Why Does Polonius Send Reynaldo to Paris?

Question: Why Does Polonius Send Reynaldo to Paris?

Answer

In Hamlet, Polonius dispatches Reynaldo to spy on his son in France as his secretive agent. He treats him like a servant and pays him, giving him commands that he is powerless to ignore. Polonius desires to rule his son even if he is abroad. In addition, he wants to reveal all the dark truths. Polonius requests that any kind of misinformation be used to harm Laertes’s reputation. Furthermore, that is only one side of the tale.

Act II opens with Polonius sending Reynaldo to propagate gossip about his son Laertes. Polonius summons Reynaldo and gives him instructions to spy on Laertes under the disguise of giving money. The father wants to find out if his son is prone to misbehaving because he doesn’t trust him. However, he is determined to teach him a valuable lesson.

One reason for spying could be to teach Laertes how to deal with false stories about him. Despite his initial suspicions, Reynaldo was forced to comply with the command. The man believes in the goodness of the lord and is a faithful servant.

Polonius comes across as a cunning and cruel man by this deed. He sees qualities in his son that he possesses. He’s prepared to blush in front of Claudius and prove his devotion even by planning his son’s espionage. Polonius makes a sincere effort to be a good parent.

As some historians point out, Polonius is ambiguous, much like most of Shakespeare’s invented characters. He is both sensible and heartless, intelligent and foolish all at once.