rational, overly emotional character when it comes to such decisions. It would be definitely out of character for Hamlet to let his guard slip and emotionally and wildly draw his knife and stab blindly. Polonius was a planned death. Hamlet could not possibly have thought he was alone. He knows throughout the entire play that he is never alone, there is always someone watching him. Even in the assumed privacy of his mother's chamber, Hamlet would not be so foolish to think he was alone. Polonius is Hamlet's first physical action, for which he is both responsible and guilty. He says, " I took thee for thy better" (III iv 31) of Polonius. Hamlet knew that killing Polonius would be a challenge, or rather, should have been a challenge. Polonius is of a stronger mental character than Claudius or Gertrude, whose guilt and sins can be used against their minds. Ophelia's emotional state can be played against her, and Rozencrantz and Guildenstern's underestimation of Hamlet used against them. Yet Polonius was a player in the game whom Hamlet knew had to be disposed, and likely posed the most difficulty for him since mind games only served to convince the old man that Hamlet was mad. Hamlet, then, likely had some form of twisted respect for him. When Polonius cried out, therefore revealing his hiding place and his guilt as a spy, the opportunity was there for Hamlet to act, an opportunity Polonius had not given him before. " I took thee for they better" means that Hamlet thought Polonius was a smarter player in the game, thought he was better than a fool to cry out and reveal himself.Ophelia's madness is derived completely from Hamlet's baiting. Not an unintelligent woman, Ophelia does discover the cause for Hamlet's feigned insanity. However, this knowledge is apparently too much for her weak mind, and she is driven to madness and eventually suicide. If you'll excuse the lack of formality, "Two down, the royal family and Laertes left to go."The f...
