Why Does Polonius's Use Of Honesty In Hamlet

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Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a play about deceit and honesty, because throughout the play, many characters use deceitful methods to uncover or hide truths about themselves or others to the point where the truth disappears in the lies. Polonius, a character in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, intentionally deceives others in his quest for power, and as the chief counselor to the new king, he already has some power, yet he must remain in good favor with the royal couple in order to cement his position in court. One way he does this is by investigating the source of Prince Hamlet’s madness through the act of “[loosing his] daughter to him. / Be [the king] and [Polonius] behind an arras then” (II,ii,175-76). Promising “If he love her not… Let me be no assistant for a state, / But keep a farm and carters,” Polonius effectively proves his everlasting loyalty to the king (II,ii,177-180). He exploits his daughter, Ophelia, as …show more content…

In one instance, he tells his son, Laertes, “to thine own self be true” as he sends him off to college in Paris, France (I,iii,82). Later on, however, he uses deceptive means to detect any foul actions his son may be committing while he is off on his own in Paris. He sends Reynaldo, a servant, to exert a “bait of falsehood [which] takes this carp of truth… By indirections find directions out” (II,i,70-73). Even though Polonius gave his son an abundance of fatherly advice, he later sends a servant to spread rumors about Laertes in an attempt to evaluate his son’s life and keep him from starting another scandal, which would sully Polonius’s good name. Polonius hides behind a figurative mask of trust and guidance, while at the same time, he keeps his son under surveillance to protect his own, selfish interests. Polonius’s mask of truth symbolizes the themes of honesty and deceit in the play, because he uses deceit concealed as honesty to uncover the truth concerning

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