“Is the character of Polonius sinister?”

On the surface Polonius seems to be a well-spoken man who is aware of his status in society and is full of wisdom to pass on to his children, Ophelia and Laertes. However, it could be argued that he is out for his own gain and his intentions are selfish.

The character’s first lines are in Act 1 Scene 3, where he gives advice to his son, Laertes, who is leaving to return to university. Polonius decides to give a “few precepts” to Laertes and begins to list all the ways in which he should behave and act, while staying true to himself. When studying his speech, we can see that he speaks in rather a romantic and poetic tone. For example, the metaphor “grapple them unto thy soul with hoops of steal” is an eloquent and figurative way of saying ‘stay with your true friends’. The fact Polonius talks in this way and in such length suggests that he wants to be acknowledged and listened to. When he is speaking to Laertes he is portrayed as a very caring father. In regard to the advice he is giving Laertes, Polonius seems to only have his son’s best interests at heart. However, he could be giving Laertes so many imperatives because he does not want the possibility of his son behaving badly having a negative effect on the reputation of his entire family.

When he begins to address Ophelia it could be said that he is very patronising and sinister towards her. This is shown through him calling her “green girl” and “a baby”. Both of which are references to her naivety in having feelings for Hamlet. It is evident that he does not trust Hamlet and his intentions with Ophelia. This is shown through his line “springes to catch woodcocks”. In this metaphor, Hamlet is the springe ,which was a trap, laid out by poachers to catch the woodcocks, here Polonius is referring to Ophelia, which were considered to be foolish birds. By saying this, Polonius is implying that Ophelia is unwise for continuing her relations with Hamlet and he is warning her that like a woodcock when the springe traps it, she will get hurt. This particular reference could make Polonius seem sinister because he is referring to his own child as unwise and chilish and he comments “you’ll render me a fool”, showing that he is just as concerned about her wellbeing as his own.

Polonius is well established in the society and naturally being in such close proximity to Claudius, the new King of Denmark, he needs to be well spoken and respectful of position. An example of Polonius showing he is aware of his place in court is how he addresses Claudius as “My Lord” and says “I do beseech you” when asking him for permission for Laertes to return to France. This shows how Polonius wants to be respectful towards Claudies but is also likely to want Claudius to return these feelings. By saying “I do beseech you”, Polonius is able to make Claudius aware that he is almost desperate for Laertes to return to France whilst maintaining some of his dignity. We know that Polonius wants Laertes to leave through the line “laboursome petition” which suggests he is only letting him go because he is tired of Laertes constantly asking him for permission. However, when Polonius says “slow leave” and “hard consent”, the hendiadys suggests that Polonius does not want Claudius to think he gives in to all his son’s wishes and wants to make him aware that he did try and render his son to stay. This further suggests that Polonius is out for his own gain, but not sinister.

In conclusion, I do not think that Polonius could be considered to be a sinister character. My reasoning for this is that he is a loving and protective father to both Laertes and Ophelia and although he is condescending towards his daughter, it is clear that he wants to protect her from Hamlet, a man he does not trust. Furthermore, his attitude towards Claudius is one that would be expected from a man talking to another in a higher position than him. It would be wrong to say that a man that wants more recognition within society and does not want disgrace upon his family is sinister.