Tuesday, April 26, 2011

What was Hamlet's overall behavior toward Polonius?

In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Hamlet seems
to be an excellent judge of character, and he finds Polonius wanting of
any.


He is flippant and sarcastic and insulting when
dealing with Polonius.  He is also grotesque with his imagery when talking to or about
Polonius.


For instance, in Act 2.2 Hamlet enters the stage
reading a book.  Polonius quickly urges Claudius and Gertrude off the stage so that he
can "board" Hamlet, approach him and determine if his theory of why Hamlet is mad is
accurate.


Repeatedly in the work, others think they can
"play" Hamlet, so to speak.  They think they can talk to him and manipulate him and
determine his motivations, etc.  Polonius tries this
here.


Hamlet plays Polonius instead, figuratively disarming
him with his opening remark:


readability="5">

...you are a fishmonger.  (Act
2.2.173)



When Polonius denies
this, Hamlet answers that then he wishes Polonius were as honest man, for honest men are
as one in 10,000 in the world.  This seems to be an indication that Hamlet knows
Polonius is, in a sense, spying on him, and seems to be a verbal slam against Polonius
for attempting to do so.


Hamlet then changes the subject
again, twice in one sentence, actually, while, apparently, reading from the book he is
carrying:



For
if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a god kissing carrion--Have you a
daughter?  (Act
2.2.180-181)



This is an
allusion, I believe, to the scientific observation and mistaken belief that maggots
could spring to life out of the carcasses of dead things.  The grotesque imagery is
intended as a reflection on Polonius, of course.


Hamlet
then proceeds to insult Polonius's daughter, supposedly summarize nasty things the book
he is reading says about old men (which Polonius is), and tell Polonius, when Polonius
says he will take his leave from Hamlet, that there is nothing Hamlet would rather part
with.


In short, Hamlet's behavior toward Polonius is
insulting and provocative.  And what Hamlet thinks of Polonius can be seen in numerous
instances in the play, but perhaps no where better than where he tells Claudius the
location of Polonius's body:


readability="8">

Not where he eats, but where a' is eaten.  A
certain convocation of politic worms ar e'en at him.  (Act
4.3.19,20)


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