Introduction
The "Hamlet" encapsulates a series of events through which deception, lies, and spying erect are fundamental themes. The play's major characters lie to one another, deceive each other and spy one another. Even so, the motive behind such moves is specific to the conditions and scenarios in which they are executed. These themes unfold along with political and social constructs because individuals are exposed to scenarios necessitating such moves (Puchner 3).
Deception
Hamlet successfully feigned madness, and Polonius falls victim, for he is deceived (Ziolkowski 88). Polonius believed that Hamlet's madness stemmed from his immense love for Ophelia. The deception is evident from Hamlet's move to woo Ophelia. Even though he appears to woo Ophelia for some time, Hamlet quickly realizes that Ophelia is a member of Claudius, Gertrude, and Polonius' cahoots. Hamlet's deception aimed at finding the truth surrounding his father's death.
Claudius' actions propagate deception. Following his brother's murder, Claudius deceives Danish court, and consequently, unlawfully assuming leadership. Having poisoned the king to death, he had no moral or legal legitimacy to the Danish throne. Claudius exploited deception as a tool of self-advancement as it became evident when his reign was marred by duplicity and corruption.
Polonius also exhibits deception. The officious older man paid Reynaldo to propagate lies about Laertes, as well as spreading rumours about him. In this direction, he was deceiving the public. He deceived Reynaldo into lies by paying him for that service. Polonius also deceives Laertes through hypocritical preaching when Laertes was travel to France (Price 159). Lastly, Polonius' activities are marred by deception. Like most characters in the play, Polonius' deceptions are utterly destructive, and worse still, and he would become enmeshed in his deceptive acts. Polonius paid Pyrrhic for being a busybody (Puchner 4).
Spying
Hamlet has at least eight different spies, and among them is prince Hamlet. Nearly all the characters spy for various reasons. Polonius opens the spying game by spying on Laertes in France (Price 159). Possible reasons for spying on Laertes could be his love and care for his son, or his worry about his son's behavior. He could have feared that Laertes could reflect his behavior. Polonius, alongside Claudius, spies on Gertrude and Hamlet through eavesdropping (Ziolkowski 88). They hide behind the arras as they spy on Ophelia and Hamlet. Polonius is so daring that he can afford to bait Hamlet by his daughter, Ophelia. The intention was to listen to all private conversations between Hamlet and Ophelia. Polonius would suffer a blow from his spying games. Hamlet, while he was under Polonius' radar, mistaken Polonius for Claudius, thereby killing him.
The sour relationship between Claudius and the Prince of Denmark also fuels spying activities. Polonius, in the process, spied on Hamlet, on behalf of the Prince, so that his wishes could be fulfilled (Puchner 3). However, the irony of this spy erects as it came when Hamlet was also looking for Claudius. Initially, Hamlet feigned madness to investigate his father's death. In this case, his motives of spying on the Danish Prince were an assurance of his suspicions that Claudius had indeed murdered his late father.
Hamlet's prolonged mourning provoked Claudius' behavior. Also, other factors, such as his grudge against the throne, as well as marriage, play out. Claudius got extremely worried by Hamlet's action. Claudius, consequently, saw it better to spy on him. It begins when Claudius assumes that Hamlet is mad following a series of confrontations with Ophelia. The deception here lies in the fact that he wants to make Hamlet believe that the latter is indeed mad. Claudius intended to conceal that he is spying on him. In this act, Claudius' spying aimed at self-protection. He intended to spy on Hamlet so that he could shield himself from his madness, for this was a significant threat. Arguably, this scene ties with Hamlet's deceptive acts. He feigned madness, and Claudius believed that he was indeed mad. Worse still, the latter took an initiative to spy on him based on fake madness.
Lies
Several lies cut across "Hamlet," and various characters lie for different reasons. Several examples indicate that everyone was a liar. The play opens with a lie. Claudius lied to the people that King Hamlet died because of a snake bite, and yet he had poisoned the king through his ear as he slept (Williamson 318). Hamlet's lie regarding his mental state is an excellent example as it significantly defines the scope of subsequent events. In his quest for revenge for his father's death, Hamlet feigns madness so that people would believe that he is harmless. He lied about his mental state so that he could investigate Claudius' involvement in his father's death. Hamlet masked his intentions of killing Claudius.
Polonius lies to Hamlet, as well as other characters in the play, based on his predilection for spying and hypocrisy. When his son, Laertes, was about to leave for France, he would give him a long lecture on virtue. Even so, he would arrange for a spy to track him while in France (Price 159). It is a lie that a parent can go to such extreme, especially having given a lecture on virtue. Polonius intrudes into Ophelia-Hamlet conversation and drops yet another big lie. He purported that Hamlet was mad, and further informs Claudius that Hamlet is indeed mad. There is no truth in Hamlet's madness, for he is feigning it. Polonius' lies were evident to the most character for it went public. In scene two of act two, Hamlet asked him to show his integrity and honesty because he knew that he was a manner who perfected the act of peddling lies.
Hamlet tells and lies, and then quickly reveals the lie. It regards Guildenstern and Rosencrantz, who is purported to have originated from Wittenberg and have come to pay him a visitation. The truth was that the pair was sent the Danish Prince for the latter had trust issues with Hamlet (Puchner 3). Even though they masked their intentions and purported that they are friendly, they intended to obtain some information from Hamlet. A somewhat similar scenario happens when Claudius informs Hamlet that he is sending him to England to help foster English-Danish ties. It was a lie that he was sending him to England for a good course. Claudius' primary intention of sending Hamlet to England was to execute him, as he had arranged.
Conclusion
In conclusion, spying, lying, and deception are paramount themes in Shakespeare's "Hamlet". Approximately all character is involved in these activities, and it is somewhat undeniable that they form the core of the play. For instance, characters deceive one another, lie to each other, and spy on one another. Even so, they all happen for different reasons.
