ACT II, 1: REYNALDO, THE SPY
The second act begins with a dialogue between Polonius and Reynaldo. Reynaldo is a servant to Polonius, and Polonius is ordering him to spy on his son. Polonius tells the servant that he should go to France and find out what bars or inns or other places of amusement his son visits. At these places Reynaldo is then to strike up casual conversations with people who are friends or acquaintances of Laertes. Reynaldo then will subtly try to discover how Laertes behaves and what he does while he is in France.
The scene is important for two reasons. First, the audience learns that Polonius does not trust his own son. Since this is a play about family relationships, one of the key ideas or themes that Shakespeare is establishing here is one of mistrust. Polonius does not trust his own son; and, later, neither Hamlet will trust Claudius nor Claudius trust Hamlet. The family unit in both cases is dysfunctional. Both families suffer and are in serious danger of ruin.
The problems of family extend to the problems of state. The personal problems foster political problems as well. A theme of spying is also established in this scene. Just as Polonius hires a man to spy on his son, Claudius, in the next scene, hires two men named Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet. Spying on one’s own people is an indication of the corruption of the court and state. If no one can trust anyone else, then an atmosphere of fear and vigilance soon encompasses everyone and everything. And such an atmosphere does develop in the court of King Claudius.