Polonius

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Polonius is a character from William Shakespeare's Hamlet. The character is best known for uttering the immortal words: "To thine own self be true," as well a few other phrases still in use today such as "Neither a borrower nor a lender be" and "brevity is the soul of wit."

Father of Ophelia and Laertes, and adjunct to King Claudius, he is described as a windbag by some and a rambler of wisdom by others. It has also been suggested that he only acts like a "foolish prating knave" in order to keep his position and popularity safe and to keep anyone from discovering his plots for social advancement. Some adaptations show him conspiring with Claudius in the murder of King Hamlet, although Shakespeare himself gives no indication whatsoever of this, and this interpretation would normally be considered highly unusual.

One key to the portrayal is a producer's decision to keep or remove the brief scene with his servant, Reynaldo, which comes after his scene of genial, fatherly advice to Laertes. He instructs Reynaldo to spy on his son, and even tempt him with prostitutes and gambling. The inclusion of this scene portrays him in a much more sinister light; most productions, including Laurence Olivier's famous 1948 film version, choose to remove it.

Polonius is fearful that Hamlet's relationship with his daughter will hurt his reputation with the king and instructs Ophelia to "lock herself from [Hamlet's] resort." He later develops the belief that Ophelia's rejections of Hamlet's affections have caused the prince to lose his wits. He tests his theory with spying and interrogations.

In his last attempt to spy on Hamlet, Polonius hides himself in the curtains of Gertrude's room. Hamlet deals roughly with his mother, causing her to cry for help. Polonius repeats the request for help and is heard by Hamlet, who thinks Polonius is his uncle. Hamlet stabs the figure behind the curtains, mistakenly killing Polonius.

The death of Polonius causes Claudius to fear for his life, Ophelia to become genuinely mad and Laertes to seek his revenge.

In most productions of the 20th century, up to about 1980, Polonius was played as a somewhat senile, garrulous man of about seventy-five or so, and those productions sometimes got a few laughs out of the character's depiction. More recent productions have tended to make him slightly younger, and to emphasize his shiftiness rather than any so-called senility (possibly, the "senile" depiction is considered rather politically incorrect by some, since some productions of the play have seemed to poke fun at it). This harks back to the traditional way Polonius has been played. Until the 1900s there was a tradition for the actor who plays Polonius to also play that most famous of quick-witted clowns: the grave digger in Act V. This bit gives some evidence that the actor who played Polonius was an actor used to playing clowns much like the Fool in King Lear: not a doddering old twit, but an alive and intelligent master of illusion and misdirection.

[edit] Famous quotes

• "Neither a borrower nor a lender be; /for loan oft loses both itself and friend,/ and borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry" (I, iii)
• "And this above all: To thine own self be true." (I, iii)
• "Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,/ and tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, I will be brief: your noble son is mad." (II, ii)
• "That he is mad, 'tis true: 'tis true 'tis pity; And pity 'tis 'tis true." (II, ii)
• "Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,/ but not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy;/ For the apparel oft proclaims the man." (I, iii)