bout Laertes's well-being; rather Polonius is worried how Laertes is making him look. Polonius could have Reynaldo ask Laertes himself about his life in Paris. Since Polonius wants to know how Laertes appears to other people. Polonius assumes immediately that Laertes is not behaving himself properly; he is ready to believe the worst about his son. He is absolutely sure that he knows how young men behave when away from parental control - drinking, fencing, quarreling, and going to a "brothel". Polonius has an inclination toward cynicism and suspicion of other people. For Polonius, acting rotten comes so naturally that he expects other people to also be like that. Polonius's tone suggests that he is at ease and not at all sorry about using dishonest methods or doubting their decency. In fact, his vanity makes him very proud of his crafty stratagems. This is evident in the closing lines of his speech where Polonius uses metaphors and pompous figures of speech to stress that he made up his strategy because "of wisdom and of reach," where "reach" means mental ability. However, as the following passage suggests, Polonius is in fact what Hamlet calls him - a "tedious old fool." (II. ii. 237).Polonius has decided to tell Gertrude and Claudius that he has discovered the reason for Hamlet's odd behavior, which is in his opinion caused by Hamlet's love for Ophelia, Polonius's daughter. Beside the fact that this kind of love relationship would make Polonius extremely proud because of Hamlet's princely status, Polonius is gloating over the fact that he has solved the mystery that is so important to the King and Queen and everyone is trying to solve. This is evident in his language full of mannerisms and vanity."My liege, and madam, to expostulate What majesty should be, what duty is,Why day is day, night night, and time is timeWere nothing but to waste night, day and time. Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit, And tediousness the limbs and ou...
