What do polonius and laertes think of hamlet

Polonius does not want his daughter to become impure by giving too much of herself to a man who may not be fully committed to a future with her. Throughout the scene, Polonius is so adamant that Hamlet is no good and that Hamlet will make a fool of his daughter that readers start to wonder whether there is more to Hamlet than has been revealed. This use of humor is subtle but may provide some relief from the conflict that is occurring between Ophelia and her father. She believes that Hamlet loves her and that his intentions are honorable.

She is blinded by his affections and her perception of what love truly is. Ophelia believes that the attention she receives from Hamlet is love, his intentions are honorable, and that the love will be everlasting. Ophelia is told by her father that she may no longer spend time with Hamlet; this is very difficult for Ophelia as she is deeply in love with him.

She is torn between the loyalty that she feels toward her father and the love she feels for Hamlet. Come your ways. To protect her heart and to safeguard her honor, Laertes asserts that Ophelia should reject Prince Hamlet before he deflowers her. Ophelia jokingly chides her brother to be careful lest he be one of those "libertines" who "recks not his own rede" does not take his own advice.

Laertes agrees, telling Polonius that he really must be going, and reminding Ophelia of his directive to her. She promises to take his advice and to lock it safely in her heart. Polonius asks Ophelia what she and Laertes were discussing, and she tells him that Laertes advised her about Prince Hamlet. Polonius launches into his own diatribe on the subject, saying that Hamlet is a red-blooded male who wants her for only one purpose and that she must spurn his advances.

Ophelia promises to obey her father and break off her relationship with the Prince. Laertes offers his overprotective advice genuinely, but his tone is that of a prepared speech, and he shows neither real awareness of nor consideration for, Ophelia's feelings. In fact, he never consults her but rather speaks at her in metaphorical posturing that underscores her feminine inferiority.

Shakespeare 's choice of blank verse over iambic pentameter for Laertes' speech serves as a stage direction for the actor playing the role. This character is not a man of deep thought or fancy language but rather a pragmatist — a careful courtier more concerned with being correct than with emotional depth. Shakespeare aptly underscores the fact that Laertes is the perfect foil for Hamlet. His rehearsed, political-sounding speech patterns oppose Hamlet's emotional, flowery, and heart-heavy ruminations.

He has memorized his speech as if it were taken from his schoolboy copybook, and he shows that he is vain and ordinary with limited intellectual capabilities. This scene begins to reveal how Laertes might be similar to Hamlet — and decidedly different. Theme Wheel. Everything you need for every book you read. The way the content is organized and presented is seamlessly smooth, innovative, and comprehensive.

Understand every line of Hamlet. LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Hamlet , which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. This passage establishes that Ophelia and Hamlet have some sort of relationship.

Active Themes. Polonius is submissive and sycophantic when it comes to his dealings with the monarchy. But with his own children, he spews platitudes and attempts to appear knowledgeable and self-assured, revealing a gap between the image he projects to the world and his true inner motivations. Appearance vs. Related Quotes with Explanations. After Laertes leaves, Polonius asks Ophelia what her brother told her.

Ophelia tells him that Laertes gave her some advice about Hamlet.