Surveillance and trust

As aforementioned, Hamlet is filled with deception and distinct distrust between characters, as evident by the significant degree of surveillance. The conceit of spying and mistrust is established in the very first line of the first scene. Bernardo rhetorically asks, “Who’s there?” while he is on guard and is surveying the castle grounds. This is also emphasised due to the play starting in medias res. This is only the start of a recurring surveillance motif through the entire play. One character that epitomises this theme is Polonius. While he initially gives off the vibe of an overprotective father, it is soon revealed that he does not trust his children or the people of the Danish court. He gives the illusion that he trusts Laertes on his trip to France, but then sends a courtier to go and spy on him. This does demonstrate Polonius’ filial duty to take care of Laertes, which is honourable in some respect. However, it is this lack of trust and incessant spying that ultimately leads to Polonius’ downfall, both literally and metaphorically, as he was spying on Hamlet from behind a tapestry when Hamlet stabbed him, but it was his mistrust that spurred him to pursue such actions in the first place.