voice;" and "to thy own self be true." Solid fatherly advice and moral statements that anyone can live by in society, these words would be exceptional helpful to those venturing from home such as Laertes. Polonius is trying to protect his son from the hardships of life, he even hires his friend to keep an eye on him. Some see this as mistrust but from an optimistic viewpoint it’s a father concerned about his son staying on the right path that can be mutually beneficially. If Laertes honors his family name like every one should do, Polonius in turn will gain recognition and improve his status in the state.One of the other characters in Hamlet that gave Polonius a bad rep is his treatment towards his daughter Ophelia. To judge him by today’s standards would be unfair, it was custom in those times for a female to be submissive towards men especially in a father to daughter relationship. Respect and obedience was a must. Polonius was attempting to protect his daughter from a deranged and emotionally disturbed Hamlet at the time. In his lecture to Ophelia, Polonius states that he has experience in the matters of love, “I do know/when the blood burns how prodigal the soul/Lends the tongue vows”(Act I,iii). From this phrase you can gather that Polonius is trying to discredit the authenticity of Hamlets affection. It is easy to mistake love with lust and that would be no surprise involving a prince, especially with a feeble minded female like Ophelia who is susceptible to the words coming from a man who she would readily submit to due to Hamlet’s status.Polonius takes an assertive role in dealing with his children but what father doesn’t. The play never mentions their mother, so it can be assumed that she is not around. Their father takes care of them and in his own special way loves them. It might not be the kind of love that is common between a father to his children, but its still love.His involvement in ...
