In the first scene when Gertrude tells Claudius about her meeting with Hamlet, she keeps her promise to Hamlet by not disclosing what he has told her and that he is faking his madness. Surprisingly though, she shows no signs of revulsion towards Claudius even though she has just learned that he is a murderer. It is as though she has not actually understood what Hamlet had tried to tell her.
She doesn't ignore Hamlet's fears about being sent to England in the company of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and asks the King to find an alternative to sending her son to England with them. She does however agree with Claudius that it is important to get Hamlet away.
In scene 2, Hamlet shows his true feelings for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and criticizes them for not being aware of how they are being used by Claudius. He tells them that the king keeps them around "as an ape doth nuts, and in the corner of his jaw; first mout'd to be last swallowed." .
In Scene 3, Hamlet continues his state of "madness" and refuses to tell the whereabouts of Polonius' body. His behavior is cruel and heartless and not suitable for a prince. He talks in a confused manner of death and explains that all men end up being food for worms. "We fat all creatures else to fat us, and we fat ourselves for maggots. Your fat king and your lean beggar is but variable service, two dishes, but to one table - that's the end.".
Claudius responds by banishing Hamlet to England and Hamlet tells Claudius that he knows the King's purpose in sending him away. Claudius now sees that he must instruct the king of England to kill Hamlet. This act reveals Claudius' villainous side.
Scene 4 brings Hamlet closer to action than he was before. It shows Hamlet inspired by a show of honor at great human expense. Even though Hamlet does not rush back to the castle to kill Claudius as we might expect but gets on a ship for a long voyage to England, his soliloquy does represent a turning point in his thinking: .