Polonius Attempts To Spy On Hamlet

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are sent for by the King and Queen to spy on Hamlet and learn why he "puts on

King Claudius expresses, “Welcome, dear Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Moreover that we much did long to see you, the need we have to use you did provoke our hasty sending.” (2.2.1-4) He addresses them in what is seemingly a sincere manner, proclaiming the supposed yearning he has had. However, these so-called sincere actions towards Hamlet’s childhood friends are just to convince them to take on the role of spying on Hamlet’s actions and reporting them back to Gertrude and Claudius. He continues to mask his true motives by saying, “To draw him on to pleasures and to gather...you may glean..to us unknown, afflicts him thus that, opened, lies within our remedy.” (2.2.15-19) King Claudius’ choice of words convey an inkling to the audience that he cares for Hamlet because of how he expresses his need to find out Hamlet’s condition, and fix it. This also presents Gertrude with the idea that Claudius has Hamlet’s best interests at heart. This, in King Claudius’ favor, solidifies his honorable, yet selfless stature with his contriving

Hamlet shows that artifice is embraced as an effective method to reveal the truth. For instance, when Laertes leaves for Paris, Polonius teaches Reynaldo how cunning with the intentions of obtaining information about Laertes' actions and whereabouts, thus revealing Polonius’ devious characteristics. Initially, Polonius

Hamlet, a tragic hero whose own indecision led to the tragic end of his story. But he is not the only one guilty of procrastination. Polonius’s own circumlocution is a foil to Hamlet’s indecision and lack of action. It also adds to the overall theme of inaction of the play. It is not only because they are similar in this respect but also that their types of delaying are different, they contrast each other.

   The main plot of Shakespeare's Hamlet centers around Prince Hamlet's desire to repay King Claudius for his evil deeds. Around this central action revolve the stories concerning the minor characters of Polonius and Ophelia. Though they do not motivate Hamlet's actions towards the King, these characters act as forces upon Hamlet himself, trying to spur him to do things he does not want to do. Both Polonius and Ophelia try, unsuccessfully, to manipulate Hamlet into a place of inferiority.

The character Polonius in William Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet” meddles in all affairs from his family to the royal family. Polonius is always interfering in other people’s lives when he shouldn’t be very involved at all. The Author shows Polonius’s meddling in the quote, “Observe his inclinations in yourself” (2:1).

Both Hamlet and Claudius betray many to reach their goals of ridding themselves each other other. Even from the very start of the play, when Hamlet is first introduced, he is visibly unhappy with the situation at hand with his new father, but he can’t really do anything about it. This is the way things stand until the end of the first act, when the spark that ignites the plot and theme of treachery takes place. Old Hamlet appears to Hamlet on the outer walls of the castle and tells him of the treachery that his uncle has committed. Of course Hamlet is shocked but he still isn’t ready to take action on his uncle. Not until he knows for certain that it was his uncle, Claudius who killed his father. Act 2 is almost entirely betrayals, Claudius and Gertrude hire Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet, while Polonius commits a similar act. He orders one of his servants, Reynaldo to go to France and spy on Laertes.

            In Act 2, the King and Queen continue to try and determine why Hamlet is acting the way he is.   They request his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find out what is wrong. Polonius learns from Ophelia that Hamlet could be "mad for thy love?" (2.1.84), but Ophelia is not sure of it.  Polonius delivers his opinion to Claudius and Gertrude in which he states that Hamlet:

Wow! This was quite a scene. Polonius got killed for spying on Hamlet. I predicted that Polonius would get murdered, but I would have never predicted it to be accidentally. After killing Polonius, Hamlet seems to feel no remorse.

Claudius welcomes them to court keeping in mind the end goal to keep an eye on Hamlet. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are frequently regarded as entertainment; they are sycophantic, dubiously foolish colleagues. After Hamlet executes Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are appointed to go with Hamlet to England. They convey a letter from Claudius requesting that the English ruler execute Hamlet upon his entry. Village finds this plot and modifies the letter so that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are executed.

As with many plays, actors in Shakespeare’s, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, are at liberty to alter the portrayal of their characters. Because of this, the significance and subtleties of various characters can be lost in varying adaptations of the play. This holds true for the character Polonius, who is often incorrectly portrayed as a oblivious and foolish yet caring father. Rather, Shakespeare implicitly and explicitly establishes Polonius as a character in full control of his wits. Polonius’ interaction with other characters throughout the play highlights his cunning, wit, and selfishness.

At best, I believe that Act I, Scene II might be one of the most important parts of Hamlet. It prepares any reader with the character’s styling of Hamlet, its importance to the play, its characters, and the logical play on words to show the complexity of Shakespeare’s skills as a playwright. Though, it might be a bit of over-aggrandizing to say that the first Act and second scene could be so crucial. It set the tone of the play for many of the characters and their motives from Claudius, Gertrude, and Hamlet. The Act shows the true nature of many of the characters and where they stand in the apparent and the hidden stance. As the scene begins, we see Claudius come straight out as the antagonist, though not immediately. He (Claudius) begins to establish himself as King of Denmark but it is until Hamlet makes his appearance that we see some of Claudius’s attributes.

Polonius is telling Reynoldo to spy on his son, Laertes. During the conversation between Reynoldo, Polonius says, “Before you visit him, to make inquire, of his behavior" (2, 1, 4-5). Polonius believes that his son is not acting like a noble youth so he tells Reynoldo to watch his behavior. He tells Reynoldo ask people about his son. This tells us that Polonius does not trust his own son. He wants to use the information he finds about Laertes against him.

James L. Calderwood describes Polonius' counsel to his son: "imposing patterns of prudential wisdom on the departing Laertes--establishes the dominance of father over son…control through precept is reinforced by control through spying…in Act two scene one, where Polonius coaches Reynaldo in the subtleties of surveillance" (Calderwood 16). Ultimately, Polonius' advice to his children serves his own interests. He is consciously controlling his image as the wise old courtier and father, but he does not practice his own teachings. The wise old man routine is short-lived once his pre-occupations (his image and duties as lord chamberlain) are made clear.

In the play Hamlet the character Polonius is a courtier to the king Claudius. He is the epitome of everything that Hamlet hates in the court of Denmark. Polonius’s character is at many points in the play is a comic character who contradicts himself constantly and finds incredibly long winded ways to embellish his points. Shakespeare uses the persona of Polonius, as a satirical figure and as a foil, to show what is wrong with the court of the time. Polonius is also the father of Laertes and Ophelia who are integral to the final downfall of the Danish kingdom. The tensions that arise from the death of Polonius is prevalent throughout the remainder of the play, and his passing