Hamlet

Act 3, Sc. 1, lines 1-49: What's being set up in lines 28-49 and what plans does it fulfill from Act 2

King. Good gentlemen, give him further edge,

And drive his purpose into these delights.

Rosencrantz. We shall, my lord.

[Exeunt Rosencrantz and Guildenstern]

King. Sweet Gertrude, leave us too,

For we have closely sent for Hamlet hither

That he, as 'twere by accident, may here

Affront Ophelia.

Her father and myself, lawful espials,

Will so bestow ourselves that, seeing unseen,

We may of their encounter frankly judge,

And gather by him, as he is behaved,

If't be th'affliction of his love or no

That thus he suffers for.

Queen. I shall obey you.

And for your part, Ophelia, I do wish

That your good beauties be the happy cause

Of Hamlet's wildness; so shall I hope your virtues

Will bring him to his wonted way again,

To both you honours.

Ophelia. Madam, I wish it may.

[Exit Queen]

Polonius. Ophelia, walk you here. Gracious, so please you,

We will bestow ourselves.

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Polonius believes that Hamlet's strange behavior is because he (Polonius) has told Ophelia to avoid Hamlet. The King and Polonius have devised a plan to that end. Polonius will have his daughter "bump" into Hamlet. Polonius and the King will eavesdrop behind curtains to test Polonius’s hypothesis from Act 2.