Danny Blumberg, Marcus Carrigan, Grant Fehling, Nnaoma Oji, Audrianna Thompson
Period 5
Polonius
Notes:

He is the father of Laertes and Ophelia, and an advisor (court) of King Claudius
 He reluctantly allows Laertes to return to school France and gives him a great deal of
advise

When sending off Laertes Polonius learns that Hamlet and Ophelia have been having an
affair
 Tells Ophelia to reject Hamlet because he does not actually love her
 Gives Reynaldo (servant) money and papers and commands him to go and spy on Laertes
in France
 Ophelia tells Polonius about Hamlet’s actions toward her which causes Polonius to think
that Hamlet is mad with love for Ophelia.
 Polonius tells Claudius and Gertrude that Hamlet’s love for Ophelia is the source of his
odd behavior, and together they devise a plan in which they will spy on Hamlet and
Ophelia.
 While spying on Hamlet and Ophelia Polonius discovers that Hamlet’s love for Ophelia
is not the source of his madness because Hamlet says that he does not love Ophelia. He
then suggests to Claudius that Gertrude should speak to Hamlet alone while he spies on
them. He hopes that this new plan will cause Hamlet to reveal the source of his odd
behavior/madness
 Although Hamlet heckles Polonius, Polonius carries out duty of bringing the players
(actors) to Hamlet. While talking to the players Polonius informs them that he was once
an actor in the play Julius Ceaser.
 Spies on Hamlet and Gertrude while they are having their private conversation (Polonius
set up this conversation)
 While spying on Hamlet and Gertrude Polonius is stabbed and killed by Hamlet. His
death causes his children to react different. Laertes wants to seek revenge, while Ophelia
goes somewhat crazy.
Roles:

Advisor: Polonius’s job is as the advisor of King Claudius. Some of the tasks he does
include organizing affairs, gaining information and reporting it to the King, and most
importantly, trying to find out the source of Hamlets odd behavior/madness. His role as
an advisor can also be seen in his actions toward Hamlet. He serves him and also
attempts to counsel him and discover what causes his problems.

Father: He is the father of Laertes and Ophelia and takes care of both of them. In the
story he sends Laertes off to France, but keeps an eye on him by sending his servant
Reynaldo to spy on him. As for Ophelia, at first Polonius tells her to stay away from
Hamlet, but later encourages her to get close to him in order to discover the source of his
odd behavior/madness. There is nothing said about Polonius having a wife in the story.

Spy: Polonius acts as a spy and sort of head of C.I.A. This is because he always spying
and trying to find out information, usually on Hamlet. In order to gain information on
Hamlet Polonius often sets up situations in which Hamlet may express the source of his
odd behavior/madness. During these situations Polonius is usually hidden and watching.
Characteristics:

Controlling (1.3.130-136): Forbids Ophelia from speaking or seeing Hamlet.

Sly (2.1.3-5): Shows his slyness by secretly sending Reynaldo to spy on Laertes in France

Loyal (2.2.45-45): Says that he will always due his duty to his lord (Claudius)

Talkative (2.2.85-95): When Polonius is speaking Queen Gertrude tells him to just to the
point rather than saying useless details

Selfish (2.2.162-167): He uses Ophelia for his own benefit when trying to find out the
source of Hamlet’s odd behavior/madness

Clueless (2.2.197-204): Hamlet is mocking Polonius, but he does seem to understand

Obedient (2.2.527-533): Obeys Hamlet’s commands even though Hamlet is not the king

Ambitious (3.1.179-190): After his first plan of trying to find out the cause of Hamlet’s
odd behavior/madness fails, he immediately come up with another

Watchful (3.2.109): Is watching Hamlet as he is talking to Ophelia before the play in
hopes to discover the source of Hamlet’s distress

Deceiving (375-381): He agrees with everything Hamlet says, but does this only to get
close to Hamlet in hopes of discovering the source of his misery
Changes:
 Family: At the beginning of the play Polonius is very protective of his children, but later
he seems to forget about them. His protectiveness can be seen when he does not want
Laertes to leave for France, does not allow Ophelia to see Hamlet, and sends Reynaldo to
see how Laertes is doing. In all these acts Polonius is attempting to protect his children,
however later in the play he does not seem to speak or express concern for them. This is
most likely because he becomes somewhat obsessed about discovering the source of
Hamlets odd behavior/madness.
 Interest in Hamlet: At the beginning of the play Polonius does seem to be very interested
in Hamlet and his behavior, but as the play progresses he gets more and more interested
until a point in which he is somewhat obsessed. This can be seen when spies, observes,
and interacts with Hamlet. Also, his plans intended to cause Hamlet to express his
feelings shown an increased interest in Hamlet.

Duty: As an advisor it is Polonius’ job to serve King Claudius’ and also do some of his
bidding; however Polonius takes this job one step further as the play continues. This is
because Polonius gets involved in the royal family’s internal problems concerning
Hamlet. He gets involved by trying to discover the source of Hamlet’s odd
behavior/madness and soon becomes so involved that he forgets some of his regular
duties, for example maintaining communication with other officials.