Scene 1
Two major events happen in the first scene of Act III, Claudius and Polonius spying on Hamlet have a conversation with Ophelia, and Hamlet having a conversation with Ophelia. The king and Polonius come up with a scheme where they hide and spy on Hamlet in the hopes that they may find if the source of his insanity is from the love of Ophelia. After hearing the conversation the king does not believe that Hamlet is insane because he is madly in love with Ophelia, but rather that his insanity stems elsewhere. He does suspect that Hamlet may be planning something dangerous, or may do something dangerous in the future. "There’s something in his soul O’er which his melancholy sits on brood, and I do doubt the hatch and the disclose will be some danger…" The end result is the king’s decision to send Hamlet to England. He must have received some hint or clue that allowed to the king to suspect that the next thing Hamlet could do is something dangerous. During Hamlet’s conversation with Ophelia he reacted in an aggressive manner when Ophelia wanted to return all of her presents that Hamlet has given her. It is from this aggression that may have led the king to believe that Hamlet might do something harmful. Although the conversation was set up for the proof of love insanity, it turned out to be a warning for the king. Hamlet criticizes Ophelia by telling her that she should join a nunnery and that women are dishonest because they paint their faces. Hamlet is playing an act of insanity but when he actually talks with Ophelia, it seems he has other issues. Hamlet was not expecting Ophelia to give back her gifts.

Scene 2
While Claudius tried to find out the cause of insanity in scene one, Hamlet tries to get something out of Claudius in scene two. Hamlet asks the players to act out one of Hamlets own plays. Hamlet designs the play as a mirror image of what happened to the dead king and how the Queen marries the new one. Hamlet created to king to get some kind of response from Claudius. Both Hamlet and Horatio were looking for any reaction on the kings face during the play. The end result was that the king stopped the play because of guilt. But Hamlet could have been looking for some kind of proof that he did it like guilt or possibly some proof that he didn’t do it. If the king had not shown any signs of guilt would Hamlet continue with his plans for killing Claudius? Hamlet could have possibly made the play just to make him feel guilt on purpose for what he had done.
After Polonius summands Hamlet to Gertrude’s bed chamber, he leaves and finds Claudius on his knees and praying out his guilt. Here Hamlet considers killing Claudius on the spot. Hamlet actually draws his sword, but then decides not to. Hamlet does not want the king to go to heaven so he decides to wait until Claudius is doing a sin. In the mean time Claudius believes his prayers did not even reached heaven because their was no thought behind them. Hamlet hesitated and it could indicate that Hamlet may not want to murder Claudius indefinitely.

Scene 3
During the next scene Hamlet kills Polonius while he was listening in behind a tapestry and unleashes a harsh wind of criticism upon Gertrude. Hamlet criticizes everything about Claudius to the point where he compares how much better his father was than to how the present king is. He lets Gertrude know how he feels about her being with Hamlets uncle so soon after his fathers death. Gertrude at this time is overwhelmed and distressed to hear this from Hamlet. Hamlet was obviously making Gertrude suffer, what he had to gain from this is unclear. It could be that Hamlet wanted Gertrude to the know his truth and to save a good part of her. The ghost appears again in this scene and he reminds Hamlet of his promise of revenge and tells Hamlet to look upon his disturbed mother. Towards the end Hamlet reveals to Gertrude that he is not crazy and it is all an act. He asks her not to tell Claudius, and she agrees. Hamlet must still trust something inside of Gertrude to tell her something so important.