<P> Polonius forces Ophelia to return Hamlet's love letters and tokens of affection to the prince while he and Claudius watch from afar to evaluate Hamlet's reaction . Hamlet is walking alone in the hall as the King and Polonius await Ophelia's entrance, musing whether "to be or not to be". When Ophelia enters and tries to return Hamlet's things, Hamlet accuses her of immodesty and cries "get thee to a nunnery," though it is unclear whether this, too, is a show of madness or genuine distress . His reaction convinces Claudius that Hamlet is not mad for love . Shortly thereafter, the court assembles to watch the play Hamlet has commissioned . After seeing the Player King murdered by his rival pouring poison in his ear, Claudius abruptly rises and runs from the room: for Hamlet, proof positive of his uncle's guilt . </P> <P> Gertrude summons Hamlet to her room to demand an explanation . Meanwhile, Claudius talks to himself about the impossibility of repenting, since he still has possession of his ill - gotten goods: his brother's crown and wife . He sinks to his knees . Hamlet, on his way to visit his mother, sneaks up behind him, but does not kill him, reasoning that killing Claudius while he is praying will send him straight to heaven while his father's ghost is stuck in purgatory . In the queen's bedchamber, Hamlet and Gertrude fight bitterly . Polonius, spying on the conversation from behind a tapestry, makes a noise . </P> <P> Hamlet, believing it is Claudius, stabs wildly, killing Polonius, but pulls aside the curtain and sees his mistake . In a rage, Hamlet brutally insults his mother for her apparent ignorance of Claudius's villainy, but the ghost enters and reprimands Hamlet for his inaction and harsh words . Unable to see or hear the ghost herself, Gertrude takes Hamlet's conversation with it as further evidence of madness . After begging the queen to stop sleeping with Claudius, Hamlet leaves, dragging Polonius's corpse away . </P> <P> Hamlet jokes with Claudius about where he has hidden Polonius's body, and the king, fearing for his life, sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to accompany Hamlet to England with a sealed letter to the English king requesting that Hamlet be executed immediately . </P>

Who does hamlet kill first in the play