- And the similarities between The Spanish Tragedy and Hamlet continue as Hieronimo enters the scene to contemplate suicide with a dagger in one hand and a rope in the other.
- Apparently, he hasn't gotten anywhere while trying to tell the king what's been going down.
- Ultimately, Hieronimo decides to stay attached to his "mortal coil," newly determined to get justice (Hamlet 3.1.66).
- Just then, who walks in but the king, the Portuguese ambassador, Lorenzo, and the Duke of Castile? Finally Hieronimo will get his shot at justice—not.
- The king rolls up and we hear him talking in mid-sentence about the upcoming wedding of Bel-Imperia and Balthazar. Hieronimo seizes his opportunity to tell the king what's been going down, but his abruptness is taken for disrespect.
- Lorenzo chides Hieronimo for boldly interrupting the king while he's talking business.
- And the king and ambassador totally ignore Hieronimo in favor of making wedding plans.
- The ambassador confirms that the viceroy is overjoyed about the match and already on his way to Spain to attend the wedding.
- Hieronimo continues to complain to the king, but Lorenzo physically blocks the knight marshal (a figure of justice) from reaching the sovereign—very meaningful.
- In response to being ignored, Hieronimo gets crazy-freaky by digging in the dirt with his knife like a madman. This gets the king's attention, but not really the attention Hieronimo was trying to grab.
- Lorenzo tries to say Hieronimo is only going nuts because he is angry that he never received any reward money for Horatio's recent heroism in the war (we know this isn't true).
- The king says something like, "Oh, is that all—give him some money."
- And then the king makes it clear that he is totally unaware that Horatio is even dead, speaking about him as if he were still alive. Can you say out of touch? But we should probably assume that Lorenzo has worked hard to conceal any news of Horatio's death from his uncle.
- In the end, Lorenzo succeeds at squelching Hieronimo's pleas for justice.