Hamlet is a play about espionage and this is particularly evident in Act II. At the beginning of this act, we notice that Polonius asks Reynaldo to spy on his son in Paris. “Before visiting him, inquire about his behavior” (II.i.3-4). This shows how much Polonius wants to know exactly what Laertes is doing, even though it is none of his business. At the end of the act we see Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet's old friends, and Hamlet asks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, "What brings you to Elsinore?" (II.II.270). Rosencrantz responds with a lie, and Hamlet surprises him by asking them if they were sent to spy. We know that Claudius sent Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet and determine why Hamlet was acting so strangely, even though it didn't concern Claudius. I believe the significance of Shakespeare's framing of the beginning and end of the second act is to show the contrast between Polonius and Claudius, as well as the similarities. They both want to know everything that's going on in each other's lives and feel like they have every right to know too. Not only do I believe that Claudius and Polonius always mind other people's business, but I noticed that they both trick people into doing the dirty work for them, and also have manipulative traits . I really think that when Ophelia was told to speak to Hamlet, she did so purely to obey her father and had no intention of doing so.