius and Polonius during the famous “ To be or not to be” soliloquy. He questions ophelia as to where he farther is, Hamlet is only cruel to Ophelia when he needs to trick someone into thinking he does not love her. Hamlet knows Claudius is watching because he is cruel to Ophelia when someone is watching but when they are along he flirts with her. Even when he is acting rude he is saying it in the nicest way he can. “ Get thee to a nunnery” (III,i 121). Maybe he is doing this because he has a feeling that Claudius and Polonius are watching. Or he could possibly be doing this because he wants people to think he is crazy , so if he is rude to Ophelia he is showing Claudius and Polonius who are watching that he is crazy and he really doesn’t love Ophelia. He is putting a show on for Claudius. He is already very suspicious with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern because Hamlet can already sense that they have been lying to him. He can see right through them. He is also suspicious at the fact that when he was told to meet claudius in the front foyer he was no where to be found but Ophelia was there.

After Hamlet's “ To be or not to be” soliloquy he finds the fair Ophelia in the front foyer. During their conversation Hamlet questions Ophelia as to where he father is. I personally think Hamlet says this to Ophelia because he realizes that Claudius who was the reason why Hamlet was in the foyer has not showed up but instead Ophelia did.

The mood that Hamlet is showing in this scene gives off is very confronting and a feeling of knowing that someone is watching him. In his first few lines he allows his true emotions towards Claudius come out. He slowly opens himself up as if he is now looking his enemy in the eye telling him exactly how he feels.

“Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,

And thus that native hue of resolution is sicklied

o'er with the pale cast of thought, and enterprises of great pitch and moment,

with this regard their currents turn awry and lose the name of action”(III,i,83-88)

The meaning of “soliloquy” means to speak directly to the audience. This soliloquy is different then most, it is one that can keep the audience or the reader on their feet or keep them thinking if Hamlet truly does know if he is being watched or if he is just being Hamlet. This is one of the many reasons why this soliloquy is one of the most famous and known soliloquy still to this day.

There for in my opinion Hamlet is assuming that he is being watched by Claudius because of three reasons. One he is asked by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to meet Claudius in the front foyer. Hamlet goes to the front foyer and Claudius is no where to be seen but there is fair Ophelia. Which makes him questions where her fathers where about is because where ever Polonius is Claudius is near by. Another reason is that he only treats Ophelia like crap when Claudius and or Polonius are watching.  

Hamlets Sixth and Greatest Sense

Connor Kucharic                                                                Wednesday, March 26, 2014

        Known as one of the most famous soliloquies of our time, Hamlet is seen by an audience contemplating his death. As he is saying his speech, readers examine the lines to determine wether he was aware of Polonius and Claudius watching him or he was not aware. I believe he had knowledge that he was being watched. If we compare Hamlet’s soliloquies in the acts before this scene he always referred back to an event that occurred. Hamlet also does not go into detail of what he is going to do, but rather just contemplate suicide. His actions before and after the soliloquy give hints to the audience that he is not alone. 

        We all have all had a feeling of a presence that someone is near us. You have the urge to turn around after getting that sense of knowing someone is near. As you look behind you or off to the side only to see no one by you. Some say it is a sixth sense, others may be more sceptical of its existence. From the moment Ophelia began talking to Hamlet, I could tell something was off. Ophelia said to him “My lord, I have remembrances of yours/ That I have longèd long to redeliver.”(III.i.95-96). This is the first indication showing that Ophelia knew he would be in the courtyard at that exact time. Why else would she be carrying around the mementoes of love, if she was not expecting him? 

        This soliloquy is quite different from Hamlet’s soliloquies in the previous two acts. The soliloquy in Act 1 (I.ii.131-159) Hamlet speaks of his mother disrespecting Hamlet Sr. Hamlet showed his love towards his father and mourned, while his mother, Gertrude, moved on quickly and married his uncle, Claudius. His anger was directed towards his mother. In Hamlets second soliloquy (I.v.92-103) he speaks of the supposed ghost of his father and how he will revenge his uncle. “So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word.”(I.v.110). Once again Hamlet is in rage and grief of his fathers death and what is occurring around him. In Hamlets last soliloquy leading up to the famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy, he is determined to trap Claudius into admitting he was the man who murdered Hamlet Sr. In all three of these soliloquies leading up to this soliloquy speak in detail of his plans to commit an act of Hubris in revenge of his father, where as in this soliloquy he contemplates if it is worth dying now and bearing the after world or not. “Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer…/ And by opposing end them?”(III.i.57-60). I also noticed that Hamlet did not use ‘I’ or ‘me’ in his soliloquy in Act 3. He used ‘I’ and ‘me’ in the other soliloquies we have read so far, but this one which could mean he had a sense of knowing someone was near, leading me to conclude that he was directing his soliloquy at Claudius, for the most part. 

        The actions of the play leading up to this soliloquy indicate that Hamlet was being watched. In Act 2, Hamlet was overseen by Guildenstern and Rosencrantz, by request of Gertrude and Claudius. He asked them “But in the beaten way of friendship, what make you at Elsinore?” (II.ii.265-266). Indicating he knew they were not here for just pleasure as Hamlet refers to Denmark as a prison. To reassure Hamlets thoughts he asks who sent them to him “Were you not sent for?”(II.ii.270). Even though he already knows that they were sent by his mother and uncle, “I know the good king and queen have sent for you.”(II.ii.277). This confirms my thoughts that Hamlet was able to recognize the way Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were acting and determined they were watching him. In comparison to Ophelia, she acted in a different way then normal. When giving the mementos to Hamlet she had no feelings, even though she can be emotional. Also Hamlet asks Ophelia “Where’s your father?”(III.i.130) in attempt to catch her in a lie and she responds saying he is at home. The comment Hamlet makes next, I interpreted as a warning to Polonius that he knows he is there. “that he may play the fool nowhere but in’s own house.”(III.i.132-133). I don't see any reason to why he would be telling Ophelia that line, but to warn whom may be standing behind the walls of the courtyard. 

        After reviewing Hamlets soliloquies, past events that have taken place and emotions shared before the “To be or not to be” soliloquy I have determined that Hamlet has somewhat of a sixth sense. He is very intelligent, even more intelligent than Ophelia (sorry Rachel). If Claudius and Gertrude tried spying on him once, there is no doubt they would do it again. Even if Hamlet was not completely sure that he was being watched he took into consideration there may be more then his and Ophelia’s eyes in the courtyard. In reality, unless we can go back to the late 1500’s/early 1600’s we will never know the truth of what Shakespeare thought when writing this soliloquy. “The human brain is a complex organ with the wonderful power of enabling man to find reasons for continuing to believe whatever it is that he wants to believe.” —Voltaire.

Comments:

RE: Rachel Labonte's Post

        I agree with Rachel, you bring up some very valid points. Not to be completely bias of thinking that Hamlet was aware of Claudius’s and Polonius’s presence in the courtyard, but you have some interesting views on it, that I would not have thought of. Hamlet is known to be a trickster, so it would only be evident that he is playing a trick on Claudius. Hamlet is very unemotional in this soliloquy and impersonal. I thought “these expressions break up the iambic pentameter of the act 2 soliloquy it seems more natural and emotional”(Rachel Labonte), was a very interesting way of looking at the soliloquy as a way to trick Claudius. His emotional detachment makes it very hard to believe that he is being serious about committing suicide.  

RE: Suryna Said's Post

I agree and disagree with what Suryna states. Hamlets character is very inconsistent in the play, but his intelligence of knowing his surroundings at all times can be argued. When you said “I believe he is speaking from his heart and is again questioning his motives” (Suryna Said), I don’t get that thought from him. He does not use the pronouns ‘I’ and ‘me’ in his soliloquy, where as he uses them in the soliloquies of previous acts. In the previous soliloquies he used the pronouns at he was true to his heart with what he was saying. On the contrary I agree with what you said about how Hamlet stops when Ophelia walked in, knowing he is not alone anymore. Then I question why would he ask Ophelia where her father was, if he knew he was alone.

RE: Charlene Rhemtulla's 

Good points Charlene! (I thought he was from Oedipus Rex oops. It's good you cleared that up haha). What if he changed and stopped being a trickster?? :o All in real, I think that Ophelia did give it away a bit to Hamlet, almost like reassuring him that he is being watched by Polonius and Claudius. Hamlets love for Ophelia is unbearable. It is not likely for it to change that quickly without a serious event happening. His loss in love with her can also indicate hew knew that he was being watched and did not want to reveal their true love in front of Claudius and polonius.

Hamlet The Confused

Hamlet believes he is truly alone during his soliloquy saying things that were very emotional to him things he would not want anyone to hear. "To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And by opposing end them." (III.i.56-60). Here Hamlet is honestly contemplating death or murder something had any else heard him might cause a stir and would definitely cause Claudius and Polonius to be more careful around him it would also throw his crazy label he has been using to confuse Claudius about the water with revenge talking its place making far harder to murder him. “To die, to sleep; To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there’s the rub: For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause” (III.i.64-68).  Hamlet is referring to death as a dream in the sense that once you’re in your dream you don’t really have any control over it. A metaphor for he truly has no control over what he wanted to do at that moment the only reason he didn’t kill himself right there and then is because he saw Ophelia the one thing/person he enjoyed in life and he most likely didn’t want to saddened her. “Soft you now, The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons Be all my sins remember’d.” (III.i.88-90). If Hamlet had really wanted someone to hear him why would he silence himself when Ophelia showed up he could have continued it ignoring the fact she was there and could have made her tell Claudius and Polonius to spur another plot had it been one from the beginning. “When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life,” (III.i.76-77). Hamlet takes out a knife and moves it around very close to himself, while saying he could easily end his life with that knife. I don’t think that Hamlet lacks the intelligence to realize that if he took out a knife as a ploy because he believed someone was watching he could accidentally stab himself and end his life, no this was a man completely caught up in his emotions.

Hamlet’s emotions completely agree with what is being said he was filling fed up with life his dad got killed and he was the only one who seems to truly care, his mother was sleeping around with the Claudius who supposedly murdered his father, the love of his life Ophelia won’t even respond to any of the letter he has sent and she is completely ignoring him and if that wasn’t enough he has two people, in Rosencrantz & Guildenstern, who he dislikes constantly provoking him because Gertrude and Claudius told them to find out what’s wrong with Hamlet even though they know nothing about him. He’s lost he doesn’t know what to do in this situation, he can’t be blame for what thinking about death, if Claudius murdering his father and Ophelia arriving at the time he might honestly have killed himself, he was confused, anger and just fed up with everyone around him. 

RE ALEX T: 
I agree with the fact that the King had sent people to find stuff out what's wrong with Hamlet, but he has never truly spied on Hamlet even Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were indirectly asking him question instead of watching him from a far. The arrangement for Hamlet was to find out what was bothering Hamlet and it helped garnish nothing from it because he didn't really give us anything out of it other then hiding information he was giving Ophelia to protect herself. At this point, Claudius doesn't view Hamlet as an enemy even though, Hamlet does Claudius views Hamlet more as a son, in a weird Homer Simpson-Bart Simpson relationship, as he taunted him earlier on by calling him unmanly and worrying about him by sending Guildenstern and Rosencrantz for him, the Beavis and Butt-head of Hamlet, who think they knows what they are doing but clearly have no clue. Hamlet seemed to be telling himself to quite down before Ophelia hears all of this and runs to her father Polonius who she gave all the love letters to, letters he poured his heart into so he should feel a bit betrayed and be at odds with her hecan't fully trust her or anyone other than Horatio as you said. Hamlet had a lot of steam building up from all the things that had happened over the time period of the book and he let it all out, thankfully it didn't result in him committing suicide. 

The Genius of Hamlet, the Very Sane Prince of Denmark

        No one has the power to know everything and it is hard for someone to determine something based on opinion. Hamlet is a man who understands how smart he is but also knows his limits. This is why he is such a good thinker and trickster. Hamlet constantly questions himself about all the decisions he made. This leads to his great soliloquy, "To be or not to be." In this scene, we as an audience know that he is being watched by Claudius and Polonius but does Hamlet know? In my personal opinion, he does know he is being watched and everything he says he not only wants us to question it, he wants Polonius and Claudius to question it. Claudius has tried to spy on him before with Rozsencrantz and Guildenstern and the king calls him down to the "encounter" with Ophelia.

        The king has tried to spy on Hamlet before by using Rozencrantz and Guildenstern. The queen had told them to go and "check up" on Hamlet and Hamlet had never known about it at the time. "And I beseech you instantly to visit My too much changed son. " (II.ii.35-36) This is very significant because Claudius would do this over and over again if he had to. So we as an audience know he will probably try this again. Now Hamlet knows the king and queen sent Rozsencrantz and Guildenstern. "You were sent for, and there is a kind of confession in your looks, which your modesties have not craft enough to colour." (II.ii.274-276) He can tell they were sent by the king and queen and now the audience and Hamlet knows they were spies. I made the conclusion that Claudius will find a definite way to spy on Hamlet again since this plan failed, now imagine Hamlet who is extremely smart and a very good thinker, he would have thought of this. So his next set of actions would have been with him knowing that Claudius might be spying on him at any moment. This is why with this, in his soliloquy he might have not known that Claudius would spy on him but no matter what he did, he had to take into consideration that Claudius might have been spying on him. Now this all leads up to the decision with Guildenstern and Rozsencrantz, if Claudius and the queen hadn't decided to send them to Hamlet, Hamlet might not have been suspicious and not planned for it. This leads into the second point that would've made Hamlet believe for sure that Claudius was watching.

        The king secretly arranges Hamlet to come to him and to run into Ophelia. "For we have closely sent for Hamlet hither, That he, as 'twere by accident, may here Affront Ophelia." (III.i.30-32) I feel this is like a kid thinking he is smarter then a parent. In this case Claudius thinks he is so smart by secretly arranging this meeting, he underestimates Hamlet and how smart he really is. If anyone was put into that position, knowing that you only trust your best friend, Horatio, and when someone else besides him comes to get you then you know something is up, especially when you have the king as your enemy. Now you can look at the next part in many ways, but if you follow his thought process this next point sounds somewhat sarcastic. "Soft you now, The fair Ophelia!" (III.i.88-89) He basically tells us to shhhh, Ophelia is coming... HE IS TALKING TO US as the audience, Shakespeare knows how badly we want to yell out to Hamlet and tell him that he is being watched, and in those final lines he tells us that he knows about Claudius and tells us not say anything because Ophelia is coming and he doesn't want her or Claudius/Polonius knowing that Hamlet knows that they are there. This leads me to conclude that the king underestimated Hamlet and that Hamlet knows Claudius is there because the meeting was to perfect. 

        Rozsencrantz and Guildenstern were to spy on Hamlet, and the king making a secret meeting for Hamlet gave Hamlet the evidence he needed to know that Claudius would be there when he did his soliloquy. So all he said during the soliloquy and the encounter with Ophelia was meant for Claudius. I do believe that he didn't know that Polonius was there because there was no evidence to suggest Hamlet even knowing Polonius was in on the plan. The evidence can point towards both directions, Hamlet knowing or not knowing that Claudius would be hiding and spying but if you put yourself in that position, how easily would you be fooled? 

        @Mitchell Mason: You make a good third point which relates to what I wrote. Hamlet sees through the disguises really well because he saw that Guildenstern and Rozsencrantz were sent by the king and queen, and they only have the small feeling of friendship between Hamlet. Now Ophelia who is supposed to love Hamlet, is to hide what she is really doing with just a book? I can relate Hamlet to Sherlock/Sherlock Homes (movies or books) because the two characters are very similar. They are very good thinkers that take everything into consideration and over time have learnt to tell when people lie and easily see through disguises. In the show Sherlock I remember a perfect example in the first episode Sherlock examines John and explains exactly who he was, noticing the smallest detail and figuring out what type of man John was. Hamlet never went to that scale but just like Sherlock, he could definitely tell though the disguise and figure out Claudius was watching him during the soliloquy. 

You’ll Never Be Alone

Becky Terc

The “to be or not to be” soliloquy is a very emotional and sincere reflection of action and inaction. Hamlet tries to make sense of whether the unknown of life after death is any easier to deal with than his current life. The big question is, is Hamlet alone or is he being watched? The traditional view has usually been Hamlet is alone on stage expressing his feelings, but I believe that Hamlet is well aware that Claudius and Polonius are listening close by.

The first thing I realize as I read this soliloquy is that unlike the first and the second, its mood seems to lack emotion. Considering this soliloquy is about whether it is better to be alive or dead, you would think that it would be filled with deep emotions, instead it is very monotone. In both his first and second soliloquies Hamlet expresses his emotions which mainly show his frustrations with himself:

 Yet I,

                                                 A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak

                                                 Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause,

                                                 And can say nothing―no, not for a king,

                                                 Upon whose property and most dear life

 A damn’d defeat was made. Am I a coward? (II, ii, 552-557)

Hamlet is extremely critical of himself, this explains why in his other soliloquies he is so emotional. Due to the absence of emotion in the third soliloquy, it leads me to believe that Hamlet is not just talking to himself.

It only makes sense that Hamlet is directing his monologue towards Claudius. At the beginning of the play when Hamlet is talking to the Ghost, the Ghost mentions "'Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard,/ A serpent stung me" (I, v, 35-36) this correlates with the talk of sleep in Hamlets third soliloquy: "To die―to sleep,/ No more; and by a sleep to say we end/ The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks/ That flesh is heir to" (III, I, 60-63). For Hamlet to achieve revenge successfully he would have to kill Claudius in a state of sin, but also Claudius would have to suspect Hamlet is up to something. This could be a way Hamlet is hinting to Claudius that he knows, and he is seeking revenge. I also believe that since Hamlet knows Claudius is listening he mentions "Thus conscience makes cowards of us all" (III, I, 83) because Claudius murdered his brother in a very cowardly way, waiting for him to fall asleep.  Therefore Hamlet intentionally insults Claudius calling him a coward.

Another reason to believe Hamlet knows he’s being watched is the way Hamlet treats Ophelia right after his "to be or not to be" speech. I believe that Hamlet is in love with Ophelia and if you were to look closely and read in-between the lines, you can see that when Hamlet is being cruel to her, telling her he doesn't love her anymore and to go to a nunnery that there is a play on words. Hamlet is telling her not to believe him because he himself is not always honest: “Get thee to a nunnery. Why, wouldst thou be a breeder/ of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest, but yet I/ could accuse me of such things it were better my/ mother had not borne me.”(III, I, 121-124) When Hamlet refers to the nunnery, some think he is insulting her, but I believe he is telling her to go there so she will be safe from the trouble that he anticipates in the future. Hamlet knew he was being spied on and he didn't want the King to know he is in love with Ophelia because he could end up using her against him, so he acts cruel toward Ophelia as part of his plan.

                Also this wouldn't be the first time Hamlet was being watched. Gertrude and Claudius asked Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Act 2 Scene 2 to talk to Hamlet and see what was on his mind. Hamlet was not just suspicious but he knew that when R&G said they just wanted to visit him that they were lying: "You were sent for, and/ there is a kind of confession in your looks, which your/ modesties have no craft enough to colour. I know the/ good king and queen have sent for you". (II, ii, 274-277) If Hamlet was smart enough to realize this then, it would be no different this time.

RE: Ben

I agree with Drew, I think it was very smart how you looked at the punctuation to prove that Hamlets lack of emotion within his soliloquy. I think that it is a very strong point because you can clearly see the difference with his emotions between the first two soliloquies compared to his third. I find myself relating this to presentations that you see present day. When someone is enthusiastic about something it feels like they have an emotional connection toward it but when someone presents and they are monotone I feel as though they do not have a big enough emotional attachment to what they are trying to convey.

RE: Suryna

You chose the opposite side that I did but I understand most of your points and agree with them.  Except for one point, you said "It would lose most of its meaning and power if it was just words being said to seem crazy and put on a show, even if he had meaning behind it".  I do not agree with this specific point because I think that if Hamlet knew he was being watched his words would not lose any of their power or their meaning. I think that if he were directing his words toward Claudius knowing he was listening (like I argued) they would be just as powerful because he has so much animosity toward Claudius.

Drama Queen or Brilliant Actor? that could be the question.

    In act three, scene one (III. i) where Hamlet’s soliloquy of “to be or not to be” occurs, one can say that Hamlet is aware that he is being spied on and also that he is not aware. One thing to mention before I choose whether or not I think Hamlet is aware of the spying King is that I think Hamlet is a very complicated and interesting character. He may very well be one of my favourite shakespeare characters (him and Sir Toby Belch, bless his soul). He is perceptive, funny, smart and witty. He has everything going out for him! But we all know that he under a lot of pressure. With his father dead and his murderous uncle in power, it is certainly up to Hamlet to fix this whole mess up! There are certainly many times where he may seem crazy, but that’s all because he has decided to play an act in order to fool the people around him. This shows how Hamlet doesn’t always express how he is really feeling in order to keep his true motives hidden. So we as readers know that Hamlet is very deceiving and has the ability to piece things together in order to come up with his brilliant plans! So I have come to the conclusion that Hamlet is quite aware of Claudius and Polonius’ presence and that he is performing for an “audience”.
    First of all, I do believe Hamlet is aware of his uncle and Polonius because in the past Hamlet was able to figure out hidden information very quickly. For example when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern go to chat/spy on Hamlet, they are surprised when Hamlet all of a sudden knows they were sent by the king. “ I know the good king and queen have sent for you. To what end, my lord?” (II.ii.281-282). If Hamlet has the ability to figure out this type of stuff quickly what’s saying he couldn’t figure out that Claudius is watching him. I also found it quite evident that Hamlet was aware of the audience when he speaks with Ophelia. He speaks to her with fury and anger, which confuses the poor girl, but it’s probably because he is aware of the king and polonius’ presence. He carries out this conversation with her, but then suddenly asks, “go thy ways to a nunnery. Where’s your father?” (III.i.130-131) Polonius really didn’t have anything to do with the conversation, yet he came to Hamlet’s mind, probably because he wanted to poke fun at the fact he knows where he really is.
    During Hamlet’s soliloquy he also talks about the ignorant or idiotic people who get on his nerve. “ for who bear the whips and scorns of time, th’oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely, the pangs of dispriz’d love,the law’s delay the insolence of office and the spurns that patient merit of th’unworthy takes, when he himself might his quietus make with a bare bodkin?” (III.i.70-76). He could be speaking specifically towards Claudius, making general statements about his problems and maybe suggesting to Claudius to off himself. Hamlet could be saying;  “watch yourself, you have a lot of problems, maybe you should just end it all before I come to get you”.
    Another way I see this whole speech is, perhaps Hamlet wasn’t aware of the king until he saw Ophelia. Perhaps he only realized he was being watched when he realized the king wasn’t where he was supposed to be. So he had to quickly collect his thoughts and play an act for Ophelia and the king.
    Over all I still believe Hamlet was aware of the two spies, and he was just performing an elaborate scene.

Mitch Mason: I completely agree with your points regarding Hamlet’s soliloquy and also how he is referring to the way in which Hamlet Sr. was killed to get the thought of the death in Claudius’ mind. I never thought about that whole “to sleep” part like that until now. Also I had similar thoughts about the part where hamlet talks about suicide. Perhaps Hamlet is putting bad thoughts into the kings head in an attempt to make Claudius feel even more guilty. Hamlet is indeed a trickster and I do also believe that he could have easily figured out that Claudius was watching him when he first saw Ophelia instead of the king.