In this scene, Claudius admits to Laertes that Hamlet murdered his father. Laertes asks Claudius why he let Hamlet get away with such a crime but Claudius tells him that he was holding back but wasn’t planning on letting Hamlet get away with his crime. In the middle of the conversation, the messenger enters with the letter for the king from Hamlet, the King is then assured by the letters that Hamlet is still alive so he and Laertes come up with a plan to kill Hamlet and their plan is to organise a fencing match between the two but Laertes’ sword will not be blunted like Hamlet’s. Laertes will dip his sword into poison and if that doesn’t work the Claudius will have a drink made for Hamlet with poison in it to make sure he dies. Gertrude enters interrupting their plans and tells them about Ophelia drowning and explains her death in detail. Laertes is enraged by this and runs out.