Consequences Of Polonius

Towards the beginning of Hamlet Laertes is leaving Denmark to make his place in the world. At the beginning of the play, Polonius speaks to his son and gives him advice because he knows his son's character very well. Famously Polonius tells his boy, "This above all: to thine own self be true" (I. iii. 78). He is told to do what he feels to be right, indicating that if he listens and thinks then maybe he will not err in his actions. Laertes is hot-headed and quick to act, rash behaviors which his father worries will get him into trouble. Physically, no description of Laertes is given, but he is usually played by an

Your highness King Claudius, Queen Gertrude, Laertes, Ophelia, and dear friends. Today, we mourn the loss of a man who rose above and beyond the life he was given, but we gather to celebrate this life. The life of a respected acquaintance, a beloved friend and a cherished father: Polonius. Although he deserves such, we do not need a grand cathedral to pay homage to Polonius. As only those closest to him gather here today, we remember Polonius as a political peacekeeper and a great man. It is important that we recognise his bravery and service to the crown. For myself, Polonius was a master and a mentor. Our relationship was never bound by blood, but Polonius acted as a father. With his political prowess and savvy, yet good-willed familiarity with the crown, he guided me through every facet of life in Elsinore.

He tells Laertes to be a friend but not to overdo it. Not to lend money or borrow money, or he will lose friends, as this can turn from a friendship to a business relationship which could be bad. Polonius tells Laertes to true and never become false or support false. He also tells Laertes to be true to himself and not to be so vulnerable. He mentions give your opinions but reserve your judgements.

    In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the characters of Laertes and Hamlet both display impulsive reactions when angered. Once Laertes discovers his father has been murdered, he immediately assumes the slayer is Claudius. As a result of Laertes' speculation, he instinctively moves to avenge Polonius' death. "To hell, allegiance! Vows, to the blackest devil! Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit! I dare damnation: to this point I stand, that both worlds I give to negligence, let come what comes; only I'll be revenged most thoroughly for my father." Act 4 Scene 5 lines 128-134 provide insight into Laertes' mind, displaying his desire for revenge at any cost.

Polonius with no feeling of remorse and then talks about lugging his guts into another

Polonius is telling Reynoldo to spy on his son, Laertes. During the conversation between Reynoldo, Polonius says, “Before you visit him, to make inquire, of his behavior" (2, 1, 4-5). Polonius believes that his son is not acting like a noble youth so he tells Reynoldo to watch his behavior. He tells Reynoldo ask people about his son. This tells us that Polonius does not trust his own son. He wants to use the information he finds about Laertes against him.

Then Polonius said not to fall for those gift from Hamlet because it would show she has no self-respect (because it’s seducing her), and that he taught her better. However, Laertes actions show better and greater love for Ophelia. In Act 1, Laertes stays a few minutes with Ophelia talking about Hamlet. Then he gives her an insight of what young men want and they will say to get it (sex). To add on, he tells her to be careful and not to do anything reckless/regrettable

When individuals lack the ability to defend their ideas and personal preferences to others, with confidence they will lose their identity and sense of self as they allow others to control their opinions and thoughts. Ophelia’s lack of confidence in herself solidifies both Laertes and Polonius into occupying a dominant role expected of men in the 16th century. Polonius assures Ophelia that her obedience is the best thing for her, and creates this illusion of himself as a crutch she needs to respond to competing demands. Subsequently, when Ophelia finds herself torn between two loyalties – her love for Hamlet, and her father’s expectations, Polonius sways her to compliance with his ideas. “I shall obey, my lord.” (I, iv, 145 )This complete obedience of her father ultimately eliminates Ophelia’s self-preservation that would ensure her best outcome. It is clear her father’s requests of her are not out of love and concern for Ophelia but for his own issues of vanity and securing his status. This can be seen in misalignments in Polonius’ claims, and the condescension in his words to Ophelia. As Laertes prepares to leave, Polonius grants him with advice, “This above all: to thine own self be true.” (I, iii, 84). He contradicts

The relationship is between Polonius and Laertes, is the ultimate bond. It is a bond, which contains the necessary love and respect in a father-son relationship, but yet it lacks the closeness, or real emotional bonding required in a true relationship. Polonius as a father loves Laertes and listens to him and councils him on different topics. He is proud of his son and his intelligence, yet he does not altogether trust this intelligence enough to let him use his own discretion in France. In the first scene of Act Two, we see Polonius

asks Reynaldo to defame his son. He is more obsessed with his image and fame than his son’s. Once Polonius was murdered, Laertes still wanted to avenge his fathers death, which shows this relationship was only one-sided.

To start, Laertes, Polonius' son, does not have much control over his own life. However, he gets a chance at freedom when he proposes to his father and the king that

Polonius shows the need to manipulate a situation regardless if it concerns him or not. This is especially seen through the relationship with his children. Without even knowing the full situation, Polonius has jumped into trying to

Laertes does not think about his actions or reason through them as Hamlet does, but reacts indecisively and quickly to his father’s death with no concern for the results. For instance, when Laertes finds out about his father’s death, when he barges into the castle Elsinore, and demands to see the king, when Claudius convinces Laertes that he did not kill Polonius, answering Claudius’ question whether Laertes would kill even a friend to avenge his father, Laertes answers, “None but his enemies.” (IV, v, 165) The fact that Laertes would kill his own friend to avenge his father shows that he does not care for the consequences that would follow murdering your friend. He is hot headed and does not stop to think, so he does not realize he is being manipulated. Another instance, following the discussion between Claudius and Laertes aforementioned, Claudius starts to flatter Laertes into killing Hamlet for him, as Claudius questions Laertes commitment to avenging his father, Laertes declares, “ To cut his throat i’ th’ church.” (IV, vii, 144) Laertes confesses with this line that he does not believe in the consequences of the after life. He has no regards for the eternal condemnation that taking a life results in.

Shakespeare juxtaposes the trust and respect implied in familial relationships with depictions of father figures repeatedly betraying the supposedly inherent trust between them and their sons to demonstrate the pervasiveness of dishonesty and the inherent evil of man. Newly crowned King Claudius claims he professes a “nobility of love” for his nephew Hamlet as a “father bears his son,” but is not faithful to his claim and sends spies after Hamlet (1.2.114,115).A typical, selfish human, he is willing to betray the trust implied in their relationship to stay in power, since Hamlet is the main challenger to the throne. The relationship between Hamlet and Claudius is one of mutual mistrust, since neither can trust the other to be acting in the other’s best interests. From Act I, Shakespeare reveals Claudius to be the murderer of his brother, a perpetrator of the greatest betrayal of trust. Usually, family members implicitly trust each other, but Shakespeare demonstrates that the opposite is the grim reality. Deception within the family is so pervasive that it trickles down to the king’s advisor, Polonius, who sends spies to follow his son, Laertes. Polonius instructs a servant to imply to those who might know Laertes in France that he is of dubious moral character, to not hesitate to use “a bait of falsehood” to besmirch his son’s reputation

Laertes meanwhile, had initially been a very noble youth, who is had presumeably been an honourable figure throughout most of the play. However, when his father is murdered, as he tries to seek revenge for honour, he instead becomes an instrument for Claudius evil plot. Thus, he becomes engaged in the immoral schemes of Claudius, and even though he does admit that such doings are against my conscience, he still conspires to end Hamlets life in a dishonest manner. Thus, as a result of his lapse in judgement, he, like the other villains in the play, is condemned to death. However, before his death, he is redeemed when he admits that he had been justly killed with my own treachery. Thus, in this case, his underlying integrity, in the end, is able to free him from heavens judgement, and a more honourable death is restored to him, as compared to the previously mentioned villains. Had Laertes taken his fathers advise and been true to oneself, he may have gained a more rewarding end. Thus, we are again able to