"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive!". This quote bySir Walter Scott has been heard around the world, translated into many languages, and repeatedto us by parents, teachers, and our peers. What does it truly mean? Humans create major andpossibly chaotic problems when trying to beguile others. This quote not only applies to oneperson affecting another, but also how the actions of one person trying to deceive many peoplethrough double-talk or hypocrisy lead to complex and sometimes unresolveable events. Thecharacter Polonius in Shakespeares Hamlet fits the description of one who tries to deceive othersby wearing different masks, double-talking, and practicing hypocrisy to gain the approval ofothers.. It is safe to assume that since he is the Kings advisor, Polonius must act as a publicperson to protect the Kings best interest. Therefore; on a basic literal level, it is justifiable forPolonius to want to spy on everyone to protect the King. However; if his actions and speechesare examined closer, it is evident that he is a limited and vain person who is overly concerned withhis appearance and wears different masks to tune up to different people. His first mask is the onehe puts on for Laertes and Ophelia before sending Laertes off to England. He wants Laertes andOphelia to think of him as a wise, moral, and respectable father as shown in the following lines:Give thy thoughts no tongue, nor be unproportioned thought his act.... Thosefriends thou hast, and adoption tried, grapple them unto thy soul with hoops ofsteel.....Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice. Take every mans censure, butreserve thy judgment... Never a borrower nor a lender be.... This above all: to thineown self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not be false toany man. (Hamlet II, iii 65-86, Shakespeare)Polonius does an exceptional job of providing good morals for his son to live by, but then dis...
