Comparing Polonius, Laetres, And Ophelia

One of the most important subplots of the play Hamlet is the character of Laertes and how he demands revenge for the slaying of his father. Laertes is an antagonist character in the play Hamlet and works against the main character. However, Claudius is Hamlet's real enemy in the play so Laertes might be classified as a foil rather than a true antagonist. Laertes is an extremely important character to the plot, although his importance is only seen at the end of the play. Therefore, he should be classified as a major character. His actions ultimately begin the final climax of the play's plot. Laertes is the son of the priest Polonius and the older brother of Ophelia, late female companion of Prince Hamlet. At first, Laertes seems to only be a peripheral character but functions to further the plot in the latter half of the play upon his return to Denmark.

Polonius teams up with King Claudius and once again places demands on Ophelia which require her to disregard her own self to fulfill their wishes of deceiving Hamlet into revealing the cause of his erratic behavior. And once again, it is Ophelia’s duty to her father and this time to the king to be obedient. Disobedience to the king and his advisor are not an option. Polonius wants the king to look on him in good favor and he is willing to step on his daughter to get this admiration. He neglects Ophelia’s feelings by not even thinking of how his requests will affect her. He feels at liberty to request whatever he would like. He is purely worried about himself. Polonius holds a position of unquestioning authority over his daughter. He treats her as though she is not intelligent enough to make her own decisions and he knows that she will inherently obey him. To him her feelings are irrelevant and immature which he states when saying “Affection, puh, you speak like a green girl.”(1.3.101) Following her fathers instructions, she loses her lover and a piece of her happiness.

First they think that Hamlet is lovesick over Polonius' daughter, Ophelia, but after the king spies on Hamlet and Ophelia in conversation, he comes to the conclusion that Hamlet is mad, a threat to his rule, and must be sent to England to be executed.  This is a sign of the king's uneasiness over the mettle of Hamlet's anger which is directed towards him.  The last thing that Claudius wants is for Hamlet to be unhappy with him, in fear that Hamlet will overthrow him, discover the murder, or possibly kill him.  The king becomes increasingly nervous as time passes, making him a bit paranoid over Hamlet.

When it comes to who cares more about Ophelia, i would say Laertes who is her brother. In addition, Laertes doesn’t tell her to stop seeing him instead he tells her to be careful and worries for her. To show this, before he leaves Laertes tells Ophelia “fear it, my dear sister, and keep you in the rear of your affection, out of the shot and danger of desire” as advice for what she is doing with HAmlet. (1.3.33-35) in explanation he tells her to be careful and keep her love under control because is she fallis in love with him even more she will get hurt at the end.

In Act 3 Hamlet finally decides that now is the time for action, he must betray both Claudius and Ophelia if he is to get anywhere. The first scene in act 3 includes Hamlet acting berzerk towards Ophelia while Claudius and Polonius watch from the shadows. In this scene the pride of Polonius is what will lead to his demise. Due to Polonius thinking so very highly of himself, he must get involved in the affairs of Hamlet and Ophelia. This ends up draws him into

There are volumes of critical analyses devoted to William Shakespeare's Hamlet. As the title indicates, Hamlet is the main character of the play, but there are other characters who are also important to the plot. So much attention has been given to Hamlet's antics that characters such as Ophelia remain relatively unexamined. Ophelia is a key figure in the play, and to understand her reactions to the patriarchal society in which she lives through her relationships with the men in her life adds more depth to the play. Ophelia's character is revealed through her relationships with her father, Polonius, her brother, Laertes, and her lover, Hamlet, and their characters in turn are revealed through their

Polonius treats his children quite differently based on the advice he gives them. His son, Laertes, is spoken to as a respected comrade. Polonius gives Laertes important advice, information that one would expect of a knowledgeable and loving father: “This above all: to thine own self be true” (Hamlet 44). Conversely, the advice Ophelia receives from her father is strict and without understanding. Polonius claims that his daughter is naive, and that she would do well to avoid following her heart. “Think yourself a baby that you have ta’en these tenders for true pay” (Hamlet 46). Without an explanation as to the cause of Polonius’ attitude difference toward his children, it may be safe to assume that women are inferior in the eyes of the men

During the Renaissance, it was common for women to behave a certain manner in a patriarchal society. Acting as a subordinate to their husband and fathers, women were expected to listen to the men in their lives and carry out their wishes. This cultural expectation exists in Shakespeare’s Hamlet through the father-daughter relationship between Polonius and Ophelia. Polonius is an overbearing father who ultimately plays the most influential role for Ophelia. He demands to have control over every aspect of her life, whether it’s social, emotional, or marital. Without a mother-like figure to follow, Ophelia is forced to succumb to the standards that men have put upon her. Both characters illustrate the superficiality to their personas and how they each curb their intentions due to traditional values.

As a father, Polonius immediately cautions Ophelia from Hamlet’s affections. His lecture lasts a lengthy 20 lines, displaying his passion in keeping Ophelia away from Hamlet. Although the speech is full of criticism, his fatherly concern is clear in his warnings. In this lecture, Polonius uses a special image in order to illustrate his perspective and fear for Ophelia’s relationship with Hamlet: These blazes, daughter, Giving more light than heat, extinct in both

In the play Hamlet, the relationships between the different characters were destroyed because of Hamlets frustrations and other characters suspicions. Hamlet and Ophelia once had a very passionate love affair. Ophelias father Polonius and brother Laertes did not agree with their relationship. Laertes told Ophelia that she could not have a relationship with Hamlet because For Hamlet and the trifling of his favour, Hold it a fashion and a toy in blood, A violet in the youth of primy nature, Forward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting, The perfume and suppliance of a minute; No more. Act I scene III 3 Laertes is implying that Hamlet is not the right age for her, and he is comparing Hamlets love of Ophelia to the violet, which flowers early in the spring, but doesnt live long. If it were not for Polonius and Laertess influence on Ophelia, and Ophelias willingness to go along with everything her father and brother tell her to do, many tragedies could have been avoided such as Hamlets insanity, and the death of most of the main characters. The relationship between Gertrude and Claudius caused many problems. Gertrudes husband King Hamlet was killed, and the reader learns that it was Claudius that killed King Hamlet in act I scene V. Two months later, Claudius and Gertrude married, and Hamlet was not happy. The marriage between Claudius and Gertrude

Polonius played a vital role in Hamlet even though he was not one of the main characters. He continued to reinforce the theme of corruption and displayed the social and ethical collapse of Denmark. His deceitful actions show the reader that he is one of dishonesty and chicanery. In the play, Polonius was portrayed as someone who is a deceiver and pretender that betrays people he is supposed to be devoted to; and who only cares about things that will benefit him. These characteristics of Polonius are seen through his interactions with Ophelia, Hamlet, Laertes, Reynaldo and the King.

Hamlet also shows anger towards the female character, Ophelia as they interact with each other on a daily basis. He tells her that he has “heard of [her] paintings too, well enough; God hath given [her] one face, and [she] make[s] [herself] another. [She] jig[s] and amble[s], and [she] lisp[s], and nickname[s] God’s creature, and make[s] [her] wantonness [her] ignorance…to a nunnery, go” (3.1.153-157,161). As a result of this quote, Hamlet demonstrates strong anger as he insults Ophelia for her cosmetics and tells her that her flirtatious affections is her excuse for her stupid behaviour. Not only does Hamlet insult her because of his anger, but she does not defend herself either, which makes the situation worse. In addition, Hamlet not only undergoes his father’s death, but no one seems to grief over the death which is surprising, as he was the King of Denmark. The new King, Claudius asks Hamlet, “How is it that the clouds still hang on you?” (1.2.67). This quote shows King Claudius’ lack of grief towards King Hamlet’s death, oppose to when Polonius dies, he immediately tells Laertes, Polonius’ son, “I must commune with your grief” (4.5.213), Which again leads for Hamlet through the anger stage.

Generally, when a story, whether it be a book or movie, is titled with a character’s name, the story itself revolves around that specific character. Thus, most readers would be able to guess that the play Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, is indeed about Hamlet, the prince of Denmark. What they do not expect, however, is to encounter a subplot that is so involved that the removal of it would cause the storyline to change drastically. The relationships between Polonius and his children, Laertes and Ophelia, serve as an essential subplot in Hamlet as they add complex literary elements that advance the play forward and reveal key attributes about Hamlet.

Polonius was not very well off. He told his daughter to stay away from Hamlet, which caused some problems. Then he decided to eavesdrop on Hamlet and Gertrude’s private conversation which gets him killed by Hamlet, who thought he was the king. His death pretty much is the last straw for Ophelia, who goes into utter madness.

Hamlet's surrounding are increasingly affected by his flaw. Hamlet begins to forget all important obligations in his life and neglects his responsibilities, causing other problems. One very important commitment Hamlet has which he lets go is his relationship with Ophelia. Ophelia becomes very confused and hurt. Hamlet hurts her in a couple of ways. First, he neglects her, and second, he insults her. "Ha, ha! Are you honest??Are you fair??That if you be honest and fair, your honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty. ?I loved you not? Get thee to a nunnery." Then Hamlet kills Polonius, Ophelia's father, which in turn makes her go mad and in her madness she commits suicide. Hamlet loses objectivity. He does not respect the King nor his mother's feelings. Hamlet meets with his mother and insults her. He calls her a whore and a sinner for marrying a murderer. Since he knows that the King is a murderer, he attempts