Hamlet has been behaving strangely since his father's death and his mother's very prompt marriage to his uncle, because he is both in mourning for his father and he is very angry at what he views as his mother's disloyalty. He begins to behave even more suspiciously after he speaks with the ghost of his father and learns that Claudius murdered him. He becomes even more secretive and only really lets his closest friend, Horatio, into his confidence.
Claudius is so suspicious of him (really just on the grounds of his depressed and salty behavior) that he sends for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two of Hamlet's other friends from school, to check up on Hamlet and report back to him. Based on what Ophelia reports to her father of Hamlet's behavior, Polonius tells the king and queen that Hamlet has likely been driven mad by his love for Ophelia since she has rejected him (at her father's instruction). Hamlet apparently came to her chamber all dirty, with his stockings down around his ankles, pressing his hand to his forehead, and seeming desperate. When Polonius confronts Hamlet, Hamlet feigns madness, pretending that he doesn't know who Polonius is. Also very suspicious is Hamlet's behavior when the players come to the castle, and he has them perform a play that parallels reality.
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