THE PALAVEROUS POLONIUS

THE PALAVEROUS POLONIUS

. Yessika Halim . Daniel Tran . Maryjoyce Pascual .. AP Literature . Mrs. Ogbeide . Period

01 .

WISELook thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue,Nor any unproportioned thought his act.Be thou familiar but by no means vulgar.Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,Grapple them unto thy soul with hoops of steel,But do not dull thy palm with entertainmentOf each new-hatched, unfledged comrade. BewareOf entrance to a quarrel, but being in,Bear ’t that th' opposèd may beware of thee.Give every man thy ear but few thy voice.Take each man’s censure but reserve thy judgment.Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,But not expressed in fancy—rich, not gaudy,For the apparel oft proclaims the man,And they in France of the best rank and stationAre of a most select and generous chief in that.Neither a borrower nor a lender be,For loan oft loses both itself and friend,And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.This above all: to thine own self be true,And it must follow, as the night the day,Thou canst not then be false to any man.

- Act I Scene 3, pg 24

Based on this quote, we are given the impression that Polonius is actually a wise man who is aware of the world around him and how one should conduct himself. When he gives these insightful advices, Polonius is seen as person who possess high ethics and morals. However, none of these are necessarily true, rather they are what can be inferred from this quote.

OVERPROTECTIVEAy, springes to catch woodcocks. I do

know,When the blood burns, how prodigal the soulLends the tongue vows. These blazes, daughter,Giving more light than heat, extinct in bothEven in their promise as it is a-making,You must not take for fire. From this timeBe somewhat scanter of your maiden presence.Set your entreatments at a higher rateThan a command to parley. For Lord Hamlet,Believe so much in him that he is young,And with a larger tether may he walkThan may be given you. In few, Ophelia,Do not believe his vows, for they are brokersNot of that dye which their investments show,But mere implorators of unholy suits,Breathing like sanctified and pious bawds,The better to beguile. This is for all:I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth,Have you so slander any moment leisure,As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet.

- Act I Scene 3, pg. 27

Polonius can be seen as being extremely overprotective of Ophelia. By him telling her that she must keep her distance from Hamlet because she is mistaking true love, he shows that he doesn't want Ophelia to get hurt through a man whose heart is just on fire. This protectiveness is seen when he tells her that she “set her entreatments at a high rate" which means to make herself a precious commodity. Ultimately, he wants Ophelia to be a precious commodity, exemplifying his father-like protection.

Overprotective

Polonius is first introduced as Laertes is requesting to return to France after coming to view the King’s coronation. It is noted that Laertes begs his father to go back, so he reluctantly agrees and asks the King to allow him as well. Later, we learn a little more about Polonius’ character as Laertes is about to depart. He offers his son some very insightful and wise advice onto the moral principles of life and how to conduct himself.

FIRST INTRODUCTION

CLAUDIUSHave you your father’s leave? What says Polonius?

- Act I Scene 2, pg. 12

POLONIUSHe hath, my lord,

wrung from me my slow leave

By laborsome petition, and at last

Upon his will I sealed my hard

consent.I do beseech you, give him leave to

go.

PRYING

…

Prying

This business is well ended.My liege and madam, to expostulateWhat majesty should be, what duty is,Why day is day, night night, and time is time,Were nothing but to waste night, day, and time.Therefore, since brevity is the soul of witAnd tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,I will be brief: your noble son is mad. - Act II Scene 2, pg. 51 -

52

Polonius is a man who wants attention for himself. Because of this matter, he always tries to become involved with the affairs of other people. In this scene, instead of letting the King and Queen handle their distraught son, he instead offers his own opinion as to why Hamlet is mad. He even goes as far as to directly observe Hamlet and question his behavior. Additionally, he offers the use of his daughter, Ophelia as a tool to retrieve further information from Hamlet.

Madam, I swear I use no art at all.That he is mad, ’tis true. Tis true, ’tis pity,And pity ’tis ’tis true—a foolish figure,But farewell it, for I will use no art.Mad let us grant him then. And now remainsOr rather say, the cause of this defect,For this effect defective comes by cause.Thus it remains, and the remainder thus. Perpend.I have a daughter—have while she is mine—Who in her duty and obedience, mark,Hath given me this. Now gather and surmise.

Talkative

- Act II Scene 2, pg. 52

Any time Polonius gets the chance to talk; he elaborates his thoughts with extravagant words and prolongs the subject of matter further than any listener wants to hear. In this scene, instead of getting straight to the letter at hand, he instead inquires the King on somewhat irrelevant thing such as trust, loyalty, and love. Even the Queen becomes tiresome of his excessive rambling and tells him to get on with what he has to say. His loquaciousness doesn’t do anything for the plot; rather it develops his character as an officious man.

LOYALCLAUDIUSThou still hast been the father of good news.

POLONIUSHave I, my lord? I assure my good liege,I hold my duty as I hold my soul,Both to my God and to my gracious king. - Act II Scene 2, pg. 49

LoyalHe demonstrates his loyalty to King Claudius by always being his right hand man. By always reporting new affairs within the kingdom, it shows the King has the ability to rely on Polonius. He also shows loyalty by continually praising his lordship and obeying him willingly. Through King Claudius’ comment, “Thou still hast been the father of good news,” the audience can see that Polonius has always reported to the king first before anyone else.

Polonius directly affects Hamlet’s situation regarding his plans to avenge his father by killing King Claudius. By Polonius being a sneaky man, hiding behind tapestry, he startles Hamlet when he thinks he is alone with his mother, thus causing him to kill Polonius. This results in a number of implications for both Hamlet and King Claudius. For one, it means that now Hamlet is responsible for the death of Laertes’ father, whom King Claudius can deceive into getting Hamlet’s execution justified. By killing Polonius, Hamlet has even furthered the adversity of gaining his revenge.

POLONIUS’ INFLUENC

E ON HAMLET

CLAUDIUSHe, being remiss,Most generous and free from all contriving,Will not peruse the foils; so that, with ease,Or with a little shuffling, you may chooseA sword unbated, and in a pass of practiceRequite him for your father.LAERTESI will do ’t.And for that purpose I’ll anoint my sword.I bought an unction of a mountebank,So mortal that, but dip a knife in it,Where it draws blood no cataplasm so rare,Collected from all simples that have virtueUnder the moon, can save the thing from deathThat is but scratched withal.

- Act IV Scene 7, pg. 143

Polonius hides behind the arras.- Act III Scene 4, pg. 104

Since Polonius loves to be the apple of the eye to King Claudius, he willingly takes on the duty of espionage in Hamlet's affair, observing him closely to discover if he truly is mad or simply imitating to be a mad man to develop a more sinister plot. What drives his need to commit espionage is through officious and self-assured means. In spying on Ophelia and Hamlet, he wants to especially prove himself to the King that he is right about the matter of Hamlet's madness.

…Espionage

HAM

ARTI

A

HamletThou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell.I took thee for thy better. Take thy fortune.Thou find’st to be too busy is some danger.

(to GERTRUDE) Leave wringing of your hands. Peace. Sit you downAnd let me wring your heart. For so I shallIf it be made of penetrable stuff,If damnèd custom have not brassed it soThat it is proof and bulwark against sense.

- Act III Scene 4, pg. 106

Ultimately, Polonius' fondness to espionage leads to his final downfall. By meddling into the business of the Queen and Hamlet, he is killed because he startles Hamlet. Throughout the novel, his tendency to spy and become involved in matters has been a nuisance. His thoughts do not correlate with that of the other characters; for example, he was incorrect when he thought Ophelia was the reason for Hamlet's madness. Not only does his prying lead to his own downfall, but it can be seen that it also leads to the downfall of Hamlet, the real tragic hero. Because of Polonius' death, many implications are arisen towards Hamlet; for example , Laertes now wants revenge and because of this, the King can also seek out Hamlet's death through him.

…..In other words, Polonius can be described as1.Officious

2.Garrulous3.Laborious