Prince Hamlet devotes himself to avenging his fathers death but because he is contemplative and thoughtful by nature he delays entering into a deep melancholy and even apparent madness Claudius and Gertrude worry about the princes erratic behavior and attempt to discover its cause They employ a pair of Hamlets friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to watch him When Polonius the pompous Lord Chamberlain suggests that Hamlet may be mad with love for his daughter Ophelia Claudius agrees to spy on H