Polonius Is Folish Essay Example

simple, but when examined in its entirety, it appears foolish and self-serving. Once Laertes returns to Paris, Polonius dispatches his servant Reynaldo to spy on him and interrogate his acquaintances. Polonius tells Reynaldo: "Listen closely, my friend. I have this information: I saw him yesterday or the other day (with this person or that person), and according to you, he was gambling there or getting into a fight on the tennis court, or perhaps I saw him enter a certain establishment - let's just say it's a brothel - and so on. Do you understand? By disguising lies as truth, we wise individuals use cunning and indirect methods to find our desired course." (2.1.61-75) By spying on Laertes, Polonius demonstrates to both the audience and the reader that he does not trust him. Even after delivering a lecture on proper behavior to Laertes, Polonius still feels compelled to spy on his own son. Joan Hartwig remarks on Polonius' plan to spy on Laertes: "A manipulative plotter who takes his scheming to extreme measures, Polonius pursues indirect actions for the sake of their own complexity."

According to the text, Polonius assumes that Laertes will not heed his earlier advice when he tries to find out about Laertes' reputation in Paris. Consequently, his later words become a humorous repetition of what he previously preached to his son (Hartwig 218). Additionally, Polonius foolishly believes and attempts to persuade others that Hamlet's madness is due to his love for Ophelia. He says to Ophelia, "Come, go with me. I will go seek the king. This is the very ecstasy of love, whose intense nature destroys itself and leads one to

desperate actions as often as any other emotions that afflict us." I apologize.

Have you recently given him any harsh words? (2.1.113-119) Upon hearing of Hamlet's madness, he hastily jumps to the conclusion, firmly believing throughout the play that he is correct. He disregards other possibilities and foolishly assumes that Hamlet is insane due to his love for Ophelia. R.S. White argues that Polonius should have considered other factors contributing to Hamlet's madness, such as his mother's remarriage, encounter with the ghost, and the oppressive nature of Denmark's social and political life (White 67). Despite Polonius' misguided beliefs, Hamlet and the audience are aware of his mistaken assumptions. Polonius further exhibits his foolishness by rambling and losing track of his arguments when speaking to the King and Queen. He remains convinced that Hamlet's madness stems from his love for Ophelia, stating: "My liege, and madam, to expostulate what 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 wit and verbosity is unnecessary embellishment, I will be brief. Your noble son is mad."Mad call I it, for, to define true madness,
What is 't but to be nothing else but mad?
But let that go. (2.2.93-102)
He says that he will be brief, but continues to babble.
The Queen responds to his statement by saying More matter with less art (2.2.103).
The Queen acknowledges Polonius constant babbling and wants him to get quickly to the point.
Grebanier comments on the character of Polonius: Nothing is left of his ability and shrewdness but a few tags, a few catch-phrases, to which,

even when they do express some grains of truth, he pays scant heed in his own demeanor.
It is he, for example, who utters the celebrated: brevity is the soul of wit (2.2.90) -a profound truth;but no character in Shakespeare is so long-winded as Polonius (Grebanier 283).
Polonius continues to complicate a simple statement and is viewed as a babbling fool by scholars.
Throughout the play, Hamlet continues to insult Polonius and make him look foolish to the audience.
Hamlet tells Polonius: You are a fishmonger (2.2.190).
According to Leo Kirschbaum: A fishmonger is a barrel, one who employs a prostitute for his business.
Hamlet is obliquely telling the old councilor that he is using his own daughter for evil ends (Kirschbaum 86).
After Hamlet insults Polonius and Ophelia, Polonius still refuses to give up this theory that Hamlet is madly in love.Martin Dodsworth discusses Polonius' reaction to being insulted by Hamlet, noting that Polonius attributes the insults to Hamlet being out of his mind. Dodsworth suggests that the Shakespearean audience saw Hamlet as the protagonist and Polonius as his perfect foil. According to Bert States, Polonius serves as both a foil for Hamlet's wit and a shadow of Hamlet himself. This is demonstrated when Polonius follows and mimics Hamlet's habits. Polonius ultimately meets his demise when he hides behind a curtain in Gertrude's room and is mistaken for Claudius by Hamlet, who stabs him. Elizabeth Oakes remarks that although Polonius is not dressed as a fool, Hamlet frequently refers to him as one, especially in the scene after his murder.Hamlet mercilessly insults Polonius, calling him a fool. As the protagonist of the play, his opinion would greatly influence how an Elizabethan

audience would view Polonius. When Gertrude informs Claudius of Polonius' death, Claudius responds by exclaiming, "O heavy deed! It had been so with us, had we been there." (4.1.13-14) Claudius acknowledges that Polonius had been killed in his place. Oakes comments on Polonius' role as the play's fool, stating that he is well-suited for this role because he embodies the characteristics of a fool, who is traditionally chosen as a substitute for the king in rituals (Oakes 106). Scholars perceive Polonius as a character who is ridiculed throughout the play, and the manner of his death as the king's substitute further reinforces this perception of him as a fool. In conclusion, Shakespeare has created Polonius as an exceptionally unique and complex character. Scholars have debated and will continue to debate the reasons behind Polonius' foolishness. Throughout the play, Polonius consistently acts foolishly by wrongly assuming he knows the cause of Hamlet's madness, while the audience is aware of his mistaken beliefs.

Shakespeare created a controversial character in Polonius and only he knows why. Polonius was portrayed as foolish. The works cited in the bibliography include: Bernard Grebanier's The Heart of Hamlet, Joan Hartwig's Parodic Polonius, Leo Kirschbaum's Character and Characterization in Shakespeare, Elizabeth Oakes' Polonius, the Man behind the Arras: A Jungian Study, and Martin Orkin's Hamlet and the Security of the South African State found in Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Hamlet.

New York: G.K. Hall and Co, 1995. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. New York: Washington Square Press published by Pocket Books, 1992. States, Bert O. Hamlet and the Concept of Character. Baltimore: John Hopkins UP, 1992. Words / Pages : 1,657

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