求答Hamlet Is Polonius a sympathetic character?
"Hamlet" is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare.
Hamlet is the protagonist of the play and is portrayed as a
very emotional soul, a daring, brave character who has a
bad and violent temper.
Hamlet is a very emotional young man. As we all know, his
father's death was a shock for him and he could not get
over it. Claudius mentions that Hamlet was taking the
mourning of his father's death to extremes:
"To give these mourning duties to your father;
But you must know, your father lost a father;
That father lost his, and the survivor bound
In filial obligation for some term
To do obsequious sorrow."
The King is telling Hamlet that death is only natural and
that Hamlet's father lost his father too. He is informing
Hamlet that he is mourning too much for his deceased father
and he should try to get over it. Another example of
Hamlet's emotions getting the better of him can be seen
when he is reminiscing his father's death. Hamlet says,
"...How stand I then,/That have father killed, a mother
stained,...2". He is asking himself what kind of a person
he is if he can allow his father to be murdered and his
mother to be married so soon after his father's death to
his uncle. This shows us that he is pitying himself and is
putting himself down. Yet another example of his emotions
running wild are seen in his first soliloquy:
"...She married.
O, most wicked speed, to post with such dexterity to
incestuous sheets!
It is not, nor it cannot come to good.
But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue"
He is telling us that his mother has married right away and
did not mourn for his father's death. He tells us that the
marriage is not good and nor can this marriage between
Claudius and Getrude come to any good. He wants to express
his true feelings to his mother, but since it will hurt
her, he must be silent for the time being. This shows us
that he has a great and deep love for his mother. He will
not say or do anything to hurt her, even though what she is
doing is wrong.
Hamlet is also a brave and daring character. There are
several examples of his fearless attitude. The first
example occurs when the ghost visits Hamlet, Horatio and
Marcellus. Here Hamlet is determined to meet the ghost:
"If it assume my noble father's person,
I'll speak to it, though hell itself should gape
And bid me hold my peace."
Hamlet wants to speak to the ghost, even though it might be
a demon instead of his father's spirit.
Another example of his bravery is portrayed when he
actually sees the ghost:
HAM. It will not speak. Then I will follow it.
HOR. Do not, my lord!
HAM. Why, what should be the fear?
Hamlet is not afraid to follow the ghost and speak with it,
despite the fact that Horatio is telling him not to go. He
asks Horatio why he is stopping him and what is there to be
afraid of. Another significant incident that brings out
Hamlet's daring character is when he arranges for the
players to perform "The Murder of Gonzago" to find out
whether or not the King is guilty of his father's murder.
Hamlet's plan is, "...The paly's the thing/Wherein I'll
catch the conscience of the King. 6" He decides to use the
play to test the King's conscience and if the King seems
nervous or behaves strangely he will know his course from
there.(To do what the apparition told him. Get revenge.)
Hamlet also has a bad and violent temper. This is expressed
when the meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia goes sour:
...You jig, you amble, and you lisp; you nickname God's
creatures and make your wantonness your ignorance. Go to,
I'll no more on't! it hath made me mad. 7
Here he is upset with Ophelia and insults her and tells her
that she names things according to her own fancy and then
acts as if her own willfulness is ignorance. He says that
he has had enough of it and this has made him angry.
Another scene where he expresses his anger is immediately
after killing Polonius and shouts at his mother:
"Here is your husband, like a mildewed ear
Blasting his wholesome brother.
Have you eyes? Could you on this fair mountain leave to
feed,
And batten on this moor?
Ha! have you eyes?"
He is telling Gertrude that her new husband is nothing like
Hamlet's biological father. How could she leave him after
his death and marry Claudius? Can't she see what she is
doing?
These are three of Hamlet's character traits as seen in
Shakespeare's Hamlet. I feel that all these character
traits are important, but the most significant one is the
portrayal of his brave and daring character. I feel that
this character trait is the most significant because if
Hamlet had not met with the ghost or set up "The
Mousetrap", the play would not have been where it is now
since he wouldn't know what happened to his father.
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
王子复仇记
This is the sad story of Hamlet, young Prince of Denmark, whose father died two months before the story begins. Hamlet' s father was King of Denmark and Hamlet was his only son. The king died a strange death while he was sleeping in the garden of his castle. It was believed that he had been bitten to death by a poisonous snake. He was such a wise and kind king that he was loved by all the people in the nation. His son, Hamlet, of course, loved him far more than anyone else in the world.
Hamlet was so sad and sorrowful that he never stopped wearing black clothes. There was something else which made Hamlet even sadder. His mother, Gertrude, married Hamlet' s uncle, Claudius, who was a brother of the late king. After Hamlet' s father died, Claudius became King of Denmark and married Gertrude. Young Hamlet did not like him because he was not as wise and kind as his father. He was a man of unkindly character. Hamlet did not in the least want his mother to marry such a man. He became angry with both of them and came to despise his mother as well as his uncle.
这是讲述年轻丹麦王子哈姆雷特的悲伤故事，他的父亲在故事开始前两个月去世。哈姆雷特的父亲是丹麦国王，而哈姆雷特则是他的独生子。国王在城堡的花园中睡觉时突然离奇地死去，大家都认为他是被一条毒蛇给咬死的。他是一位睿智仁慈的国王，因此全国人民都很爱戴他。当然，国王的儿子哈姆雷特要比世上的任何人更爱他。
哈姆雷特很伤心难过，因此他一直穿着黑色的丧服。另外还有一件令哈姆雷特更加伤心的事，那就是他的母亲葛楚德嫁给哈姆雷特的叔叔克劳迪斯，也就是已故国王的弟弟。在哈姆雷特的父亲去世之后，克劳迪斯成为丹麦的国王并且取了葛楚德。年轻的哈姆雷特并不喜欢他的叔叔，因为他不像自己的父亲那么睿智仁慈，他是一个本性无情的人。哈姆雷特一点也不愿意他的母亲嫁给这种男人。他对他们俩感到非常气愤，因而看不起他的母亲和叔叔。
The bell of the castle was ringing. It was exactly midnight. Suddenly a ghost in the form of the late king appeared in the darkness. It looked pale and sad. Looking at the ghost, the two guards of the castle and Horatio, Hamlet' s best friend, were surprised and terrified. They wondered if something bad was going to happen in Denmark. They decided to tell their prince what they had seen .
The next day they went to Hamlet and told him that they had seen the ghost of King Hamlet. Hamlet doubted it at first, but wanted to make sure himself. He asked them to take him to see the ghost that night. They agreed.
Late at night Hamlet, Horatio and one of the guards went to the top of the walls. It was very cold and dark there. Some time after they got there, the ghost in armor suddenly appeared out of the darkness. As his friends had told him, Hamlet saw that the ghost was exactly like his dead father.
He called out, "King, Father! Why did you come here out of the grave?"
The ghost did not answer him, but looked at him sadly and made a sign for him to follow. His friends did not want to let Hamlet follow the ghost because they thought it might be an evil spirit and do something badto him. But he did follow the ghost. While Hamlet and the ghost walked away into the darkness, his friends had to wait anxiously there worrying about his safe return .
At the end of the walls of the castle the ghost stopped and began to talk to Hamlet, "I am the ghost of your father. I wanted to rule Denmark peacefully until you grew up and became king after me. But two months ago, while I was sleeping in the beautiful garden of the castle, my brother Claudius came and put poison into my ear. I was instantly killed. Hamlet! Be brave and kill him for me. But never kill or hurt my wife, for she is your mother. Let her repent for what she has done. That is enough for her. What I have told you is true. I tell you again. I was not killed by a poisonous snake, but by my brother Claudius. Never forget what I have told you, my dear son. Good-bye, Hamlet!"
Then the ghost disappeared into the mist of the dark sky. Upon hearing this, Hamlet became excited and was even more furious with Claudius and his mother. He made up his mind to kill his uncle and let his mother repent for her sins.
城堡里的钟声响起，此刻正是午夜。突然间一个外形很像已故国王的鬼魂在暗处出现。它的脸色看起来很苍白、悲伤。城堡的两个卫兵和哈姆雷特的挚友荷瑞修看到这鬼魂时，感到非常吃惊害怕。他们怀疑是否有不祥的事会在丹麦发生。他们决定把亲眼看到的事告诉王子。
隔天，他们去见哈姆雷特并且告诉他，他们曾看见过哈姆雷特国王的鬼魂。哈姆雷特起先对这件事感到怀疑，但他想要亲自去证实这件事。他要他们当晚带他去看那个鬼魂，他们同意了。深夜，哈姆雷特，荷瑞修和一名守卫三人来到城墙顶，那里非常寒冷、阴暗，就在他们到达后不久，这个身穿盔甲的鬼魂突然从黑暗之中出现。哈姆雷特看到这个鬼魂跟他死去的父亲简直一模一样，就如他的朋友告诉他的。
他大声地叫:“国王，我的父亲！您为什么离开坟墓到这里来？”鬼魂没有回答他的话，但却很悲伤地看着他，并对他做了个手势，示意他跟着它去。哈姆雷特的朋友不想让他跟着鬼魂走，因为他们认为它可能是邪恶的鬼魂，而且会对他不利。但是哈姆雷特仍然跟着鬼魂而去。当哈姆雷特和鬼魂离去走入黑暗之中时，他的朋友们只得在那儿焦虑地等待并担忧他能否平安地回来。
在城墙的尽头，鬼魂停下脚步，开始对哈姆雷特说：“我是你父亲的鬼魂，我本想和平地统治丹麦直到你长大成人继承我的王位。但是两个月前，当我在城堡里美丽的花园中睡觉时，我的弟弟克劳迪斯走到我身边把毒药塞入我的一只耳朵里。我立即就被他毒死了。哈姆雷特！勇敢点替我杀了他，但是绝不要杀害或伤害我的妻子，因为他是你的母亲。让她去为她所做的事后悔，这对她来说已经够了。我所告诉你的都是事实。我再告诉你一遍，我不是被毒蛇咬死的，而是被我的弟弟克劳迪斯害死的。一定要记住我告诉你的事，我亲爱的儿子，再见了，哈姆雷特。”
然后鬼魂在满布雾气的夜空中消失不见。哈姆雷特一听到这个秘密，显得激动万分并对克劳迪斯和他的母亲更加愤恨不已。他决定要杀死他的叔叔并让他的母亲为她的罪行忏悔。
Hamlet' s friends were anxious about him and came to look for him. They found Hamlet kneeling down and looking up at the dark sky praying to God. Hamlet noticed them coming to him. He stood up and sincerely asked them not to tell anyone what had happened that night. They all agreed and made a firm promise not to tell anyone about it, swearing on Hamlet' s sword.
That very night Hamlet decided to pretend that he had gone mad in order to have a better chance to kill Claudius. He decided not to tell his plan to any of his friends except Horatio .
Since Hamlet saw the ghost, he had often thought of his dead father and of his promise to the ghost. He became sadder each day. He was not a young, merry prince as he used to be. Before his father' s death, he was interested in many things, such as books, art, music and plays. But now he gave them all up. To everyone, he seemed to act very strangely. He became rude to everyone in the castle and behaved like a mad man.
He hardly ever spoke to Ophelia , a beautiful lady whom he had deeply loved. Before, they would talk happily and take walks in the woods near the castle. He would talk to her so sweetly and gently that Ophelia was deeply in love with him. But now he was quite different. Therefore, Polonius, Ophelia' s father, did not want his daughter to love Hamlet anymore because of his strange behavior.
哈姆雷特的朋友们很担心他的安危就来寻找他，他们发现哈姆雷特跪在地上，望着黑暗的天空向上帝祈祷。哈姆雷特注意到他们来了，便站了起来，很诚挚地要求他们不要把当晚发生的事告诉任何人。他们全都答应了，并且对着哈姆雷特的剑发誓，许下坚定的承诺绝不把这件事告诉任何人。
就在那天晚上，哈姆雷特决定装疯以便有更好的机会去杀克劳迪斯。除了荷瑞修之外，他决定不把他的计划告诉他的任何朋友。
自从哈姆雷特见过父亲的鬼魂后，他常常想到亡父以及他对鬼魂所做的承诺。他一天比一天更加悲伤，已经不再像是从前那位年轻、快乐的王子了。在他父亲去世之前，他对很多事情都有兴趣，例如读书、艺术、音乐和戏剧。但是现在他把那些兴趣都放弃了。对每个人来说，他的行为举止似乎非常怪异。他对城堡中的每个人都很粗暴，言行举止像个疯子一样。
他几乎不曾跟他深爱的美丽的欧菲莉亚说过话。以前，他们会在离城堡不远的树林里散步，愉快地谈心。他会很甜蜜很温柔地跟她说话，因而欧菲莉亚深爱着他，但是如今他变了很多。因此，欧菲莉亚的父亲普罗尼尔斯因为哈姆雷特怪异的行为举止而不希望他的女儿再爱他。
One day Hamlet came to Ophelia, who was knitting in her room, and spoke wildly to her. He appeared half-naked, wearing a dirty shirt with no hat on his head. She gave back all the letters and valuable rings that she had received from Hamlet.
"I will not meet you anymore," she said to him. Hamlet left her, feeling even more miserable.
She told her father everything that had occurred in her room. When Polonius heard this from his daughter, he believed he knew what had made Hamlet go mad. He thought that Hamlet had gone mad because of his love for Ophelia . Polonius went to Claudius and Gertrude to let them know what caused Hamlet's madness. He told them that the love affair between Hamlet and Ophelia was the true cause of his madness.
Claudius always doubted what he heard from his men. He commanded two men who used to be Hamlet' s friends when they were children to find out the true reason why he had been acting so strangely recently. He also asked Polonius to arrange an unexpected meeting of the two lovers so that they could carefully observe Hamlet' s behavior.
有一天，哈姆雷特来找正在房内编织的欧菲莉亚，并且粗鲁蛮横地跟她说话。他穿着一件脏衬衫，没有戴帽子，半裸地出现在她面前。她还给他从他那儿收到的所有信件和珍贵的戒指。
“我不想再看到你，”她对他说。哈姆雷特离开了他，内心感到更加痛苦。
欧菲莉亚把在房内发生的一切事情告诉他的父亲。当普罗尼尔斯从她女儿口中听到这件事时，他相信他知道是什么原因使得哈姆雷特发疯。他认为哈姆雷特是因为爱欧菲莉亚才发疯的。普罗尼尔斯去见克劳迪斯和葛楚德，让他们知道造成哈姆雷特发疯的原因。普罗尼尔斯禀告他们，哈姆雷特和欧菲莉亚之间的爱情才是哈姆雷特发疯的真正原因。
克劳迪斯总是怀疑从他的手下那边听来的消息。他命令小时候曾经是哈姆雷特的朋友的两名手下去找出为什么哈姆雷特最近行为这么怪异的真正原因。他也要求普罗尼尔斯去为这对情人安排一次意外的相会，以便他们能够仔细观察哈姆雷特的举止表现。
Hamlet' s two old friends met him when he was saying some strange things to himself alone in the hall of the castle. They begged him to tell them the true cause of his madness. But he would not tell them anything, and instead made fools of them.
One day when Hamlet was unhappy and worried by the memory of the ghost and the promise he had made, a group of actors came to visit him. They were the same players that Hamlet used to enjoy seeing. He welcomed them. Then they acted a short play for him.
It was a sad story about a good king who was poisoned to death by his brother. And this man became king and married the queen. They played it so well, with tears in their eyes, that the scene seemed real. While Hamlet was watching them, he felt very angry with himself. He said to himself, "Those players can cry for the sad king whom they have never met. But in my case I have done nothing at all for my poor father who was killed by my uncle Claudius. What a coward I am!"
When the play was over, he thought of a good plan. He decided to have them play it once again in front of the king and queen the next day. He also asked them to add a few lines of his own to the play so that he could make the play more like what had happened to his father. Hamlet said to himself, "If Claudius is really guilty, his face will turn pale while he is watching the play. Then I will know that what the ghost told me is true. I will watch his face very carefully."
哈姆雷特的两位老友见到他时，他正独自一个人在城堡里胡言乱语。他们请求他告诉他们他发疯的真正原因，但是他非但没有告诉他们，反而还捉弄他们。
有一天，当哈姆雷特想到父亲的鬼魂和他对鬼魂所做的承诺而显得郁郁寡欢和忧虑时，一群演员来看他。他们是哈姆雷特以前喜爱观赏的同一群演员。哈姆雷特欢迎他们的到来，接着他们为他表演一出短剧。
那是叙述一位好国王被他的弟弟毒死的悲伤故事。他的弟弟后来当了国王并且娶了皇后。他们含泪演出表演得真好，以致于这一幕戏好像是真的一样。当哈姆雷特看着他们表演的时候，他对自己感到非常的生气。他对自己说：“那些演员可以为这个他们从没见过面的悲哀的国王而哭泣，而以我的立场，我却没有为被我叔叔克劳迪斯杀死的可怜的父亲尽过任何力。我真是一个懦夫！”
这出戏结束时，他想到了一个好计划。他决定要他们隔天在国王和皇后面前再表演一次，他也要求他们在剧中加一些他自己想的台词，以使这出戏更像发生在他父亲身上的事。哈姆雷特对自己说：“假如克劳迪斯真的有罪，当他在观赏这出戏时，他的脸将会变得苍白。那个时候我就会相信鬼魂告诉我的事是真的，我会非常仔细地注意他脸上的表情。”
He told his plan to Horatio, his best friend in the castle, and also asked him to watch the king' s face with the greatest care.
Hamlet went to the king and queen to tell them that he would like to invite them to a play the next evening. They agreed to see the play. They hoped that Hamlet was at last getting better and would come to accept them as his father and mother. He said good night to Claudius and Gertrude, pretending that he was happy that night.
On his way back to his own room, he met Ophelia, who looked so sad and unhappy in the hall. The king and Polonius were hiding behind the curtains of the hall, trying to listen to their conversation.
Hamlet said to Ophelia, "I don' t love you anymore. We are all dirty animals on this earth. Ophelia, you are one of these dirty ones, too. Go to a nunnery. Go away right now, you dirty woman!"
Ophelia was too surprised at his words to say anything to him. It was such a strange and mad thing to say. Polonius thought his guess was right. But the king still doubted Hamlet' s madness.
The king, the queen and Polonius entered a large room where the play was to be shown to the whole court. The king sat with the queen. Hamlet sat by the side of Ophelia. Horatio sat facing the king in order to watch him carefully.
他把他的计划告诉在城堡内的挚友荷瑞修，也要他很仔细地注意国王脸上的表情。
哈姆雷特去见国王和皇后，告诉他们他想邀请他们隔天晚上去欣赏戏剧。他们同意去看这出戏。他们希望哈姆雷特的病情终于能好转起来，并能渐渐接受他们做他的父母亲。哈姆雷特向克劳迪斯和葛楚德说晚安，那天晚上并装出很愉快的样子。
在回到他房间的路上，他在大厅遇到欧菲莉亚，她看起来既伤心又难过。国王和普罗尼尔斯躲在大厅的窗帘后面，设法要听到他们在说些什么。
哈姆雷特对欧菲莉亚说：“我不再爱你了。我们都是世上卑劣的动物。欧菲莉亚，你也是其中之一，去女修道院，现在就去，你这卑劣的女人。”
欧菲莉亚对于他所说的话大感吃惊，以致于搭不上他的话。说出这样的字眼真是荒诞疯狂。普罗尼尔斯认为他的猜测是正确的。但是国王仍旧对哈姆雷特发疯一事感到怀疑。
国王、皇后和普罗尼尔斯走进一间大房间，这出戏即将在这里表演给整个宫廷的人欣赏。国王和皇后坐在一起，哈姆雷特从在欧菲莉亚的旁边，荷瑞修面对国王坐下来为了能仔细地注意他。
The play began. In the play the king and queen were talking on the bench in the beautiful garden. The queen said to the king, "I will love you forever. I will never marry another man if you should die before me. Only women that kill their husbands marry again. " The king in the play was very glad to hear this. As the king fell asleep, the queen left him alone. Just after she left, the king's brother came near the sleeping king and poured a deadly poison into his ear. He was soon killed by this cunning brother who had long wanted to become king and marry the queen.
Seeing this scene, Claudius turned pale and became very angry. He shouted, "Stop the play at once. " He stood up and went out of the room with the queen.
Horatio and Hamlet saw the king show every sign of fear and anger. Hamlet was now quite sure that the ghost had told him the truth. He himself became excited and firmly decided to revenge his father as soon as he could. When the queen came back into her room, she was very worried about her son, who had made the king furious. She wanted to know why Hamlet asked the group of players to show such a disgraceful play before the king. She sent for Hamlet.
这出戏开始演出了。戏里的国王和皇后正坐在美丽的花园里的长椅上聊天。皇后对国王说：“我永远爱你！万一你比我先死的话，我决不会再嫁给其他的男人。只有杀死他们丈夫的女人才会再嫁。”戏中的国王听到这席话很高兴。国王睡着时，皇后留下他独自一人。就在皇后离去之后，国王的弟弟靠近熟睡中的国王，把致命的毒药倒入耳朵里面。国王很快就被这个长久以来一直渴望成为国王并且娶到皇后的狡猾的弟弟毒死。
克劳迪斯一看到这幕戏，脸色变得苍白，而且感到非常愤怒。他大声叫喊：“立刻停演。”他站起来跟皇后走出这个房间。
荷瑞修和哈姆雷特看到国王显露出种种害怕、愤怒的迹象。哈姆雷特此时十分确信鬼魂告诉他的真相。他本人显得很激动，并下定决定要尽快替他父亲报仇。皇后回到他的房间里时，很为激怒国王的儿子担忧。她想知道为什么哈姆雷特要这群演员在国王面前表演这么可耻的戏剧。她派人去请哈姆雷特过来。
Hamlet hurriedly walked to her room where she was uneasily waiting for him. On the way to his mother' s room, Hamlet saw Claudius kneeling down to pray in his room. He thought he could kill him right then. But he did not do it. He said to himself, "If I kill him when he is praying to God, he will not go to hell. I had better kill him when he is angry or doing something bad. Then he is sure to go to hell. " So he stopped thinking of killing Claudius for the moment.
Hamlet did not know that the doubting king had commanded Polonius to hide behind the curtains in the queen' s room so that he could see what might happen there. As soon as Hamlet came into her room, his mother began to scold him for what he had done to the king. She said angrily, "You have made your father very angry. You must beg his pardon."
Hamlet would not listen to her, but answered back. He said, "It is you who are to blame. You married that unkind and unkingly uncle of mine so soon after my father' s death.
You should be ashamed of your deed. I will never accept him as my father. He does not deserve to be King of Denmark. I will tell you again. It is not I but you and that dirty Claudius that should repent."
哈姆雷特匆忙地走向她的房间，那时她正在房间内不安地等候他。在去他母亲房间的路上，哈姆雷特看到克劳迪斯跪在他的房间内祷告。他心想他现在可以杀了克劳迪斯，但是他并没有这样做。他对自己说：“我若在他向上帝祷告的时候杀了他，他将不会下地狱。我最好在他生气或是做错事的时候杀他，这样他就一定会下地狱。” 于是他此刻先抛开想杀克劳迪斯的念头。
哈姆雷特不知道这位疑心的国王早已命令普罗尼尔斯躲在皇后房内的窗帘后面，以便他能看到那里可能发生的事。哈姆雷特一走进她的房间，他的母亲就为他对国王所做的事开始责骂他。她很生气地说：“你激怒了你的父亲，你必须去请求他原谅你。”
哈姆雷特不听她的话，反而顶嘴说：“该受责备的是你。你在我父亲去世后这么快就嫁给我那个心怀不仁、不配当国王的叔叔。你才应该为你的行为感到羞耻。我绝不接受他做我的父亲。他没有资格当丹麦的国王。我再告诉你一遍，该忏悔的不是我，而是你和那个卑劣的克劳迪斯。”
Scholars believe that the advice Polonius gives to his son is simple, an when looked at in full context, is foolish and selfish. After Laertes returns to Paris, Polonius send his servant Reynaldo to Paris to spy on Laertes and question his acquaintances. Polonius says to Reynaldo: At “closes in the consequence”-ay, marry- He closes thus: “I know the gentleman. I saw him yesterday,” or “th’ other day” (Or then, or then, with such or such), “and as you say, There was he gaming, there (o’ertook) in’s rouse, There falling out at tennis”, or perchance “I saw him enter such a house of sale”- Videlicet, a brothel- or so forth. See you now Your bait of falsehood take this carp of truth; And thus do we of wisdom and of reach, With windlasses and with assays of bias, By indirections find directions out. (2. 1. 61-75) 3 By spying on Laertes, Polonius is showing the audience and the reader, that he does now trust him. After giving Laertes a speech on how to behave, Polonius still feels that he has to spy on his son. Joan Hartwig comments on Polonius’ plan to spy on his son: “A machiavellian schemer who takes his plotting to absurd proportions, Polonius pursues ‘indirection’ for its own sake. His efforts to discover Laertes’ reputation in Paris assume that Laertes will not follow his earlier advice; thus, the later words become a comic reduction of his previous sermon to his son” (Hartwig 218). Another reason for Polonius’ foolishness is that Polonius is convinced, and tries convincing others, that the reason for Hamlet’s madness is his love for Ophelia. He tells Ophelia: Come, go with me. I will go seek the king. This is the very ecstasy love, Whose violent property fordoes itself And leads the will to desperate undertakings As oft as any passions under heaven That does afflict out natures. I am sorry. What, have you given him any hard words of late? (2. 1. 113-119) After hearing of Hamlet’s madness, he immediately reaches a conclusion and believes, throughout the play, that he is correct. He does not consider other possibilities and foolishly jumps to the conclusion that Hamlet is mad for Ophelia’s love. R.S. White believes that Polonius should have considered other options for Hamlet’s madness: “But when saying that it is simply Ophelia’s rejection that has made Hamlet mad, he is ignorant of the predisposed mental state of the young man caused by his mother’s remarriage, the recent encounter with the ghost and the whole repressive machinery of Denmark’s social 4 and political life” (White 67).
Polonius foolishly believes that he knows what underlies Hamlet’s madness; while Hamlet, and the audience, knows that he is wrong. Polonius continues to demonstrate his foolishness by babbling and losing his train of argumentation when speaking to the King and Queen. Polonius is convinced that Hamlet is mad in love for Ophelia and says: My liege, and madam, to expostulate What majesty should be, what duty is, Why day is day, night night, and time is time Were nothing but to waste night, day, and time. Therefore, (since) brevity is the soul of wit, and tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, I will be brief. Your noble son is mad. ‘Mad’ call I it, for, to define true madness, What is ‘t but to be nothing else but mad? But let that go. (2. 2. 93-102) He says that he will be brief, but continues to babble. The Queen responds to his statement by saying “More matter with less art” (2. 2. 103). The Queen acknowledges Polonius’ constant babbling and wants him to get quickly to the point. Grebanier comments on the character of Polonius: “Nothing is left of is ability and shrewdness but a few tags, a few catch-phrases, to which, even when they do express some grains of truth, he pays scant heed in his own demeanor. It is he, for example, who utters the celebrated: ‘brevity is the soul of wit’ (2. 2. 90) -a profound truth; but no character in Shakespeare is so long winded as Polonius” (Grebanier 283). Polonius continues to complicate a simple statement and is viewed as a babbling fool by scholars. Throughout the play, Hamlet continues to insult Polonius and make him look foolish to the audience. Hamlet tells Polonius: “You are a fishmonger” (2. 2. 190). 5 According to Leo Kirschbaum: “A fishmonger is a barrel, one who employs a prostitute for his business. Hamlet is obliquely telling the old councilor that he is using his own daughter for evil ends” (Kirschbaum 86). After Hamlet insults Polonius and Ophelia, Polonius still refuses to give up this theory that Hamlet is madly in love. Martin Dodsworth comments on the reaction of Polonius after Hamlet insults him: “Polonius accepts the bad treatment meeted out to him as that of a man who is out of his mind: ‘How say you by that? Still harping on my daughter. He is far gone’” (Dodsworth 100).
The Shakespearean audience viewed Hamlet as the protagonist of the play, and some scholars believe that Polonius served as his perfect foil. Bert States comments, “Polonius is not only the perfect foil for Hamlet’s wit (since irony is the mortal enemy of the order prone mind), but a shadow of Hamlet as well. Indeed, Polonius literally shadows Hamlet, or tails him and in shadowing him falls into a thematic parody of his own habits” (States 116). Thus, Polonius’ role in the play as Hamlet’s foil would be the role of the fool. The last time Polonius appears in Hamlet is when he hides behind a curtain in Gertrude’s room, to hear Hamlet’s conversation with his mother. Hamlet frightens Gertrude and she cries for help. Immediately after, Polonius foolishly echoes her cry and is stabbed by Hamlet, thinking it is Claudius. Hamlet, realizing he has killed Polonius says: Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell. I took thee for my better. (3. 4. 38-39) Elizabeth Oakes comments on this scene, “Although Polonius is not in motley, Hamlet calls him a fool often enough, although nowhere more significantly than in the closet scene 6 after the murder” (Oakes 106). Hamlet ruthlessly calls Polonius a fool, and his opinion, as the play’s protagonist, would greatly influence an Elizabethan audience’s view of Polonius. When Gertrude tells Claudius of Polonius’ death, Claudius responds by saying: O heavy deed! It had been so with us, had we been there. (4. 1. 13-14) Claudius knows that Polonius has been killed in his place. Oakes comments on Polonius’ role a the plays fool: “He is suited for this role because of his incarnation of the fool, the one traditionally chosen as a substitute for the king in ritual” (Oakes 106). Scholars view Polonius as a character mocked throughout the play and the nature of his death, as the Kings substitute, lead scholars to view him as a fool. In conclusion, Shakespeare created Polonius as a very unique and complex character. Scholars argue and will continue to argue over the reasons for Polonius’ foolishness. Throughout the play Polonius tends to act foolish thinking that he knows the reason for Hamlet’s madness, while the audience knows that he is wrong. Shakespeare created Polonius as a controversial character and only he will ever know why Polonius was created so foolish.
戈爬盐酸： 你好!哈姆雷特 Prince Hamlet —— 丹麦王子.为父王的鬼魂所困扰,要对杀父凶手复仇.经历了痛苦的挣扎之后他达成了目的,整个王宫也陷入了死亡的恐怖之中.他最后也中了致命的毒剑死去.仅代表个人观点,不喜勿喷,谢谢.
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戈爬盐酸： Hamlet is the prince of Denmark, he is learning at the University of Wittenberg in Germany. He finds that his father, the former king, has recently died and that his mother, Queen Gertrude, has subsequently married Claudius, his father's brother. ...
金川县13954927911： 哈姆雷特英文简介 100字以内 - ？
戈爬盐酸： lying 2.8 kilometers to the west of hangzhou, or east of solitary hill (gu shan) at the western end of baidi causeway, 'autumn moon on the calm lake' is a park with water on three sides. the park features the 'autumn moon on calm lake' pavilion, ...
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戈爬盐酸： 在我们的人生中会有脆弱、会有病痛;会有痛苦、会有无奈与无助,此时,我们是向困难妥协自己走向毁灭,还是向困难挑战迎来柳暗花明的又一村?我想我们应当选择后者,战胜困苦顽强生存!
金川县13954927911： 哈姆雷特的简介(英文版) - ？
戈爬盐酸： ACT I Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is advised by the sentinels of the royal castle of Kronborg, at Elsinore, that an apparition strongly resembling his dead father had appeared o...
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戈爬盐酸： 中文的, 故事发生在19世纪的欧洲,那是一个充满吸引力、权力与堕落的世界.丹麦王国城堡的露台上,几名值夜的士兵突遇老国王哈姆雷特的鬼魂,惊恐万分,他们把这个发现秘密地告诉了王子,哈姆雷特决定去看个究竟.见到了父亲的鬼...
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戈爬盐酸： 'Yet I, A dull and muddy-mettledrascal, peak, Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause, Andcan say nothing; no, not for a king, Upon whose property and mostdear life A damn'd defeat was made. Am I a coward?' 'Why, what an ass am I! This is ...
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戈爬盐酸： Hamlet SCENE I. Elsinore. The Castle [Enter Hamlet.] Hamlet:To be, or not to be- that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing ...
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戈爬盐酸： ＂ Hamlet ＂ of Shakespear is a classical representative work. This book certainly does not have the big difference in the superficial plot with the historical fable, spoke or the Danish prince the story which revenged for the father, in which fills the rank ...
金川县13954927911： 哈姆雷特的简介 -- 英语小报 - ？
戈爬盐酸： Hamlet Author: William ShakespeareHamlet is one of Shakespeare's great tragedies and possibly the most mis-quoted. It deals with the psychological torment of a young Danish prince, Hamlet himself, who is racked with murderous intent....
