Comparison Between Polonius And Willy Loman

Willy Loman is one of the main characters in the play Death of a Salesman written by Arthur Miller. Willy Loman is a troubled man who makes a sacrifice to help his son. Polonius is one of the minor characters in the play Hamlet written by William Shakespeare. Polonius is a selfish man who wants to be well liked. Although these characters come from different worlds, Polonius and Willy Loman are very similar.

Both of these characters desire to be accepted and well-liked. Polonius does things for the king in hopes that the king will like him. Polonius tells the king, “Be you and I behind an arras then. Mark the encounter” (2.2.177-178). Polonius is willing to spy on Hamlet to please the king. This is what ultimately lead to Polonius’s death.

Willy says one thing about Biff and then goes on to say something completely different. He starts by saying, “Biff is a lazy bum” and the continues to say, “There’s one thing about Biff- he’s not lazy” (Miller 2036). Willy also contradicts himself when he says, “I did five hundred gross in Providence and seven hundred gross in Boston” and then says, “Well, no-it came to-roughly two hundred gross on the whole trip” (Miller 2046). Throughout the play, Willy continues to contradict himself. Polonius is similar to Willy because Polonius also contradicts himself throughout the play. Polonius tells Laertes, “This above all, to thine own self to be true” (I.3.78). Polonius is being a hypocrite when he says this because Polonius is not being true to himself. Throughout the play, he acts as the king’s puppet. He is not being true to himself like the advice he gave to

He cheats on Linda with another woman. Kenneth Elliot argues “Willy has had a long-standing extramarital affair with a woman he met on the road in Boston, which is the source of much of his guilt-ridden behavior toward his wife.” One of the reasons Willy is unhappy is because he feels guilty for cheating on his wife. Although Polonius doesn’t have any infidelities, he treats Ophelia with the same respect that Willy treats Linda with. He uses Ophelia to help scheme with the King. Polonius says, “Ophelia, walk you here-gracious, so please you” (3.1.43). Polonius tells Ophelia to do what he says so he can listen in on Hamlet’s conversation. Polonius uses Ophelia as a pawn in order to further his standings with the