Essential #7

How are Prince Hamlet and Polonius similar?

Both Prince Hamlet and Polonius devised secrete plots to prove their beliefs as true. For example, Polonius believed that Hamlet’s madness came from his love for his daughter Ophelia. He decided to hide behind a curtain while Ophelia confronted Hamlet. Similarly, Hamlet believed that Claudius was guilty of his father’s murder; however, there was a possibility that the ghost was actually the devil. Hamlet had Claudius watch a play that resembled his father’s murder which would hopefully drive Claudius to confess.
Both Polonius and Prince Hamlet have multiple personalities. Polonius first appeared as a compassionate, nurturing father to his son, Laertes. He gave Laertes a blessing and valuable advice to live by. Not long after Laertes left, Polonius ordered Reynaldo to spy on Laertes and make malicious rumors about him. In the beginning, Hamlet was slow and careful to act. He did not immediately kill Claudius, instead he chose to wait hoping Claudius would admit his sins. While Hamlet appeared cautious, his actions at the end of Act 3 were far from cautious. Without even knowing who the man behind the curtain was, Hamlet instantly thrust his sword through the curtain, killing Polonius. Hamlet had no intention of killing Polonius; he wanted to kill the king. His actions were arrogant and extremely impulsive.
Hamlet and Polonius only cared about themselves and tried to exert power over the female characters. Polonius did not want Ophelia to have a relationship with Hamlet because he felt it would hurt his reputation with the king. He ordered her never to speak to Hamlet, and she obeyed. Similarly, Hamlet was outraged by his mother’s marriage to his uncle. He felt his mother had committed one of the greatest sins. In reality, Gertrude was only a queen without a king. She needed to marry in order to do what was best for the country. Hamlet ordered his mother to refrain from going to bed with Claudius. Both Polonius and Hamlet wanted to have power and would do whatever it took to get that power.