As Hamlet criticizes Gertrude for all of her misdoings, he reveals his hatred for Claudius and his intentions to do the king harm; at the same time, Hamlet also reveals his intentions to “blow [his two schoolmates Rosencrantz and Guildenstern] to the moon” after reading the execution letters that Claudius writes (3. 4. 232). At this point, the reader may begin to question Hamlet’s intentions and whether his plan to murder Claudius is actually feasible. For one, any good murderer does not reveal his plans to anyone unless absolutely necessary.
In Hamlet’s situation, Gertrude may well be his own mother, but she is also the wife of he victim that Hamlet seeks to assassinate. Hamlet already denounces women for their inferiority and submissiveness to men-as well as their potential for trickery-and as such, Hamlet ought to recognize that Gertrude is likely to betray him and inform the king of his words and actions. Hamlet’s rash actions in Act 3 Scene 4 relate strongly back to his murder of Polonius. Because he mistakes Polonius for Claudius, Hamlet’s killing Polonius is technically accidental and thus cannot be blamed entirely on him.
However, Hamlet’s proceeding words and actions reveal his lack of morals, his hot-tempered nature, nd his unreflecting attitude towards murder. Indeed, Hamlet shows no remorse for assassinating Polonius and instead denounces him as a “wretched, rash, intruding fool” who should “take thy fortune” for his lowly actions (3. 4. 38-3. 4. 39). Hamlet’s only reflection on Polonius’ death is when he states that “heaven hath pleased it so / to punish me with [Polonius] and [Polonius] with me” (3. 4. 194-3. 4. 195). However, even these lines have a sinister side to them.
Hamlet states that Polonius’ death is due to his own foul misdoings, essentially shifting the blame from Hamlet to Polonius by stating that the murder was eaven’s doing. This scene exposes Hamlet’s foul morals, as he does not even recognize the magnitude of his own psychopathic actions and essentially vindicates himself of all blame. In addition, it is exceedingly salient to note that Hamlet does not recognize the irony and immorality of his actions. Since the onset of the play, Hamlet has been seeking to punish Claudius for murdering his father.
However, by the end of Act 3 Scene 4, Hamlet has himself murdered a father of two children, and he fails to recognize the impact his actions will have on Laertes and Ophelia. Based on these observations, the reader can conclude hat Polonius’ death is not to be blamed entirely on Hamlet, since Polonius did reveal his own presence, and since Hamlet thought that the person hiding behind Gertrude’s tapestry was Claudius. Nevertheless, Hamlet’s gross ignorance of the impact of his own actions reveals his immorality and his hot-tempered nature.
At this point, the question remains whether or not Polonius deserves his fate. On one level, Polonius is at fault for intentionally spying on Hamlet and then crying out from behind the tapestry. However, it is salient to note that Polonius’ intentions are not malignant. Polonius merely wants to aid Claudius in investigating the origins of Hamlet’s madness, and at the same time, he wants to personally discover Hamlet’s affections for Ophelia to prove his point to the king. Moreover, Polonius likely cries out for help in order to aid the queen, who he thinks is in physical danger.
The preceding interpretation of Polonius’ intentions in Act 3 Scene 4 demonstrate his good will. Had Polonius only cared about himself, he could have merely stood silently behind the curtain despite the possibility of the queen coming to harm. As such, although he is often portrayed as an older man who seeks to entertain himself through spying n others and listening in on dramatic events, Polonius’ intentions and morals are not intrinsically foul. Through spying on Hamlet, Polonius hopes to aid the king, as “some more audience than a mother .. should o’erhear / the speech of vantage” to paint a more complete and unbiased picture of Hamlet’s current mental state (3. 3. 34-3. 3. 36).
Throughout the play, Polonius establishes himself as a loyal counselor to the king, who is willing to do lowly work of spying for his majesty. Although Polonius’ somewhat perverse curiosity ultimately leads to his demise, his intentions are chiefly benign in nature, and as uch, he ultimately does not deserve his death. Some critics may argue, however, that Polonius is a foolish counselor who does not care for the country and only seeks for emotional pleasure ugh gossiping and spying.
These critics may cite Polonius’ conversation with his servant, Reynaldo, as evidence of his inherently debauched nature. Here, Polonius asks his servant to inquire about his son’s behavior through spreading rumors to Laertes’ friends. When Reynaldo begins to object, Polonius orders him to “breathe his faults so quaintly / that they may seem the taints of liberty” (2. 1. 34-2. 1. 35). Although it may be rue that Polonius only hopes to learn more about his son’s behavior, critics may argue that he takes excessively drastic measures to monitor his son.
However, this form of indirect spying does not mean that Polonius wants to harm his son’s reputation in any way. In fact, Polonius specifically asks Reynaldo to spread small rumors that can be applied to most boys of Laertes’ age to eliminate the possibility of tarnishing Laertes’ reputation. The aforesaid statement shows that Polonius ultimately cares about his son but is merely curious about his behavior. Critics may also argue that Polonius, as the ing’s counselor, is not very loyal, because he transitions from advising King Hamlet to King Claudius so quickly, without any signs of remorse or qualms.
As such, Polonius may be seen as using his position merely to gain more knowledge about what goes on in the kingdom and as more opportunities to partake in mischievous spying, such as when he offers to spy on Hamlet. However, it is salient to note that the Polonius’ duty is to serve the country through counseling the king. As such, Polonius’ actions are perfectly normal; when a transition of power occurs, his loyalties must naturally change from the old king to the new ing, but his loyalty to the country stays the same.
Ultimately, Polonius is often mistaken by readers as an elderly and foolish gossipmonger. However, upon closer examination, the reader will find no direct evidence in the text of Polonius’ malignant intentions, and as such, his death can be concluded as undeserved. Polonius is a tragic character who is often misunderstood for being a foolish and perverted rumormonger. Although he enjoys deriving entertainment from spying on others, his intentions are ultimately benign, and as such, he does not deserve the fate that he receives.
Hamlet, on the other and, is not necessarily to be blamed for Polonius’ death either, because he believes the man behind the tapestry to be Claudius. However, Hamlet’s hot-tempered actions and words in Gertrude’s chambers reveal much about his immoral character. Even after murdering someone who does has not done any harm, Hamlet remains ignorant of the implications of actions and instead continues to berate his mother. Moreover, Hamlet’s irascible nature causes him to reveal much of his plan to slay Claudius, a flaw which may prove to be fatal to both Hamlet’s plan for revenge and to Hamlet’s own life.
