FREE ESSAY ON HAMLET

HAMLET

In Hamlet, Polonius is a well-respected and important person. It seems appropriate that he
investigates and controls the behavior of his son Laertes and daughter Ophelia. He, as
the Lord Chamberlain of Claudius' courts, is no longer a private person but a public one.
What he or his children do has important communal, not just personal implications.
However, if his actions and speeches are examined closer, it is evident that he is a
limited and vain person who is overly concerned with his appearance and wears many masks
to communicate with different people. By analyzing the speech in Act II, scene ii, 85-112
it is closely revealed that there are several themes, characterization and plot
atmosphere.
In the following speech, Polonius has decided to tell Gertrude and Claudius that he has
discovered the reason for Hamlet's odd behavior, which is in his opinion caused by
Hamlet's love for Ophelia, Polonius' daughter. Besides the fact that this kind of love
relationship would make Polonius extremely proud because of Hamlet's princely position,
Polonius is relieved over the fact that he has solved the mystery that is so important to
the King and Queen that everyone is trying to solve. This is evident in his language full
of signals and vanity:
This business is well ended/
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 tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes/
I will be brief, your noble son is mad.
(II. ii. 85-94)
This speech is a wonderful relief from the tension and tragic seriousness throughout the
tragedy. Here, it is evident that Polonius is the clown of the play. His use of metaphors
and play on words, all delivered in the supreme confidence in his own ability, result in
a crazy misrepresentation. What is most amusing is that Polonius is his own critic, when
talking about night, day and time. He concludes, "brevity is the soul of wit." (II.
ii.90) Also, after indulging in another exercise involving the words true and pity, he
exclaims, "A foolish figure!" (II. ii. 98)
Polonius tries to put on a show of his funniness by delivering a lecture about what he
considers philosophical questions such as those about the nature of night, time, day and
duty. However, this is all obvious and not worth speaking about to the reader. Polonius'
funny language that emphasizes how profound this subject matter is in his opinion makes
this all the more comical. Also the pattern of Polonius' speech is different than
previous ones; it is simple, with shorter lines, and even rhymes by having ended each
line with the same words. Nevertheless, the language however suggests that Polonius is an
educated man. He is imitating books because to him it's a sign of wisdom.
This speech is very fake. Here, Polonius plays a role. He is humble in his own manner to
flatter the King and Queen. Polonius starts his soliloquy with "My Liege, and madam, to
expostulate/ what majesty should be, what duty is." (II. ii. 92-93) He is concerned about
appearing as wise as possible, at the same time playing it up to the royal couple. This
tone of speech is opposite to the one in the dialogue with Reynaldo, where Polonius
speaks instructively and with authority. Polonius tries to show off his wisdom and uses
different language in both of these passages. He still has different masks on depending
on the person he is speaking to.
Even though Polonius is a comical character, he has a relation to the main themes in the
play and helps us gain insight on other characters. "Madam, I swear I use no art at all,"
(II.ii 104) says Polonius, which gives the readers a chance to laugh. Therefore, this
soliloquy is successful in communicating the emotional state of Polonius to the audience
because it reveals the true nature of Polonius' feelings; not only through the dictation
but also through the imagery, language and underlying messages of the text. It
successfully highlights the divisions of character of Polonius while aiding the audience
in building a connection with him.