The Deception of HamletIn the play Hamlet, we see Hamlet, a man stuck in a deceptive world. Spies, all except Hamlet, need deception and betrayal to live, and without it they would perish. Polonius, perhaps the most devious member of the room, literally lives and dies by spying. Other characters also spy to improve upon certain individuals in order to advance their social status. We see Hamlet, the only honest man left in the group, spying on his time to save his own life. Hamlet's insight is short-lived, as are all the actions in this play, except the murder. “That one can smile and smile and be a villain” (I, v, l.108) This will be my theme, something that Hamlet discovered and experienced over many years and scenes. "Neither a borrower nor a lender be, far from the loan, he himself often loses a friend" (I, iii, l.75-76). Polonius has experience in both areas, as he represents the hateful, scheming men of the world in Hamlet. Polonius is a devious man in the play. We see this fat Lord Chamberlain playing clumsy and somewhat stupid during his conversations with Hamlet. We know that when his son Laertes was sent to France, Polonius sent a spy to follow him and make sure he did nothing wrong. Polonius also likes to keep an eye on everyone, including his daughter Ophelia, who is supposed to report to her father about her dealings with Lord Hamlet. Later in the play, Ophelia lets Polonius and Claudius spy on Hamlet and herself conversing. “His father and I…, seeing without seeing each other, we can, from the encounter, judge frankly… if it is not the affliction of his love for which he suffers thus” (III, i, l .32-37). Polonius, known for his deception, is the only true symbol of this, and it is symbolic when Hamlet kills him, almost like killing the evil that was ravaging the earth in its natural form, as Polonius was unceremoniously spying on Hamlet and his mother from behind a curtain .Other characters in Hamlet are also deceptive. Laertes has poison, where did he get it from? Ophelia, as previously stated, serves as a medium for Claudius and Polonius to tap into Hamlet's thoughts. The Queen was even part of it once. Even without espionage, she is embroiled in guilt, marrying her husband's brother and murderer on the day of his funeral; what a shame (unfortunately only experienced by Hamlet!).