Why does Hamlet stage a play in Hamlet?
Hamlet is dealing with a complex dilemma. He think his uncle, who has recently married his mother, also murdered his father. The main evidence he has for this is that his father's ghost has appeared to him. The ghost of Hamlet's father describes how Claudius came upon him while he was sleeping and poured poison in his ear to kill him. Because Hamlet was already angry that Claudius married his mother, Hamlet was willing to believe the ghost's account, but the word of a ghost is not really credible proof of murder. In this period, ghosts tended to be regarded as evil, and certainly not as trustworthy and credible witnesses. In fact, they were more likely to be instruments of the Devil leading people astray. Thus Hamlet seeks a way to ascertain Claudius' guilt.
When the players arrive, he decides to have them perform a play which mimics Claudius'...
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murder of his father, thinking that Claudius in his reaction to the play will display his guilty conscience. Hamlet thus explains that the play will give him better evidence of Claudius' guilt than the ghost, saying:
... I'll have grounds
More relative than this. The play’s the thing
Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king.
What is the play within the play in Hamlet?
In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the titular character believes that Claudius, his uncle and the current king of Denmark, murdered his father, who was Claudius's brother and the former king of Denmark.
Although Hamlet has strong suspicions and has been informed of this by the ghost of his father, he does not have any proof. Conflicted and not wanting to act based on speculation alone, he develops a plan to help him determine whether or not his uncle is guilty.
Hamlet learns that a group of actors will be visiting the castle, and he sees an opportunity. He asks the actors to perform The Murder of Gonzago, the plot of which is similar to events surrounding his father's death. He writes an additional scene and asks the actors to incorporate it into the play. Hamlet plans to observe Claudius's reaction to the play, and to the added scene in particular. He asks his close friend, Horatio, to help him observe Claudius during the performance. He believes that Claudius's reaction to the play will reveal whether or not he is guilty of killing his father.
The play depicts a king and queen, seemingly in love. A man, later revealed to be the king's nephew, pours poison into the king's ear, killing him in his sleep. The man then successfully attempts to seduce the queen.
During the scene in which the king is killed, Claudius becomes suddenly perturbed. He orders that the torches be lit and abruptly exits the room.
Hamlet and Horatio both agree that Claudius's reaction is extreme and strongly suggestive of guilt.
Why does Hamlet stage a play in Hamlet?
I agree with the previous answer but with Hamlet you always have to bear in mind that procrastination is a possibility too. He seems to love playacting and striking poses, and welcomes the players very warmly, so it is natural that he would take to a scheme like this but it also postpones for another while any action that he is going to take against Claudius.
Hamlet inserts his rewritten lines into the play the players will perform. He does this because he wants to be sure that the ghost was indeed the spirit of his father, and not a devil trying to lure him into hell (Act 2, sc. 2 soliloquy). He says he's heard that guilty people will be startled by seeing their actions performed in a play, so he figures that if Claudius reacts to Hamlet's rewritten scene that will depict his father's murder, then Claudius did, as the ghost said, kill King Hamlet. Hamlet has asked the lead player if they could insert lines he, Hamlet, has written into the play and the player agrees to do it. When the play is performed in Act 3, sc. 2, and Claudius does react in a startled manner, Hamlet is convinced the ghost was the spirit of his dead father and it was telling him the truth.