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Father and son relationships in hamlet
Father and son relationship in hamlet
Father and son relationships in hamlet
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Polonius treats his children quite differently based on the advice he gives them. In Act 1 Scene 3, it is evident how Polonius feels toward his son, Laertes, and his daughter, Ophelia. At the time of Laertes departure to return back to France, Polonius provides him with extensive advice to retain. As Polonius speaks, pride radiates through his words as he guides his son with meaningful recommendations. His last advice consisted of, “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’ relationship with his son is meaningful, strong, and filled with pride. Although, when Polonius speaks to his daughter, Ophelia, a different mood is portrayed. “Tender yourself
Polonius, his [Hamlet’s] seeming opposite in so many ways, is, like Hamlet, an inveterate punster. To whom else but Polonius should Hamlet direct the taunt of “Words, words, words”? The aged counselor recalls that in his youth he “suffered much extremity for love, very near this,” and he has been an actor at the university. Polonius too has advice for the players: “Seneca cannot be too heavy, nor Plautus too light.” When Hamlet jibes at “so capital a calf” enacting Julius Caesar, killed in the Capitol, he reinforces the parallel to his own playacting and anticipates the slaying of Polonius behind the arras. (4)
(1. 3. 71-87) The advice that Polonius gives to Laertes is simple and sounds foolish being
To further strengthen this situation, Polonius' first words show concern not for Ophelia's well-being, but for Hamlet's intentions upon her.... ... middle of paper ... ... Works Cited Bradley, A.C. "Shakespeare's Tragic Period--Hamlet." Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth.
During Hamlet, Polonius and Laertes use Ophelia for their own self-gain not taking her feelings in consideration. In the article “Jephthah's Daughter's Daughter: Ophelia,” Cameron Hunt reveals that Polonius disregards Ophelia’s wants for his ...
After Laertes knows about the mysterious death of his father and thinks the King Claudius killed him, he organizes a rebellious army and fight all the way into the castle to get revenge for his father. By the time the messenger comes and tells Claudius and Gertrude that [Young Laertes, in a riotous head, overbears [the King’s] officers.] (Act IV scene iv l.102-103)Laertes’s rebellious army are already at the last door to where the King is. Laertes, as a gentleman from a noble family and a scholar studying abroad, has fairly high self-respect and sense of honor. When his father’s been killed and buried secretly his family lost their honor. Therefore his self-respect pushes him to regain the pride that has been lost, even if it means that he has to act against the head of the kingdom, the King of Denmark, to find out the truth of the death of his father. However his father, Polonius, is the totally opposite of him. Polonius has always been a sycophant to Claudius, everything he says is to please the King. He tells his daughter, Ophelia, that Hamlet doesn’t love her, he is only playing with her. Yet, what he says to the King is that “[He] went round to work, and [his] young mistress thus [he] did bespeak: ‘Lord Hamlet is a prince, out of [Ophelia’s] star. This must not be.’” (Act II scene ii l.147-149) Also, Polonius is willing to “loose [his] daughter to [Hamlet]. Be the [King and him] behind an arras then, mark the
Leaving her only with the response saying “I shall obey, my lord”(1.3.145 ). Why Ophelia is unable to say more than a few simple words is made clear by societal expectations of the time. During this time daughters were the property of their fathers and were obligated to do their bidding. Campbell says “if she refuses Polonius, she risks social ostracism and grave insult to the man who capriciously controls her future” (58). Ophelia fears the backlash of disobeying her father, believing there is no other choice than doing what he has asked her to do. Even though a woman's virtue is a sacred and a very personal choice, her father leaves Ophelia with one option: to do what he says. “The issue of Ophelia’s chastity concerns Polonius as a parent and a politician—a virginal Ophelia has a better chance of attaining Hamlet’s hand in marriage” (Floyd-Wilson 401). This relationship Ophelia has between her father is very one-sided and unhealthy. It is formal and proper with very few emotions attached to each other. However, because Polonius is the only parental figure Ophelia has and loves him, his death was extremely difficult for her. Her father, hasn’t left her like Laertes and hasn’t rejected her like Hamlet. Making his unexpected death the final straw to her losing her sanity. Without someone to guide her, she is lost. She is unable to blindly follow a man but is to racked with emotion to think clearly.
Chronologically first, the death of Polonius triggers the events that lead to the deaths of both Ophelia and Laertes. From early on, Polonius is established as an untrusting and untrustworthy character. One of his very first actions is hiring a man to spy on his own son, “Your bait of falsehood takes this carp of truth”(31). Polonius tells Reynaldo to spread dishonorable rumors about Laertes in order to reveal his true behaivior. He is untrusting of his own son to obey the long list of advice he gave to him prior to his departure. This tendency to spy in order to ponder his suspicions is what ultimatley leads to Hamlet stabbing him to death. Due to the desire to confirm his false theory that Ophelia is the reason for Hamlet’s madness, Polonius chooses to spy on the Queen and her son,
I agree with the statement that Polonius, adviser in the court of King Claudius of Denmark, is a good father who desires what is best for his children. Although he may be a fussy and overcautious old man, Polonius constantly gives good advice and his best wishes to both his children, Laertes and Ophelia.
"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive!". This quote by
However, after Polonius’ death, Ophelia no longer has an immediate figure of authority over her, ...
Ophelia is conditioned to obey Polonius and Laertes’ commands, thinly veiled as guidance for her “own good.” She is never trusted to have a mind of her own, often having her intelligence openly insulted, causing her to be dependent on the men in her life. These men exercise authority over her, patronize, and degrade her, lowering her self-esteem to a non-existent level, and leaving her a...
In the very first scene of the second act, Ophelia rushes to tell her father, Polonius, disturbing news:
Polonius is over-eager and tries to give unwanted advice, during the play he is tactless and often rude. For instance, Polonius is a comic relief during his conversation with Gertrude and Claudius regarding Hamlet’s madness. Polonius rambling through his conversation contrasts with Gertrude’s seriousness of wanting to find out the reason to Hamlet’s madness. As Polonius begins to deliver to the king and queen the results of his investigation, he makes this statement, “My liege, and madam, to expostulate/ What majesty should be, what duty is,/ What day is day, night is night, and time is time,/ Were 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. Your noble son is mad. . . .”(IIii,86-92) . Polonius’ speech is windy and nonsensical he wastes ti...
In the Mel Gibson version, Polonius possesses the ability to listen though we see this in many characters the main one is towards Ophelia. Polonius takes time to let her talk as he listens. Although, in the David Tennant film, he tends to focus more on what he has to say other than simply listening. One instance in which Polonius talks about giving advice to others but he is not taking for himself is when he says, “This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow as the night the day, Though canst not then be false to any man.” He learns that listening to others can
Polonius attempts to convince and change his daughter, Ophelia’s mindset through sexuality and feelings towards Hamlet.