Hamlet: A Lesson in Espionage
Chapter 3
A/N- Eeeeek. I am rapidly running out of time and am far behind schedule. So here's the next part. Enjoy. And please review! Helpful criticism is very much welcome!!!
They hurried along the halls, heading toward the king's personal suite. When Polonius arrived, nearly out of breath and a stitch working up to his side, the guards turned him away. The king and his queen were in the audience chamber with some guests. Polonius groaned and grabbed Ophelia's arm and tugged her forward. The audience chamber was on the ground floor and on the other side of the castle and they had to backtrack.
Polonius stopped, some minutes later, outside the open doors to the chamber, still towing his daughter along behind him.
"Father!" she started, breathless. But Polonius clamped a hand over her mouth, begging her silence.
There were voiced coming from within, but he couldn't make out what was being said. He motioned Ophelia to stay where she was as he crept quietly forward to the great oaken doors. From this spot he instantly identified the deep and resonating voice of Claudius, and the sweet alto and slightly lilting voice of the Queen, Gertrude. He could not identify the voices of the other two people, but he could tell by the fact that they were still doing the pleasantries that, whoever they were, they had only just arrived.
Polonius sneaked a quick peak around the door. Claudius and Gertrude were seated in their customary places, on the thrones, looking resplendent in matching gold brocade surcoats, leggings, and skirts. They wore strange expressions though, Polonius noticed. It was not their usual expression of polite interest, which equated to royal boredom, but instead it was a spark of genuine interest, need, and concern that graced their even features.
In contrast, the two men with whom they conversed were so alike Polonius thought them to be twins. They were almost exactly the same height and sported the same shade of curly brown hair, which was styled the same way. They wore the same garments, down to the laces on their riding boots. This was quickly explained away when Polonius noticed that Hamlet had come home from Wittenberg wearing the same outfit himself; these two men were schoolmates of Hamlet's. From his spot behind the door Polonius couldn't see the men's faces, but he suspected that they were alike in features there as well.
The pleasantries concluded, and the king got down to business. Polonius still couldn't quite hear so well as he would have liked, and he risked another peek into the room. Both monarchs were concentrated fully on the two men in front of them, and the unknown schoolboys had their backs away from him. Slipping as silently as he could from the hall, Polonius eased him self into the audience chamber and slid along the wall until he was in the shadows created by the wide-opened doors. The sound carried better here, and he was able to hear what Claudius was saying.
"Dear Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, it is good to see you," Claudius said, smiling warmly at the two men. "It was a great need that bid us call you both back to Denmark so quickly. Hamlet has changed much, and quickly, and he no longer resembles anything he once was, either inwardly or outwardly. We believe the cause to be his father's untimely demise, but we are not sure. We would ask of you, who grew up with him and know his moods and faults, would spend some time with him, and see if it is possible to search out the cause for his sudden swing of mood. Once the cause is discovered, it is within our power to remedy it." The Queen nodded with her new husband and spoke up.
"Guildencrantz and Rosenstern," she addressed them wrongly. "Hamlet has spoken a great deal of you and am sure there are no other men to which he would sooner confide in. Would you but stay a while and help us discern the problem your visitation shall receive such thanks as befits a king's remembrance."
While they hadn't shown any emotion, Polonius knew that inwardly the twins were already plotting on what they would do with their "thanks". The two of them bowed in unison. When they straightened one of them, Rosencrantz Polonius guessed, replied to the Queens offer for hospitality.
"Your Majesties, would it not be more fitting that you would command us than merely ask us?"
Polonius was sick of guessing which man was which, and assigned them names, regardless of whether or not they were right. He would figure that out later, when he knew how to tell them apart.
Guildenstern glared at his counterpart.
"But both of us go gladly to this task." Guildenstern looked significantly at Rosencrantz and continued. "Here we give ourselves to you, to do what services you would have of us, your Highness'."
Polonius saw the king and queen smile warmly at the two men and ever so slightly incline their heads.
"Thanks, Rosencrantz and gentle Guildenstern!" the king said.
"Yes, thank you Rosenguild and Crantzenstern. Now go, and visit my too much changed son. At this hour of the day he would either be sulking in his rooms or out and about on his horse. Fetch you a guard—"
A messenger, entering cautiously into the audience chamber, interrupted Polonius. He saw the boy heading toward the monarchs and Polonius slipped from his hiding place to intercept the boy before he could interrupt the king. Polonius whistled softly and hailed the boy to a corner.
"What is it, boy?" Polonius asked in a gruff whisper. "You should know better than to interrupt the monarch during an audience!"
The boy squirmed and dug a slip of paper from a pocket. "A message for their Majesties, my lord," he stammered.
He took the piece of paper from the boy's hand and nodded to the door. The boy knew a dismissal when he saw one and hurried to comply. Polonius read the note and smiled. The ambassadors from Norway had returned, giving him a nice excuse for being here. Not that he didn't have one in the first place, but it was always nice to know one had insurance against a king's displeasure.
He looked back to the king and queen in time to see twin one and two bow and leave. As soon as they were out of sight, the facades crumbled and Polonius saw how annoyed Claudius was and how haggard Gertrude appeared.
He stepped forward quietly. Listening as they held a private conference. "'Rosenguild' and 'Crantzenstern'?" Claudius looked at his wife questioningly. A look of exasperation crossed Gertrude's face.
"Come now, Claudius, the two of them are so alike in everything it's hard to tell them apart. Those who don't know better still get them mixed up. Besides, they both have long, two syllable names I can't seem to remember properly," she sniffed, looking away.
The king shook his head. "But 'Rosenguild' and 'Crantzenstern', dear? Maybe I could understand 'Rosenstern' and 'Guildencrantz', but not the others."
Polonius, who had crept silently up to the monarchs, cleared his throat and succeeded in receiving their startled attention.
"Oh, lord Polonius! When did you get here?" asked the queen, curious at his sudden seeming appearance.
"Only a moment ago, your Highness," he lied smoothly. He had no wish for the king and queen to know he had been spying on them. "I had thought you might be interested to know that our ambassadors from Norway have returned."
Claudius' elegantly manicured eyebrows inched up to the middle of his forehead. "You are the bearer of wonderful news, indeed."
Polonius preened at the compliment. "Do you think so, my lord? I believe, unless my mind had decayed and I follow not the whims of court so closely as I have before, that I may have even more interesting news. I believe I know the cause of Hamlet's ailment." He was taking a shot in the dark, but he gambled that Hamlet had had some strange encounter with his parents this morning, much like he had with Polonius' own daughter.
Both the king and queen sat up straighter on their thrones. Claudius looked penetratingly at him.
"Oh, do tell. Of that we both wish to hear."
He opened his mouth to obey the order, but a noise in the hall stopped him. His hearing, not dulled with age, was as sharp as ever and he heard the sound of feet in the hallway, followed by a sharp exclamation from Ophelia. He had a sneaky idea, and voiced it.
"Perhaps your majesties should hear out the ambassadors first. Their news may not take waiting well," he suggested. That way if they bore bad news, Polonius could swoop in with and save their moods before the evening's festivities.
The king waved his hand at the double doors. "Go and escort them in."
Polonius hurried to it.
Out in the corridor, he stumbled upon his daughter standing against the far wall, fiddling with her apron strings and the two ambassadors standing a few feet off appraising her. Polonius nearly growled at them; he did not appreciate men ogling his daughter.
"You would do well to leave the lady alone," he said harshly. "Their majesties are waiting for you." The two of them looked dumbfounded at his tone and demand. They were royal ambassadors, after all, and no one had told them who to look at and who not to look at in quite some time.
They kept staring at him, fish-mouthed. "You are the ambassadors returned from Norway, are you not?" The taller and darker of the two regained some measure of composure and nodded. He tugged on the sleeve of his mate and hurried past him into the company of the king and queen of Denmark. With a wink at Ophelia, Polonius followed them.
The following audience panned out nicely. Polonius stayed and listened, positioned against the wall off to the side, but this time in plain sight. It turned out that old Norway had thought his nephew, Fortinbras, had been preparing and attacking the Polish. The Norwegian king had been livid at the deliberate deception and he had arrested his nephew. Duly rebuked, Fortinbras had sworn an oath to his uncle that heretofore he would never raise arms against Denmark. Pleased with his kin, Norway had issued the young Prince a new order. With the army all set and ready to go, they would just send them off to invade the Polish. The people he had thought were being invaded in the first place.
Voltemand, the ambassador Polonius had yelled at, produced a paper, a request from Norway, passage through Denmark on the way to Poland. Claudius deemed it a reasonable request. And Polonius suspected that it would also strengthen the relationship between the previously estranged nations and provide a show of trust and forgiveness.
The monarchs then dismissed the two men, with offers of hospitality and the promise of a feast in their honor that evening. Polonius knew it was not in their honor, for Claudius held some sort of feast, party, or celebration every evening, sometimes making something up in order to justify it.
Seizing his opportunity, the old advisor stepped into Voltemand's vacated place.
"It seems that business is well concluded." He paused a second. "Your majesties, to make a speech of my news would be a waste of time. And since brevity is the soul of wit, I will be brief. Your son Hamlet is mad. I call him mad for there is no other name for it. How do you define madness?" he paused dramatically and proceeded to answer his own question. "Madness is madness, it is one of the few concepts that is defined within itself. But that is not the point."
Gertrude rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "Cease this needless beating about the bush, Polonius. Say whatever it is you are trying to convey!"
He blinked at her. "Beat about the bush? Oh madam, I never beat about the bush. Hedge maybe, but never beat.
"Your son is truly mad, and now must needs we find the cause. For every madness there is a cause, whether it be inbred or stem from some interior motive. I believe Hamlet's to be exterior. Think on it." He gave them a moment to ponder his theory, and then pulled an envelope from the folds of his voluminous robes. He selected one scrap of parchment from the stack and unfolded it with care.
"I have a daughter, and she had obediently turned these over to me. I believe they prove my point." Polonius cleared his throat and began to read.
"To the celestial, and my soul's idol, the most beautified Ophelia--" He paused a moment. It had been some time since he had read this one and he had forgotten the language Hamlet was predisposed to use. He frowned. "'Beautified'? What a vulgar phrase! Why must it be so hard for the younger generation to employ proper speech?" At a polite cough from the queen, Polonius returned to the letter.
"In her excellent white bosom, these, ect—"He waved his arm, skipping all the flowery compliments. He flushed a little, to know such things were being thought about his little girl, by a prince no less. It made him at once proud and protective of Ophelia.
The queen interrupted him. "Hamlet sent this to your daughter?"
He nodded sagely. "Good madam, allow me to finish.
"Doubt the stars are fire
Doubt that the sun doth move
Doubt truth to be a liar
But never doubt I love
"O dear Ophelia, I grimace at my poetic ineptitude. But I have no other means to record my thoughts. But know I love thee best. O most best, believe it. Adieu.
Thine evermore, most dear lady,
Hamlet
Polonius refolded the note and placed it with its kin in the envelope.
"My daughter has obediently given each of Hamlet's notes into my custody as she received them."
Claudius nodded thoughtfully. "And how has she dealt with his love?" he asked in an off-hand sort of way.
Polonius snapped the envelope into his other hand angrily. In one question the king had callously insulted his daughters virtue and his ability as a father.
"Do you suggest my daughter would be less than virtuous with your royal son?" he snapped. "What do you think of me?"
Claudius raised a hand, quieting the old advisor. "Whoa, Polonius. I meant no insult. You are a man of faithful and honorable intentions."
Duly placated, a small smile returned o Polonius' lips. "I hope I prove it to be so, my lord. At first I was not sure whether or not to bring their love to your attention, but with Hamlet in the state he is, I thought it best you know. After a while, when I perceived it going too deep, I advised Ophelia to keep away from your royal son, before heartbreak befell her. I made her understand that Hamlet is a prince and bound to marry for the good of the kingdom, not for love. She did as I bid, repelling his letters, receiving no tokens, and admitting him not into her presence, and I fear it has driven Hamlet into madness."
The king and queen considered this a moment or two. Then the kind leaned over the arm of his throne and whispered into the queen's ear. Polonius rocked forward on his heels slightly, straining to hear what passed between them.
They were not sure whether or not their advisor was indeed correct. Hurt, Polonius spoke up in defense of his information and reasoning.
He held his arms out wide, begging their attention. "Your Majesties, has there ever been a time, within your memories, that I have confirmed something and it has proved to be otherwise?" Reluctantly, Claudius shook his head, and Gertrude did the same.
"Then believe me. If it comes to pass that I am wrong, I will search out the truth to the center," Polonius promised. He saw the cogs working behind the king's eyes. Both monarchs knew of Polonius' fondness for spying, and he was adept and finding the seed of truth in rumors. At length the king spoke again.
"How may we confirm it further?" he asked, compromising.
Polonius steepled his fingers, thinking. "You know," he said slowly. "Sometimes he walks for hours at a time in the lobby down the hall."
Gertrude's eyes lit up with recognition. "So he does indeed."
"At such a time, I shall send my daughter by, and you and I, my lord, will be waiting behind and arras to witness the encounter. If it ends and he loves her not, I will resign my post as your advisor, and go and keep a farm in the country.
Claudius rose and shook Polonius' hand. He smiled at his aide. "We will try it."
A/N- well, there's part one of act 2 scene 2. hopefully someone will review it this time. frown. Please? Well, anyway, to anyone who read, but did not review, Thanks!