Strengths And Weaknesses Of Polonius Essay

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.

During their conversation, Hamlet calls the old man a “fishmonger” and illogically answers the man’s questions. Still, many of Hamlet’s seemingly lunatic statements disguise pointed observations about Polonius’s conceit and old age. In fact, Polonius himself comments that while Hamlet is not of right mind, his words are often “pregnant” with meaning (II.ii.206).

There are many parents who are too strict and do not let their children do things that might embarrass them. Other times a parent may use their child to do certain things in order to gain social prestige. Polonius demonstrates a similar type of behavior in Shakespeare's Hamlet. Polonius is "a domestic tyrant wreaking on his son and his daughter revenge for his own spoiled life" (Bloom 111) and "is an elderly and longwinded courtier and chief counselor" (Dominic 96) to the king. Polonius is in a high position in the Danish court, and he has a problem with talking too much. He is only concerned about his reputation, not Ophelia, "the young and innocent daughter of Polonius . . . ("Polonius"

Much of the humor that lies in the character of Polonius is that he obviously thinks he is very clever, and it is his simple delight in his poor wit that is funny.

Polonius’ interactions with Hamlet are often the source of misinterpretations that Polonius is a bumbling fool. In every conversation, Polonius appears oblivious to the witty and cruel remarks Hamlet makes in response to his persistent questioning. Even when explicitly called a “fishmonger,” Polonius feigns surprised ignorance and suggests that Hamlet is insane rather than sarcastic (II.ii.187). He appears to continue ignoring Hamlet’s thinly veiled insults even when Hamlet compares Ophelia to “maggots in a dead dog,” assuming that Hamlet is “still harping on [his] daughter” (II.ii.669). However, Polonius is not the “tedious old fool” that he appears to be; just as Hamlet confessed to being “not in madness,/But mad in craft,” Polonius merely feigns stupidity (II.ii.224; III.iv.204-5). By pretending to be clueless, Polonius is able to question and study Hamlet further without

To quench his desire for information, Polonius uses manipulation and dishonesty, while hiding behind his best appearance. In the beginning scenes of the play, Polonius is supporting his son, Laertes, in his departure to France; during their goodbyes, Polonius gives Laertes shallow advice on how he should behave. With these actions, Polonius is displaying his paternal role excellently, he is looking out for his son such as any good father would. What Laertes, along with other onlookers cannot realize is Polonius will send his servant, Reynaldo, to obtain all the information on Laertes' activities in France. Polonius’ desire for knowledge leads him to allow, even encourage Reynaldo to say, “'And in part him, but,' you may say, 'not well'. But, if ’t be he I mean, he’s very wild. Addicted so and so.—” And there put on him What forgeries you please.”(II.I.17-20). Due to Polonius’ earlier displays of affection towards his son, he is able to use dishonest methods of spying and spreading false information (can taint Laertes’ social life) to get what he considers to be the truth. Not only did Polonius mess with Laertes’ life, but he also decides to take control of his daughter’s romantic relationship with prince Hamlet. He urges Ophelia to talk about her meetings with Hamlet and proceeds to forbid her from seeing him, on the premise that his affections are untrue. Although Polonius’ approach was not courteous, he is once again establishing a paternal figure who is only looking out for his daughter’s well-being. As soon as Polonius hears about Hamlet’s mad actions towards Ophelia, he wishes to prove Hamlet's madness is due to heartbreak. This prompts him to use Ophelia as bait, suggesting to the king “I’ll loose my daughter to him: Be you and I behind an arras then; Mark the encounter” (II.II.160-162). Polonius’ urge to involve himself in everything, drives him to

While there is potential to cast Polonius off as a daft geezer whose first priority is his children, the reality is that he is a conniving politician who cares most about his reputation and access to outlets of power.

In scene three of act one, Polonius, the lord of chamberlain, is giving advice to Laertes his son, saying that he should be "Neither a borrower nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend, and borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry."(1.3.75-77). This was clearly a very good advice that Laertes recieved before he returned to paris. What Polonuis is trying to say is that lending money to other, could have its own consequences and that he should beware of the people he loans them to. Because you can never be sure if that person will be able to pay you back, and you might end up borrowing some money yourself, and might get yourself in huge problems. He says that it is bad to borrow money because it sometimes seems impolite, and may

During their conversation, Hamlet calls the old man a “fishmonger” and irrationally responds to his questions. Still, many of Hamlet’s seemingly lunatic statements disguise pointed observations about Polonius’s conceit and old age. In fact, Polonius himself comments that while Hamlet is not of right mind, his words are often “pregnant” with meaning (II.ii.206).

Throughout the play Hamlet experiences many situations where the power of free will and making correct decisions are crucial. Polonius feels the need to have someone giving him attention and constantly recognizing him for his work. An example of his desire for approval is when he says to Claudius, “Sir what do you think of me” (Shakespeare 37). As Polonius absorbs the attention of Claudius and Gertrude, Hamlet is able to put together a play and other plans on how to get Claudius to confess to murdering his father, King Hamlet. Hamlet feels this is vital to his survival, kind of like the idea of natural

Polonius is interesting because he was a cunning old intriguer who, like an iceberg, only showed one-eighth of himself above the surface. The innocuous sort of worldly wisdom that rolled off his tongue in butter balls was a very small part of what he knew. It has been insufficiently noted that Shakespeare would never have held up the action in order that Polonius should give his son advice as to

Consequently, he fears his daughter’s honor, and by extension his own. When Hamlet begins descending into madness, furthermore, Polonius continues to insist it is due to Ophelia’s rejecting him. Such a proposition essentially reveals that Polonius wants to control the situation of Hamlet’s apparent insanity; if his daughter – a young woman whom Polonius has under his control – can incite such insanity in Hamlet, Polonius effectively puts himself in the center of attention of the king and queen. His habit of hiding behind tapestries, in Act 2 Scene 2 as well as Act 3 Scene 4, in order to secretly observe situations only further reinforces this characterization. These observations all jointly indicate that Polonius is a man preoccupied with assuming a position of power – albeit covert and subtle – within his relationships and situations. Perhaps not unremarkably, Polonius mentions to Hamlet in passing that he, in his youth when an actor, “did enact Julius Caesar,”, a figure, many would argue, shared similar characteristics as Polonius: a defined, but not overt, thirst for power. Understanding Polonius’s character helps set a frame of reference with which to juxtapose him to other characters in the play and their own inner demons; namely, Hamlet, Claudius, and King Hamlet.

The introduction of Polonius in Hamlet is one of an elderly chief counselor to the king of Denmark, but as his character develops, we see him evolve into a manipulator who worries about his self-image and how his family might jeopardize that; one would say Polonius fears being a simple man and will sacrifice anything for status. As more events develop throughout the play Polonius turns into this ruthless politician that won’t stop at anything in order to manipulate and keep his status in the kingdom; Polonius as the brilliant mastermind that he is, is always on the prowl for any information he can get his hands on; he sleeps with one eye open and an ear on the ground. Polonius uses all this information at the right moments to create his narrative.

With a good idea in mind, Polonius hides behind the curtain convinced that he will know the full conversation rather than a partial one. When Polonius suspects that he knows all, he does not know that Hamlet’s next move kills him. His time comes to an end when Hamlet stabs him through the curtains “Oh, I am slain! [He falls and dies.] (3.4.26). He believes that he is always right about situations that occur in the community. In the end, his desire to be all knowing defeats him, though he dies knowing the full conversation rather than a one-sided discussion.

hamlet, blaming Hamlet for the death of Polonius and only half heartedly trying to stop