Huey, Mukkamala, Pucci, Sriram,Walimbe 1

Evelyn Huey, Bindumadhavi Mukkamala, Gianna Pucci, Priya Sriram, and Sanika Walimbe

Mrs. Mann

AP Literature - Block 2

15 February 2019

Lying and Spying

Most of us equate justice with our legal system. Criminals are tried for their crimes and

sentenced to time in prison as punishment for their actions. Yet, there are some who choose to

take justice into their own hands, exacting revenge upon those who have wronged them. In such

a situation, is it okay to steal from or even murder someone solely because they did the same to

us? Do the good intentions underlying such an action justify the action itself? William

Shakespeare explores this question in his play ​Hamlet​ and argues that although one’s actions

may be carried out with good intentions, these motives do not ultimately justify the actions

themselves; through his portrayal of Claudius' lying and Polonius' spying, Shakespeare contends

that deception is immoral in any situation.

Shakespeare presents Claudius as a character who is deceitful, manipulative, and

covetous. To rise to the top of the social hierarchy in medieval Denmark, he engages repeatedly

in deceit, lying to and manipulating those around him. Through lying, Claudius attempts to not

only seize and secure the throne of Denmark but also plots to eliminate any possible threat that

may prevent him from holding onto the crown. The first time Claudius is introduced, he

addresses grim matters of the kingdom such as the death of King Hamlet in an unusually

optimistic manner, which sparks suspicion, as one would expect that he would mourn the death

of his dear brother and allot time for the Kingdom as a whole to recover from such a sudden
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tragic event. He manipulates the people of Denmark into believing that his struggles and

achievements are shared by all through his unifying speech to the public. Through Claudius' use

of “we” and “our” in his speech to reference himself, he essentially equates his own wellbeing to

that of the entire kingdom itself (1.2.1-38). However, by doing so he is actually attempting to

draw their attention away from the passing of the former King and towards himself. Claudius’

facade is most apparent soon after the play, which portrays one man poisoning another. By

engaging in the act of praying, Claudius confesses his sin of murdering King Hamlet through

poison and seems to be asking for forgiveness; however, he does not truly feel regretful or guilty

stating, “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below;/ Words without thoughts never to heaven

go” for his misdeeds (3.4.102-103). His words in this soliloquy reflect that his desire for

claiming the throne, thirst for power, and lust towards the Queen still remain and thus exposing

all of his lies, but admits to not regretting them. Claudius’ ulterior motives once again become

apparent when he schemes to send Prince Hamlet overseas to England to ‘protect’ him from

upheaval in the Kingdom of Denmark after Hamlet murders a royal confidant, Polonius.

Claudius' hidden malicious intent is to have Hamlet killed by the King of England so that there is

no direct threat to Claudius and his possession of the throne. Claudius goes to many lengths in

order to achieve and maintain the role of King of Denmark through the manipulation and

deception of others while ensuring that no crime he commits can ever be traced back to him.

Shakespeare depicts Claudius as the one who always lies to protect his own interests, as many of

his actions are centered around his own selfish acts.

By painting Claudius as a character whose deceit is spurred by selfish intentions,

Shakespeare argues that although one may momentarily benefit from deception, the fallout from
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such deception will always be negative. Claudius lies with the sole motive of protecting himself,

which results in consequences not only for himself, but also for those around him. Although the

immediate effect of every lie is his own safety and protection, his lies also result in a chain of

devastation. Claudius’ actions are the catalyst for the events of the entire play: Hamlet’s search

for revenge and the events that occur as a result of it are all simply the result of King Hamlet’s

murder. Everything Claudius does is an effort to hide these actions and protect himself. This is

clearly seen when Claudius schemes to give Hamlet a poisoned goblet in an attempt to kill him;

Gertrude unknowingly reaches to drink the poisoned goblet, but Claudius in an act of cowardice

only stops to say “Gertrude, do not drink,” as he is afraid to expose his lie that the goblet is

poisoned for Hamlet (5.2.317). Shakespeare depicts how Claudius’ selfish deception takes the

undeserving life of someone around him, his beloved Queen, showing that lying and deceit have

negative effects on everyone in one’s surroundings, regardless of the motive. Although Claudius

does gain temporary success through his lying by gaining power and fortune from killing King

Hamlet, his actions ultimately become the cause of his own death. Claudius’ plan to poison

young Hamlet backfires: when Laertes reveals “The king, the king’s to blame” in front of the

audience, Hamlet forces Claudius to drink his own poison (5.2.351). Towards the end,

Shakespeare unravels the story of how the dishonesty of one man caused him to lose everything

he had– his wife, his fortune, and even his own life– thus showing the reader that although deceit

may serve as a temporary shield, it will, in the end, always have consequences not only for the

perpetrator, but also for those around the perpetrator.

While Claudius' deception is clearly rooted in pure self-interest, the motives of Polonius'

deception are more complex. Shakespeare builds Polonius as a character that is deceptive and
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power-hungry on the surface, but also caring and protective of his own children. Polonius uses

spying as a tool to learn more information about Hamlet, as he is seen spying on Hamlet in

almost every interaction between the two characters. At first glance, Polonius' character seems to

be entirely driven by a lust for power, as Polonius seems to utilize spying to help Claudius, with

the hopes of having the king view him in a positive light. When spying on Hamlet and Gertrude,

Polonius tells Claudius, “I’ll call upon you ere you go to bed and tell you what I know,” which

showcases how Polonius uses his deceit to please Claudius, thus hoping to increase his own

power in the kingdom (3.3.37-38). However, a significant portion of Polonius' deception is

motivated by a desire to protect his children. Polonius seeks to protect Ophelia from the

“madness of Hamlet,” showing that he is driven to be deceptive in his efforts to play the part of a

protective father (2.2.93). In the academic journal “Conniving and bumbling, yet sometimes

wise: an examination of the many facets of Polonius,” Michael Sacks further argues the

debatable good intentions of Polonius stating, “His prohibitions to Ophelia are indeed disastrous,

timed as they are; yet they are made by a loving father solicitous for the wellbeing of his

daughter,” to demonstrate that Polonius has good intentions while spying and is not purely

seeking power but wants to keep his daughter safe (Sacks). Shakespeare reveals a duality to

Polonius' character through his spying, depicting him as both an untrustworthy social climber but

also a caring father.

Through Polonius’ good and bad intentions in his use of spying, Shakespeare ultimately

believes that regardless of the motivations, deception in any form can not bring about justice. For

instance, Polonius sends his servant, Reynaldo, to not only spy on his son Laertes, but also to

spread false rumors about Laertes: “Look you, sir, Inquire me first what Danskers are in Paris,
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And how, and who, what means, and where they keep, What company, at what expense”

(2.1.6–12). Although Polonius attempts to protect his son through these actions, the actions

themselves are not morally sound. Shakespeare emphasizes this idea once again when Polonius

informs King Claudius and Queen Gertrude about Hamlet’s so-called mad love for Ophelia.

Polonius acts out of concern that Hamlet will ruin his daughter’s reputation, and hopes to prevent

such a disaster from occurring through his spying. However, despite these positive intentions,

Shakespeare conveys the moral implications of Polonius' spying by portraying the negative

consequences that result from it. Polonius is murdered while he is spying on Hamlet; essentially,

his death is the fruit of his own deception. Through Polonius’ death, Shakespeare argues that

deception will always have negative results that outweigh one’s positive intentions, thus deeming

any form of deception immoral.

Although Polonius’ spying and Claudius’ lying are not the only instances of deception in

Hamlet, ​they serve as the perfect demonstrations of Shakespeare’s assertion that one’s intentions

do not justify their actions. Shakespeare warns humanity that they must look beyond their

positive intentions, and consider the morality of the actions themselves in addition, as failure to

do so will result in humanity’s downfall, similar to what is seen in the character arcs of Polonius

and Claudius.
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Works Cited

Sacks, Michael. "Conniving and bumbling, yet sometimes wise: an examination of the many

facets of Polonius." ​Shakespeare Newsletter,​ Fall 2010, p. 55+. ​Student Resources In

Context,​

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A254261177/SUIC?u=fol36665&sid=SUIC&xid=43

bfc891. Accessed 8 Feb. 2019.

Shakespeare, William. ​Hamlet.​ Penguin Books, 2015.

  Novice Developing  Apprentice Proficient  Advanced Exemplary 

1--------------------------------2  3--------------------------------4  5--------------------------------6 

Response to  The essay discusses a topic in  The essay discusses an  The essay thoroughly discusses 
Topic   Hamlet​, using the play itself and at  important topic in ​Hamlet​, using  an important topic in ​Hamlet​, 
  least one outside source to  the play itself and at least one  using the play itself and at least 
explore Shakespeare’s  outside source to explore  one outside source to explore 
SUMMATIVE 
development of the topic and  Shakespeare’s development of  Shakespeare’s development of the 
build an argument about the  the topic and build an argument  topic and build an argument 
topic’s significance in the play as a  about the topic’s significance in  about the topic’s significance in 
whole that is mostly clear.   the play as a whole that is  the play as a whole that is 
focused and clearly stated.   insightful, focused, and clearly 
stated. ​5 

Organization  An introduction attempts to  An clear introduction establishes  An engaging, effective 

SUMMATIVE  establish context and lead into the  context and leads into the thesis.  introduction establishes context 
thesis. Body paragraphs have  Body paragraphs have clear topic  and leads smoothly into the 
clear focus, though some may be  sentences and most have  thesis. Body paragraphs have 
unrelated chunks of information.  transitions, and paragraphs are  topic sentences and fluid 
The conclusion attempts to restate  sequenced in a logical order. The  transitions, and paragraphs are 
the thesis.  conclusion restates the thesis  sequenced in an effective, logical 
and gives a sense of completion.  order. The conclusion concisely 
restates the thesis, gives a sense 
of completion, and explains the 
“so what?” of the chosen topic. ​5 

Support  Using the primary text (​Hamlet​)  Using the primary text (​Hamlet​)  Using the primary text (​Hamlet​) 
  and at least one credible outside  and at least one credible outside  and at least one credible outside 
SUMMATIVE  source gathered from research,  source gathered from research,  source gathered from research, 
the essay supports claims with  the essay supports claims with  the essay supports claims with 
direct quotations and paraphrases.  direct quotations and  relevant direct quotations and 
The writers manage the  paraphrases. The writers  paraphrases. The writers manage 
information by: often analyzing  manage the information by: often  the information effectively by: 
information for the reader,  analyzing information for the  analyzing information for the 
integrating direct quotations into  reader, integrating direct  reader, smoothly integrating 
paragraphs, and attempting to  quotations into paragraphs, and  direct quotations into paragraphs, 
return paragraphs to the task.  attempting to return paragraphs  and concluding paragraphs with 
Ultimately, the chosen support  to the task. Ultimately, the  the group’s synthesis. Ultimately, 
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and evidence lead to a mostly  chosen support and evidence  the support chosen by the group 
persuasive argument.  lead to a mostly persuasive  leads to a persuasive argument. ​5 
argument. 

Citations &  Some source material is given the  Most source material is given the  All source material is given the 
Works Cited  proper credit within the essay,  proper credit within the essay,  proper credit within the essay, 
Pg.  using parenthetical citations,  using parenthetical citations,  using correctly formatted 
though there may be some major  though there may be lapses. The  parenthetical citations. The 
 
lapses. The Works Cited Page  Works Cited Page mostly  Works Cited Page matches the 
FORMATIVE  mostly matches the sources used  matches the sources used in the  sources used in the essay and is 
in the essay and is formatted  essay and is formatted correctly  formatted correctly in MLA 8th 
correctly in MLA 8th edition style.  in MLA 8th edition style. Minor  edition style, including: 
Major errors may be present.  errors may be present.  alphabetized entries, hanging 
indent for 2​nd​/3​rd​ lines, double 
spacing, and entries that are 
formatted and punctuated 
according to MLA 8th ed. style 
guidelines. ​5 

Style &  The essay features mostly clear  The essay features clear,  The essay features rich, precise 
Conventions  language to convey ideas and  well-chosen language to convey  language to convey ideas and 
  employs occasional variety in  ideas and employs some variety  employs sophisticated, varied 
sentence structures. Sometimes a  in sentence structures. The  sentence structures to achieve the 
FORMATIVE 
reader is able to tell that multiple  “voice” in the essay is mostly  desired rhetorical effect. The 
writers were involved in the  consistent, despite it being  “voice” in the essay stays 
essay’s creation. The essay  written by multiple people. The  consistent, despite it being 
contains repeated errors in  essay contains some errors in  written by multiple people. The 
spelling and grammar, and they  spelling and grammar, but they  essay is free from spelling and 
sometimes obscure meaning.  do not obscure meaning.  grammar errors. Excellent 
command of the English 
language. ​6