Final answer:
Claudius tasks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern with spying on Hamlet to report his activities, which is indicative of the prevalent espionage culture in Elizabethan England reflected throughout Shakespeare's play.
Step-by-step explanation:
Claudius commissions Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet and report his activities. This course of action is part of the larger theme of espionage within William Shakespeare's play Hamlet.
The duplicitous nature of the court, with characters engaging in surveillance and counter-surveillance, reflects the intricate spy culture of Elizabethan England, often seen as a critique of the era's political climate.
In William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Claudius commissions Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet and report his activities. This task is given to them in Act II, Scene II, where Claudius expresses his concern about Hamlet's behavior and instructs Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to gather information about him.