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Character Analysis: POLONIUS
Character Profile – At a Glance
Role: Lord Chamberlain (chief counsellor) to King Claudius; father of Laertes and Ophelia.
Key Traits: Verbose (long-winded), manipulative, self-important, sycophantic, conventional, and obsessed with appearances.
The Core Conflict: Attempts to maintain his political influence by constantly spying and scheming, particularly concerning Prince Hamlet's behaviour.
Key Actions: Gives famous advice to Laertes, forbids Ophelia from seeing Hamlet, spies on Hamlet repeatedly, and mistakenly diagnoses Hamlet's madness as lovesickness.
Famous Quote: "This above all: to thine own self be true." (Act 1, Scene 3).
The Outcome: Killed by Hamlet while spying on him from behind an arras in Gertrude’s chamber.
The Verbose Counsellor: Politics and Appearance
Polonius is the Lord Chamberlain of Elsinore, serving as the chief advisor to King Claudius. He is a character defined by his self-importance, his political manoeuvring, and his excessive verbosity.
He is deeply invested in maintaining his position at court, which leads him to be sycophantic towards the King. His primary mode of operation is manipulation and surveillance. He believes that wisdom lies in cunning and control, rather than genuine understanding.
Polonius is also famously long-winded, often losing the substance of his message in the complexity of his rhetoric. He claims that "brevity is the soul of wit" (Act 2, Scene 2), yet he ironically delivers this line in the middle of a lengthy, convoluted speech.
Original:
My liege, and madam, to expostulate
What majesty should be, what duty is,
Why day is day, night night, and time is time, W
ere 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. (Polonius – Act 2, Scene 2)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
My lord and lady, to deliberate
What sovereignty should be, what duty is,
Why day is day, night’s night, and time is time
Would be a waste of day, of night, and time.
And so – since briefness is the root of wisdom,
And grand flamboyant gestures rather dull –
I will be brief.
This verbosity often makes him a figure of comedy, but it also highlights his obsession with the appearance of wisdom over the reality of it.
A Controlling Father: Advice and Hypocrisy
Polonius's relationships with his children, Laertes and Ophelia, reveal his controlling nature and his hypocrisy.
When Laertes departs for France (Act 1, Scene 3), Polonius delivers his famous speech filled with paternal advice. This speech contains genuine, if conventional, wisdom ("Neither a borrower nor a lender be," "To thine own self be true").
However, this advice is immediately undercut by his subsequent actions. Despite telling Laertes to be true to himself, Polonius sends his servant Reynaldo to spy on Laertes in Paris, encouraging him to spread rumours to uncover his son's true behaviour (Act 2, Scene 1). This demonstrates that Polonius prioritises control and reputation over trust and authenticity.
His treatment of Ophelia is even more manipulative. He views her primarily as a political asset. He dismisses her relationship with Hamlet, assuming Hamlet's intentions are dishonourable, and commands her to reject him.
Original:
I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth,
Have you so slander any moment leisure,
As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet.
Look to't, I charge you. (Polonius to Ophelia – Act 1, Scene 3)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
And let me make this clear, from this time on,
Don’t waste a moment of your leisure time
By writing to or talking with Lord Hamlet.
Do it, I tell you.
Later, he cynically uses her as bait to spy on Hamlet (Act 3, Scene 1), showing little regard for her emotional well-being.
Miscalculation and Death
Polonius's downfall is the direct result of his arrogance and his reliance on spying. He consistently misinterprets Hamlet's behaviour, confidently diagnosing his madness as lovesickness caused by Ophelia's rejection.
Original:
...I have found
The very cause of Hamlet’s lunacy. (Polonius – Act 2, Scene 2)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
I have now discovered
The very cause of Hamlet’s lunacy.
He fails to recognise the depth of Hamlet's intellect and the genuine danger of the political situation. Hamlet sees through Polonius easily, mocking him as a "tedious old fool."
“Polonius is a man bred in courts, exercised in business, stored with observation, confident of his knowledge, proud of his eloquence, and declining into dotage... Such a man is positive and confident, because he knows that his mind was once strong...”
His obsession with surveillance leads directly to his death. In the Closet Scene (Act 3, Scene 4), he hides behind an arras (tapestry) to spy on the confrontation between Hamlet and Gertrude. When he cries out, Hamlet impulsively stabs him through the curtain, mistaking him for Claudius.
His death is ignominious, befitting a character who operated in the shadows. It also serves as a major turning point in the play, driving Ophelia to madness and providing Claudius and Laertes with the motivation to destroy Hamlet.
Key Quotes by Polonius
Quote 1:
Original:
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man. (Polonius – Act 1, Scene 3)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
But most of all: be true unto yourself,
And if you do, as night will follow day,
You can’t be false to any other man.
Quote 2:
Original:
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice;
Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment. (Polonius – Act 1, Scene 3)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
Listen to everyone, but speak to few;
Take everyone’s advice but hold your own.
Quote 3:
Original:
Though this be madness, yet there is method in ’t. (Polonius, aside – Act 2, Scene 2)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
It seems as though there’s method in his madness.
Quote 4:
Original:
We are oft to blame in this,—
'Tis too much proved—that with devotion's visage
And pious action we do sugar o'er
The devil himself. (Polonius – Act 3, Scene 1)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
We’re often guilty of this:
It’s often proved that, with a doting face
And acting sanctimonious, we hide
The devil incarnate.
Key Takeaways
Polonius is a manipulative and verbose character who embodies the political maneuvering and hypocrisy of the Danish court.
While capable of delivering conventional wisdom (as seen in his advice to Laertes), his actions reveal a deep hypocrisy, as he constantly employs spying and deception.
He is a controlling father, particularly towards Ophelia, whom he views as a political asset rather than an individual.
His arrogance and reliance on surveillance lead to his ignominious death, a major catalyst for the play's tragic conclusion.
Study Questions and Analysis
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In Act 1, Scene 3, Polonius gives Laertes a speech full of paternal advice, culminating in the famous line: "This above all: to thine own self be true, / And it must follow, as the night the day, / Thou canst not then be false to any man." The advice suggests the importance of integrity and authenticity.
The irony is profound because Polonius is the least authentic character in the play. He is a sycophant obsessed with appearances, constantly spying, manipulating, and engaging in deception. Immediately after giving this advice, he sends Reynaldo to spy on Laertes (Act 2, Scene 1). His life is characterised by political manoeuvring rather than truth, making his advice deeply hypocritical.
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Polonius treats Ophelia as property and a political pawn, rather than a daughter with independent feelings. He is a controlling and manipulative father who consistently prioritises his own political standing over her well-being.
He dismisses her relationship with Hamlet, assuming the worst of Hamlet's intentions and commanding her to reject him (Act 1, Scene 3). Later, he cynically uses her as bait to spy on Hamlet (Act 3, Scene 1), seemingly oblivious to the emotional trauma this inflicts upon her. His controlling behaviour is a significant factor in her eventual descent into madness.
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Polonius arrogantly believes he has discovered the cause of Hamlet's madness: lovesickness resulting from Ophelia's rejection of him. He tells the King and Queen, "I have found / The very cause of Hamlet’s lunacy" (Act 2, Scene 2).
This misdiagnosis stems from Polonius's shallow understanding of human nature and his inability to grasp the complexity of Hamlet's intellect and grief. He interprets events solely through the lens of conventional courtly behaviour and his own limited experience, completely missing the deeper political and existential crisis Hamlet is facing.
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The death of Polonius (Act 3, Scene 4) is the pivotal moment that accelerates the play towards its tragic conclusion. It is the result of Hamlet's first decisive act of violence, committed impulsively when he mistakes Polonius for Claudius behind the arras.
The death has massive consequences. It provides Claudius with a legitimate reason to exile Hamlet. It is the direct trigger for Ophelia's madness and subsequent death. Furthermore, it motivates Laertes to return to Denmark seeking vengeance against Hamlet. Polonius's death transforms the central conflict from a private investigation into a public blood feud.
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Polonius occupies a complex space between villainy and foolishness. He is often played for comedy due to his verbosity and self-importance. Hamlet views him as a "tedious old fool" and mocks him relentlessly.
However, his actions have genuinely malicious consequences. His manipulative treatment of Ophelia, his constant spying, and his sycophantic service to the corrupt King Claudius demonstrate a lack of moral integrity. While he is not driven by the same level of ambition or evil as Claudius, his foolishness is dangerous because it is combined with political power and a lack of empathy.
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Polonius is a central figure in the pervasive atmosphere of deception and surveillance in Elsinore. He embodies the idea that political survival depends on manipulation and spying.
He constantly engages in subterfuge: spying on his own son (Act 2, Scene 1), using his daughter to spy on Hamlet (Act 3, Scene 1), and finally spying on Hamlet and Gertrude (Act 3, Scene 4). He is obsessed with the appearance of wisdom and morality while practicing deceit. Ironically, he is killed while engaging in the very act of spying that defined his career.
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Polonius serves several crucial functions in the play. Structurally, he acts as a catalyst for the plot; his interference in Hamlet's life and his eventual death drive the action forward.
Thematically, he embodies the corruption and hypocrisy of the Danish court. His reliance on spying highlights the breakdown of trust and the obsession with appearances in Elsinore.
Dramatically, he often provides comic relief through his long-winded speeches and his interactions with Hamlet. He also serves as a foil to Hamlet; while Hamlet is intellectual and introspective, Polonius is shallow and pragmatic.