Each director has a distinct interpretation of Polonius' murder scene. All three interpretations show fluctuating levels of hysteria in Hamlet's mind. Michael Almereyda describes Hamlet as having a great level of mental instability and hysteria. This is demonstrated through his actions throughout this scene. At the beginning of the scene Hamlet is shown to be extremely violent towards Gertrude. He throws her to the ground with great force, and then, while she is on the ground, grabs her by the hair and forces her against the mirror. While against the mirror Hamlet lets Gertrude look at him. He then drags her away, wraps his arms around her neck and holds her there (Almereyda 2000). The violence expressed demonstrates his inability to control his emotions. Furthermore, this shows his mental instability because he lacks the ability to interact normally with his mother. He lets his anger overcome all the other emotions he feels and takes it out on Gertrude. Furthermore, within this scene Almereyda shows Hamlet's hysteria after committing the act of killing Polonius. While still holding Gertrude in a chokehold, he shoots Polonius through a cupboard door. After Polonius is shot, he falls out of the wardrobe and onto the floor. Hamlet lies on the bed and looks at the body. He appears shocked and as if he doesn't know what to do (Almereyda 2000). Hamlet's mental instability is shown here by the emotions he displays. He shows no remorse for what he has just done and remains focused on the body for only a short period of time before returning to his interest in Gertrude. Rodney Benner shows that Hamlet exhibits both high and low levels of mental instability and hysteria. He is shown to have high levels during the beginning of this scene. Benner shows that Hamlet is verbally abusive towards Gertrude. He screams in Gertrude's face and speaks in a harsh tone of voice. Her increasingly violent actions thus lead Gertrude to slap Hamlet in the face. Hamlet responds by drawing his sword and threatening her with it (Benner 1980). These actions show Hamlet's mental instability because he is unable to keep his emotions under control. He lets his anger take over and takes his anger out on Gertrude. He continues to display this high level of instability throughout the murder of Polonius. After being threatened, Gertrude asks for help.