Polonius Euphemism In Hamlet

Hamlet is an intellectual man with the ability to express his affections very prominently. This can be seen through the way he addresses his friend, Horatio, and even to his mother. However, Hamlet’s letter strays out of character for a man able to convey his emotions so strongly. This letter is even different from previous letters written by him to others in the play. This might be because in a Elizabethan time there was a specific way that love letters were written, but Hamlet is a character who creates trends, not follows them. Some critics claim he wrote it in euphemisms since he spoke them often throughout the play. If it is written in euphemisms, then people are brought to believe that Hamlet’s love is fake. A more believable idea being

Recalling the scene from which Polonius tells Reynaldo to spy and spread rumors about his son gives they audience a different and more controlling take on his character. Usually this scene is seen as irrelevant to the play by stage directors, and critics, but holds more than it seems. This scene shows how manipulative Polonius can really be. He is sneaky and does everything behind the scenes and, unlike Hamlet, does not need verification that he is right. Polonius always thinks that he is right and sees the world as one that revolves around himself. Since he does not doubt himself he has no problem using Reynaldo to sully his son's school reputation. So, it is to say, that if Polonius can forge a note degrading his own son, who's to say he did not forge the note from Hamlet to Ophelia? That irrelevant scene may be important after all, since it shows that Polonius forges letters. Since Polonius always needs to be right, it would be an easy explanation for Hamlet’s madness and give Polonius control of the situation since he told Ophelia to reject Hamlet’s affections. All he has to do is prove that this is the cause for Hamlet’s madness, and the best way to do that is through showing a letter between the two