Essay On How Does King Polonius Use Of Honesty In Hamlet

The Power of a Carp of Falsehood

As suspicions arise, it is easy extract the truth through cheating and lying; however, after doing so, the dishonesty used makes the truth less valid. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the character of Hamlet struggles with whom he can trust, finding that most are untruthful in order to benefit themselves. Conversely, Polonius, a wealthy and prominent advisor of Hamlet’s family, the Danish monarchy, attempts to create falsehoods to confuse and control Denmark. While Polonius and Hamlet both have immense power, Polonius is able to use his influence more efficiently as he understands the instability and variability of truth. Hamlet’s demise comes from his inability to accept the truth as a multifaceted problem with the option to accept or deny it.

Polonius’ use of lies, while dishonest, is incredibly useful in securing power with Denmark and his own family; moreover, Polonius is socially allowed to be a liar so long as the information he receives is compelling in the evidence he presents to the King.

Polonius’ exact job is unknown, but his relationship to the King is very strong, conveying a history in which Polonius was able to present gossip for him. In an attempt to gain information regarding his son’s affairs, Polonius asks his servant to spy on his son: “See you now / Your bait of falsehood take this carp of truth; / And thus do we of wisdom and of reach, / With landlasses and assays of bias, / By indirections find directions out” (2.1.69-73). Hoping that his son will be “baited” into revealing the truth, Polonius derives falsehoods from his suspicions and hopes that his son will be tricked into confirming his father’s doubts. Polonius uses the “bait of falsehood” again when he sets Hamlet up to reveal his craziness as a result of devotion for Polonius’

daughter.
His contradictions are almost clarifying in that he believes that a lack of “direction” should provide all the “directions” needed. Without any “directions” one is able to rely on emotional decision making, and not be swayed by the misleading speech of others. In the case that Polonius’ son tells the truth, the method used to find the it really matters as he Polonius now becomes just as much of a liar as his son is. Polonius is able to confirm his suspicions and know whether he was correct or not, but at the price of loyalty and trust. While all of the characters seem to question the idea of and who is speaking the truth, Hamlet is incapable of noticing that truth can be convoluted and not absolute. Therefore, Hamlet struggles to follow what is morally right as he is driven by what others feed him. The greater question of truth extends beyond whether lying can convolute the truth, and becomes a question of one’s obligation to the truth and how being dishonest is or is not a violation of ethical code.
While pessimistic, as human beings we are all inherently liars, willing to adhere to the idea of perfection and therefore willing to falsify ourselves in order to appear closer to it. We are all incredibly interconnected, relying on peers, coworkers, friends, and family to live to our fullest state of being. Although this is helpful it also creates a certain set of given and born community expectations that we are expected to follow, pushing us to stay honest. After all of our obligations to these moral codes, we still lie. We create a guise of perfection in order to establish power, and while this seems threatening to a peaceful community, it is actually positive. All powerful people have left a trail of lies whether they be figures in politics, business, or sports, they are built and empowered by the lie that they are profound in some way. This inspires the creation of healthy competition for excellence. The truth can be hurtful, revealing a deep set of insecurities and memories we would rather forget than confront; furthermore, lying create a more competitive confident individual is less of a violation of moral code and more of an ode to it as we strive for success.