Act 3 Scene 2

This scene begins with Hamlet instructing the First Player on how to perform; he requests that the player is not too passionate, but also not too tame. Effectively, Hamlet wants him to perform as if he is putting a “mirror up to nature”, thus providing a reflection of reality through the play. This form of metatheatre draws attention towards the fictitious nature of the play, and actually challenges the play’s ability to be realistic. Hamlet insists “some necessary question of the play be then to be considered,” which may relate to both the question of Claudius’ murderous actions, and to the larger question of life itself that Hamlet troubles himself with so often.