Polonius also provides Hamlet with its main source of comic relief. II,2,1463. by Denton Jaques Snider.St. I,2,260 ... You go to seek the Lord Hamlet. But he’s also a schemer and an important member of the royal court of Elsinore. 54. Well be with you, gentlemen! Polonius is a character in William Shakespeare's Hamlet.He is chief counsellor of the play's villain, Claudius, and the father of Laertes and Ophelia.Generally regarded as wrong in every judgment he makes over the course of the play, Polonius is described by William Hazlitt as a "sincere" father, but also "a busy-body, [who] is accordingly officious, garrulous, and impertinent". Ed. 56. Next: Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 4 Explanatory Notes for Act 1, Scene 3 From Hamlet, prince of Denmark.Ed. Polonius' deliberate role in the play is to serve as both comedic relief, a sort of palate cleanser for all of the dark drama, and as a foil to King Claudius. In the play, Polonius is the first character to die as his plan backfires to cause his death. He is especially known for his maxim-filled speech (“Neither a borrower nor a lender be”). Morris and Co. Polonius is a man bred in courts, exercised in business, stored with observation, confident in his knowledge, proud of his eloquence, all declining into dotage. OPTIONS: Show cue speeches • Show full speeches # Act, Scene, Line (Click to see in context) Speech text: 1. Of this scene Coleridge remarks, "This scene must be regarded as one of Shakespeare's lyric movements in the play, and the skill with which it is interwoven with thu dramatic parts is peculiarly an excellence of our poet. 19. Evangeline Maria O'Connor. Do you agree that Polonius' murder is the turning-point of the drama? Than your particular demands will touch it. Speeches (Lines) for Polonius in "Hamlet" Total: 86. print/save view. Later in that same scene, Hamlet and Polonius have an odd conversation in which Hamlet calls Polonius a "fishmonger" (2.2.187), asks Polonius if he has a … II,2,1471. Louis: G. T. Jones and Company. As a comic character, he consistently shows himself less wise than he thinks. The relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia, “Polonius’s immediate problem in the play,” causes him to fuse “his role as court official and patriarch” (104). (II.i.6–12) At the top of Act II Polonius instructs Reynaldo to spy on his son, Laertes, in Paris. J.D. There he is. Due to his “inability to imagine love”—“a huge mistake”—Polonius “concludes that he has to protect his daughter’s virginity” and “his position at … ), but he does so in the middle of a tediously long speech. My lord, I have news to tell you. 55. London: Macmillan. Bradley argues Hamlet's failure there "is the cause of all the disasters that follow. Polonius, fictional character, councillor to King Claudius and the father of Ophelia and Laertes in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet (written c. 1599–1601). The Death of Polonius and its Impact on Hamlet's Character From The System of Shakespeare's dramas. His use of phrases such as, "Mad… For instance, in Act Two he cleverly announces that “brevity is the soul of wit” (II.ii. The death of Polonius has given great difficulty, and even offense; its object should be fully comprehended, for it not only illustrates the character of Hamlet, but also is one of the leading motives of the play. K. Deighton. Or do you agree with A. C. Bradley that the true turning-point is Hamlet's refusal to kill Claudius while he is praying (3.3)? Polonius’ death by Hamlet causes Claudius to fear for his own life, Ophelia to go mad and Leartes to seek revenge, which leads to the duel in the final act. 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