Hamlet Act 3 Scene 4 Summary

Polonius and the Queen converse about the plan for Polonius to hide behind the tapestry and listen into the discussion. Hamlet abruptly enters and begins throwing accusations and insults at his mother. He becomes so aggressive that she fears for her life and calls out for help, this then provokes Polonius to also call out for help. Realising that someone was hiding in the room he stabbed Polonius through the arras killing him. It soon becomes clear he believed that he had killed Claudius and when he discovers the truth he apologises to Polonius remorsefully. He then tells his mother that he had faked madness and he tells her the disgusting things Claudius has done. Then the ghost appears only to Hamlet to tell him that he needs to refocus on the task at hand and stop killing other people. The ghost then exits and he forces his mother to keep his secret between them. He reminds her he is leaving for England and exits the scene.