The Role and Significance of Polonius in Hamlet by Shakespeare

As one of the four Shakespeare’s great tragedies, Hamlet has always been comment by people all around the world. Hamlet, the son of the last king of Denmark, after knowing the truth of his father’s death, begins planning revenge. Hamlet has been racked with grief after his father’s death, and it makes him like a person with crazy behaviors. Except Hamlet, there are several characters play an important role and lead this story to a tragic end, such as Polonius, councilor to King Claudius and father of Ophelia and Laertes. His distrust of other people, sense of self-important makes him a dislikable person, but if we read the play carefully, it is not difficult to find out that Polonius has been suffering from several psychological disorders. It is useful for us to understand what kind of psychological disorders drive Polonius to act so impolitely and conceitedly, and what are his personality traits and the motivation of his actions. Polonius’s overconfident and usage of others shows his Narcissistic Personality Disorder, which causes he trusts himself but distrusts and suspicion others, and it proves Polonius also have Paranoid Personality Disorder.

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.

She means a lot to him, but now she has rejected him (by returning his

It is interesting to note that Hamlet only puts his 'madness'; performance on for the characters he is suspicious of such as Claudius, Polonius, Gertrude, and Ophelia. When Hamlet is around Horatio, Marcellus, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, the Players and the Grave-Diggers, he acts rationally. He changes his disposition with ease and speed. During Act 2, Scene 2, Hamlet is speaking with Polonius. When Polonius asks if Hamlet recognizes him, Hamlet replies that 'You are a fishmonger.'; He goes on to insult Polonius further and calls daughter Ophelia a 'good kissing carrion';. When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern appear, Hamlet begins to behave cordially again. He warmly greets his friends and engages them in light philosophical humor.

Hamlet, a tragic hero whose own indecision led to the tragic end of his story. But he is not the only one guilty of procrastination. Polonius’s own circumlocution is a foil to Hamlet’s indecision and lack of action. It also adds to the overall theme of inaction of the play. It is not only because they are similar in this respect but also that their types of delaying are different, they contrast each other.

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).

In the play Hamlet, Claudius is known as the villain of the play. He is the lead antagonist who is characterized as a cunning, incestuous, and vile, usurper. Many readers and critics of the play do not dispute this perception, especially after reading how Claudius became the King of Denmark; He steals the throne by poisoning his brother, the previous king, and quickly marrying Queen Gertrude his widowed sister in law (1.5.42, 60-74). The general reading of Claudius’s character paints him to be a corrupt, cowardly politician, in addition to being Hamlet’s (the protagonist) foe. This portrait engages first-time readers to judge Claudius immediately and although this perspective of his personality is proven to be true, it is limited. Claudius

  Well aware that several hours of unrelenting angst would be a bit much for his audience to take, William Shakespeare strategically placed several humorous scenes throughout his masterpiece, Hamlet.  In particular, the character of Polonius fills the role of the comic fool; he is in two essential comedic scenes, one with his own children and then one with Hamlet.  Shakespeare's acute ability to weave humor into this very heavy play is noteworthy, as his use of comedy goes beyond merely providing much-needed comic relief.   In fact, the rather numerous comedic scenes serve as a foils to, as well as reflections of, the intense action of the play.   In every case where humor is used in Hamlet, it is

I think that Polonius' death has relevance to the play because it was the first death of many deaths. I think his death starts the whole main plot of the play. After polonius' death, it causes Claudius to be scared which leads to having him decide to execute Hamlet. Having that be said, that leads to the death of Rosencratz and Guildenstern who are carrying the letter but Hamlet substitues the letter with the execution of Rosencratz and Guildenstern instead. And because of POlonius' death, that leads to Ophelia being crazy and eventually murdering herself. The death of Polonius seems to be leading to all the other major deaths that are occuring in the play so I think it is very relevant to the play.

Polonius is a prideful man who takes his position on the court as the Chief Counselor of the King more seriously than it actually is. He regards himself as witty and infallible, yet he is neither of these. He wishes to prove his wit and intelligence to his peers, but by attempting to do so, he only reveals just how much wit and intelligence he lacks. Throughout the play, Polonius “is presented as a busybody who misinterprets almost everything” (Bloom 19). Hamlet’s use of metaphors and pregnant responses cause Polonius to realize he is not nearly as witty as he thought he was, or as Hamlet is. This drives him into anger and frustration, and could possibly be the cause of his decline into dotage. In Act II scene II, the audience witnesses Polonius’s realization and how he reacts to it.

And what makes Hamlet great is his ability to take this situation Polonius has made to frame Hamlet, as an opportunity to make Polonius look like a fool in front of King Claudius. “Let the doors be shut upon him, that he may play the fool no where but in’s own house” (1.3. 132-133) roars Hamlet. Hamlet will not let Polonius make him look like a fool in the prince’s own castle. The only place a

Polonius' pre-occupation with his courtly duties overshadows his character as the wise old man and marks his role as the fool. As the fool, Polonius provides comic relief, and a "busybody" messenger for the court. His speech, for all its wisdom, "makes him so comic and absurd. All his ludicrous exhibitions of pedantry and expertise, his mouthings of clichés and commonplaces, his observations and definitions--all imprison the mind's potential range in littleness" (Long 137). In addition to his speech being superfluous, Polonius' messages to Hamlet are quite ironic. The arrival of the Players and Gertrude's request to speak with Hamlet have already been relayed to Hamlet before Polonius repeats the messages. This foolish redundancy is comic and even more so is Polonius'

As Polonius leaves the stage in act 3, scene 3, of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” the King of Denmark is left alone with the audience staring in silence. Up to this point, he was a villain in their eyes for murdering his older brother and committing incest with his sister-in law. But he pulls out a vein in this scene and tells the audience that “My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent” (4.3.40). However emotion-provoking this scene in the play may be, the audience should not pity Claudius. He claims his guilt overpowers his intentions, but a closer look into act 4, scene 5 of the play reveals that he is still trying to secure the fruits he obtained from murdering his older brother and is thus lying here to the audience.

Like how the caterpillar transforms into the beautiful butterfly, or how the chameleon changes its colour according to its surroundings, the world is a place full of a variety of people who may not act according to his/her own outward demeanor. The obvious events of appearance versus reality which occur in everyday living is also a prevalent theme throughout literature and media; William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is no exception. In fact, this theme provides the characters of Hamlet with a wall of protection to allow them to conceal their weaknesses and unruly desires which eventually lead to their demise. The honest nobleman Polonius, the newly inaugurated king Claudius,

Intellectuals have regularly guessed that Hamlet's Polonius could have been motivated by William Cecil (Lord Burghley)—Lord High Treasurer and chief counselor to Queen Elizabeth I. Literature professors suggest that Polonius's counsel to Laertes may have confirmed Burghley's to his son Robert Cecil. Another specialist assumes it almost definite that the character of Polonius ridiculed Burghley. Some even speculate that Polonius's tiresome long-windedness might be similar to Burghley's. It is even thought that the name Corambis (in the First Quarto) did recommend Cecil and Burghley. Few also consider the notion that Polonius might be a distortion of Burghley is a speculation, and may be centered on the related character they each played at court,