Hamlet Polonius Quotes

In Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet, there are many complex characters. Polonius, in his role as advisor to the king, adds much of the complexity and irony in the play. His character is a study in contradictions. An old, long winded, father of two, Polonius injects humor into the play, along with some confusion due to his uncanny wordiness. Throughout the play he takes it upon himself to find the center of Prince Hamlet's "insanity"; he hypothesizes that the prince suffers from the "unrequited love" of his daughter, Ophelia. Polonius sees himself as an expert at finding out the truth by using indirect ways. Compared to Hamlet, who is trying to find out the truth about his father's death in the same way, Polonius deserves the title of "tedious old
This advice which he gives to his son holds true even today. A brief summarization of the quote advises Laertes to: Say less than you know. Think before you act. Don't be cold, but don't be too friendly. Spend most of your time with your genuine friends who have already done you good. Choose your battles carefully, and fight hard. Dress for success. Don't loan or borrow money. And most importantly, look out for yourself; "Above all: to thine own self be true." He maps out the way to live a long and prosperous life, yet he fails to follow his own instructions. His downfall begins when he tells the king every thought he has without thinking it through first, and then he goes out and tries to back up what he thinks. Polonius tells the King soon after conceiving the thought of Hamlet's madness having its roots in his love for Ophelia. He runs and tells the King and Queen, "I have found the very cause of Hamlet's lunacy." He goes into great length about Hamlet's madness and its relation to love and truth. Polonius then goes and tries to seek out the truth on his own. First he tries out his theories by testing Hamlet's sanity through a slew of probing questions. Polonius continues on by arranging a meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia. Polonius goes wrong by not keeping his initial ideas quiet nor does he go about gathering information discreetly. Instead he breaks his first two
He chooses "not to be," by going against his own golden rule of "being true to thy self." Throughout the play, he commits all his actions blindly because he is the royal "brown-noser." Polonius worries himself endlessly about Hamlet's "madness" for the sake of the King, while this has very little effect on himself. Polonius thinks that if he solves this mystery then the King will look favorly upon him, so he makes this his encumbrance. He sees that he has nothing to loose and everything to gain, but in the end he looses everything and gains nothing but death and a substandard