Polonius Abuse Of Power

The Deception Behind Power
Machiavellian Villains will go to drastic extents to maintain power, it can be used for selfish acts. Power can be dangerous, this is evident in the characters of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Polonius, Hamlet, and Claudius use their influence for evil in hopes of it benefiting themselves despite other lives being put at risk. Polonius had power in his role with the royals as well as power over his children as their father. He used this power to control and spy in a deceptive manner. Hamlet had power as a royal who is beloved by many. He went to great lengths to pursue his revenge which cost lives. Claudius had power as the king who is trusted to lead. He used power to his advantage in many risky scenarios. The varying

Polonius’s power not only comes from his profession but his role as a father over his children. Polonius uses his role as a superior to Reynaldo. Reynaldo is a servant and obeys commands by those above him. Polonius deceives his son by spying on him through Reynaldo.
See you now, Your bait of falsehood take this carp of truth, And thus do we of wisdom and of reach, With windlasses and with assays of bias, By indirections find directions out. (Hamlet II.i.61-67). Polonius’s power over Reynaldo gave him no choice as to whether he actually wanted to do this task. Reynaldo was told to say rumours about Laertes to his peers to discover if they are true. Laertes’ trust was betrayed by his father when he decided to spy on him. Polonius more than once has sent out spies. At one point, he uses his power over his daughter to

592-593). Hamlet clearly states he plans the whole play to trap the king. He deceived Claudius when he found the letter calling for his execution, and he rewrote it to call for the execution of those who carried the letter. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern ended up dead because of his actions, that would not have been possible without power, “I had my father's signet in my purse, Which was the model of that Danish seal. Folded the writ up in the form of the other, Subscribed it, gave't th' impression, placed it safely —The changeling never known” (Hamlet V.II.49-53). Hamlet devised this plan to take Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s lives through a letter he pretends is written by the king. He uses tools accessible to him to recreate a letter perfectly as if from the king. He schemed this well thought out using the king's power in giving orders to deceive everyone involved. Therefore, actions taken by Prince Hamlet have required his power and been used for his selfish