Parental authority - ‘This above all,…
‘This above all, thine own self be true’
Satirical - ‘What was I about to say?…
‘What was I about to say? By the mass, I was about to say something’
(Act 2 Scene 2) G to P: ‘More matter…
‘More matter with less art’
Claudius describing Polonius as ‘a man…
‘a man faithful and honourable’
Hamlet’s view on Polonius as a ‘tedious…
‘tedious old fool’
(Act 3 Scene 10) Unsympathetic towards Ophelia about Hamlet ‘How now…
‘How now Ophelia / You need not tell us what Lord Hamlet said, / We heard it all…’
Ophelia’s deep and tender grief after P’s death
‘I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died’
Polonius’ portrayal in 20th c. productions
vs. more recent productions
- up to about 1980, Polonius played as a senile, garrulous man of ~75 = eliciting few laughs
- recently, P played as a slightly younger man = emphasise his shiftiness rather than pompous senility
e. g. Branagh’s Polonius = sinister
Kenneth Branagh production.
Laertes’ reaction to Polonius’ advice
- Laertes is dismissive of his father’s long-winded words of ‘warning’.
- Act 1 Scene 3, Laertes responds to Polonius with no validation of his advice, but with the statement that he will “most humbly…take [his] leave”
Critic - Polonius’ flowery speech
Johnson = Polonius’ “mode of oratory is meant to ridicule the practice of those times: of prefaces that made no introduction and of method that embarrassed rather than explained”
- It is Shakespeare’s intention to make a mockery of those men bred in court, who spend their lives speaking in cautious rhetoric.
(Gregory Doran) Tennant is Hamlet.
Reynaldo and Gertrude’s reaction to Polonius
- David Ajala and Penny Downie’s portrayals of Reynaldo and Gertrude display how impatient the characters are of Polonius’ rambling and use of unnecessarily ‘artful’ language
- Act 2 Scene 2 G: ‘More matter with less art’
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2016 production (dir. by Simon Godwin) Papa Essiedu is Hamlet.
Portrayal of Polonius’ espionage
- Polonius hides behind a hanging tapestry, scrambling to conceal himself in a giddy, almost child-like manner.
- Act 3 Scene 3, Polonius rushes into hiding moments before Hamlet’s arrival, promising to “silence [himself] e’en here”.
- His excitement at the prospect of spying on Hamlet is sourced in an infantile wish to please Claudius.
Critic - Polonius’ confidence
- Polonius seems to be confident in any plan that he devises
- Johnson= “such a man is positive and confident because he knows that his mind was once strong, and knows not that it has become weak”.
- Although it is undeniable that Polonius’ mind has “become weak”,
- P is an example of a man bred in court, who has never needed intellectual prowess to secure his social position. - Polonius schemes with Claudius to spy on Hamlet, and instructs the King to “withdraw” with him when he “[hears Hamlet] coming”.
- Polonius maintains his social position, and proximity to the King, through his childish plots of espionage.
Feminist perspective of Polonius’ pomposity
- Polonius can remain enjoyably ludicrous because his power lies in his gender, not in his intellect.
- Act 1 Scene 3, Polonius tells Ophelia that he will “teach” her what to think, to which she responds with submission, stating how she “shall obey [him]”
- can remain both ludicrous and powerful
(Gregory Doran) Tennant is Hamlet.
Hamlet’s open criticism of Polonius
- Hamlet openly critical of Polonius- seen in his gesticulation and deliberately slow repetition of certain words.
- supported in Act 2 Scene 2, when Hamlet refers to Polonius as a “fishmonger”, and answers his question with the repetition “words, words, words”.
- Polonius is most ridiculed by his inability to recognise Hamlet’s criticism of Ophelia’s treatment
‘Hamlet’ production dir. by Simon Icke
Andrew Scott is Hamlet.
Polonius’ characterisation
Polonius played as very self-conscious and frustrated at his own forgetfulness
Branagh scene - fishmonger scene (Hamlet and Polonius)
Before Hamlet says “Excellent well. You are a fishmonger.” At the beginning of scene, removes a skull mask
- removing mask of antic disposition
- satirical - critiquing Polonius’ role as a father
Polonius lacks tact: “Your noble son is mad…
“Your noble son is mad. / Mad I call it, for to define true madness, what is’t to be nothing else but mad?”
Branagh - after Laertes’ farewell, discussion with Ophelia about Hamlet
- Polonius closes gates behind Laertes with camera angle outside gate - O and P locked in as P asks what L had said to her
- P very angry and rough - shoves Ophelia into confession box asking fro truth about Hamlet
Branagh - Polonius and mistress
Polonius snaps fingers at mistress “loose her”
