that during Hamlet's time of madness (to determine the truth of the ghost) Claudius and Polonius plot against Hamlet. First, to eavesdrop on his conversations and then to rid of Hamlet in England, where two assassins are sent to aid in the death of Hamlet. During both times of the plotting the Queen was not present to confirm such treacherous acts. So once again the queen is not seen as danger to anybody, not even her late husband. Still unsure of the apparition's truthfulness, Hamlet devises a plan to observe Claudius's reaction to a group of actors who come into the castle to perform an act called 'The Mousetrap'. The play was a reenactment of the actual murder of a nobleman, in the same way Claudius committed his crime. Hamlet tells Horatio (Hamlet's loyal friend) to watch Claudius's reaction to the play as the murder took place. And indeed did Hamlet get a reaction. According to J. Dover Wilson:Hamlet never wanted to prove to the world that Claudius was his father's murderer. Such a view would always leave at least a stain of suspicion that Queen Gertrude was implicated, and, indeed, until after the play scene, in the interview in his mother's closet, Hamlet himself is by no means certain that she has not been privy to his father's death. But the ghost has bade Hamlet leave her to heaven, and therefore Hamlet has with great ingenuity devised the play to show Claudius that his guilt is known, but at the same time to make it appear to the scandalized court that it embodies his own threat to murder the present king. (Shakespeare for Students 75)Queen Gertrude is obviously not an accomplice, she merely was caught in the crossfire. Some may also believe that Gertrude had known about the murder initially. The speech of the ghost can have many different meanings. Another, which may be that the ghost leaves Gertrude to heaven because he is still in love with her, and he would not want to be the one who has to punish her for her...
