Claudius has been presented in the theatre as a worthy King Essay

Claudius has been presented in the theatre as a worthy King and Polonius as an amiable and sensible father. What is your response to the ways in which Shakespeare presents one of these characters? It is hard to judge the character of Polonius in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, due to the fact Shakespeare presents many of the events not only through Hamlet’s eyes, but the eyes of Polonius’ children and the King, and through these different people he is presented in different ways. However, there is a great deal more to this multi-faceted character in the play, as his presence and actions in the play is of great importance, before and after his death. Polonius is presented in different ways in various stage productions; usually, he is presented as a wise man, and one with great influence upon his son and daughter, Laertes and Ophelia, and of a man highly respected by King Claudius, Queen Gertrude and the people of Denmark. Despite this, he can become a rather comic character, if the company wishes Hamlet to be presented more positively. As Polonius is presented through different productions in different ways, it is difficult to evaluate his true nature. As the play is largely presented through Hamlet’s eyes, it is from him we draw many of our opinions. It is eventually Hamlet that kills Polonius, stabbing him through the arras, and Hamlet who sends him off with such harsh words as â€Å"a foolish, prating knave†; it can be said that he encompasses aspects of this statement, as we see in different parts of the play. However, to be deeply cynical of Polonius is somewhat hard to do. Polonius, in the eyes of Claudius, the Queen, the words and actions of Laertes, Ophelia and the Danish people, and the obediency of Reynaldo give us a more reasoned insight into Polonius. Polonius can be seen as foolish mainly when talking to his servant, Reynaldo, wherein he directs Reynaldo as to how to spy on Laertes. During his speech, Polonius gets wrapped up in his own words, and seems to lose the points he is trying to get across; â€Å"And then, sir, does a’ this – he does – what was I about to say? By the mass I was about to say something. Where did I leave?†; Shakespeare also transfers from blank verse into prose, accentuating Polonius’ loss of grip. However, this may actually be cleverly checking if Reynaldo is listening; the fact he quotes him directly back â€Å"At ‘closes in the consequence’, at ‘friend or so’, / and, ‘gentlemen'† suggests many positive factors. For one, it is a reflection on Polonius’ authority and importance that Reynaldo remains attentive and quotes him back perfectly. Also, if this is a trick, Polonius may feel the matter is so important to his son’s welfare that he needs to test Reynaldo to see if he really is listening so that the surveillance can be perfectly executed. Polonius may be seen to lose his grip in his bouts of prating to the King and Queen in parts of the play too. His speech to Claudius and Gertrude concerning Hamlet’s madness is a prime example of Polonius’ prattling, as we see in his long-winded build up to his conclusion, that Hamlet is mad; Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,  And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,  I will be brief. Your noble son is mad.†.