Is art in general like a mirror that reflects society's flawed nature?

In Act 3:2, Hamlet is preparing the players for acting. He tells them to be true to reality and not overdo it. In line thirteen, Hamlet tells the player "I would have such a fellow whipped for e'erdoing Termagant. It out-Herods Herod. Pray you, avoid it." His emphasis on remaining true and believable is clearly evident in this scene. He tends to generalize about things and the play is no exception.

He also makes a point that the players should be passionate enough about their parts so that they may have an impact on the audience. In line sixteen, he declares "Be not too tame either, but let your own discretion be your tutor. Suit the action to the word...with this special observance, that you e'erstep not the modesty of nature." He wants to make sure that this artform becomes a mirror to reality, exposing all the true emotions of the characters, without being too fake and insincere. It is meant to uncover the bad aspects of human nature. The whole reason for the play is to be so true to the real-life circumstances that is causes his uncle, King Claudius to feel guilty enough to confess.

Later in Hamlets advice to the actors, he says in line twenty six how they must apply "the censure of the wich one must in your allowance o'erweigh a whole theatre of others." Thier artistic display must be entirely convincing to the audience as a whole to be succesful. One cannot procede to simlply make the fool laugh or the judicious grieve. He must focus his artisic abilities on the precise portrayal of the figure they represent. Inherantly, they almost become who they are representing. This is what art is meant to do, reflect society as it is. No barriers, no facades, but pure embodiment of each aspect of reality, whether it is good, bad, or ugly.

Does King Claudius know that Hamlet is a threat?

In Act 2, scene 1 King Claudius is about to be informed by Voltimand on national concerns and issues. The king is too caught up in thinking about why Hamlet is going mad to even care about what information is presented to him. "More than his father's death, that thus hath put him so much from th' understanding of himself." (8). He continues to ponder and invites both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to join in his discussion. "I entreat you both...you may glean, whether aught to us unknown afflicts him thus." (10-17). It is evident that he is only concerned with domestic family affairs.

In Scene 2:2 (53), King Claudius speaks to Gertrude about his concerns for Hamlet's madness. "He tells me, my dear Gertrude, he hath found the head and source of all your son's distemper."
He is interested in the knowledge that Polonius supposedly has about the reason for his step son's insanity.

When Queen Gertrude responds to this hypothesis, she says "I doubt it is no other but the main. His father's death and our o'erhasty marriage." (57). King Claudius responds to her naive remark by saying "Well we shall sift him." (58). This implies that he is still further interested and concerned with the reason for Hamlet's distraught state. He knows that Hamlet could be a threat and he is becoming worried. After Voltimand's lengthy speech about the state of national affairs, the King only replies with six short lines to this. He was undoubtedly distracted from displaying a reasonably thankful response, suggesting that he still was too concered with Hamlet.

Did Hamlet ever really love Ophelia?

First off, in Act 1: Scene 3, Ophelia tells Polonius that Hamlet had hinted at his love for her in the past. "He hath, My lord, of late made many tenders of his affection to me." (100). In response to this revealing new bit of information, Polonius says "Affection? Pooh! You speak like a green girl, unsifted in such perilous circumstance." (102). He believes that Hamlet's so-called affection is nothing but a passing fancy that will fade as time goes by. Hamlet is still immature and wreckless in his youthful pursuits of love in his opinion.

After Hamlet appears before Ophelia in his maddened state, he manages to write letters to her in his distrought condition. Ophelia says "No, my good lord, but as you did comman I did repel his letters and denied his access to me." (Act 2:2, line 109). This suggests that he was calling out for help after the true news of his fathers murder was unvieled. Polonius thinks "that hath made him mad" (110). It may have not have driven him insane, but it could have conjured up bitterness towards Ophelia for her lack of response.

In act 3 scene 1 Hamlet is speaking with Ophelia when he tells her that he did love her in the past. "Ay, truly, for the power of beauty will sooner transform honesty from what is to a bawd than the force of honesty can translate beauty into his likeness. This was sometime a paradox, but now time gives it proof. I did love you once" (112). As discussed earlier, his love faded with time; it is true that he did once love her. He describes the relationship between them as something that was fake and dishonest. It was only a fanciful glimmer of youthful love.