Polonius is perhaps kicking himself here. He totally
misjudged the depth of the relationship between Ophelia and Hamlet. In Act 1 he forbids
Ophelia to see Hamlet again, telling her that Hamlet, like all young men, is only after
one thing--sex. He underestimates his daughter's intelligence and sensitivity, and does
not believe that Hamlet is seriously considering marrying Ophelia. Being the dutiful
daughter that she is, Ophelia breaks off her relationship with
Hamlet.
After she does, Hamlet appears to her in in
disarray and acting mad. When Polonius hears of Hamlet's actions, he thinks he has
blown his chances of having his daughter marry a prince. So, he scrambles to position
himself as the king's main advisor. To do so, he hastens to Claudius to tell him that
he knows the secret to Hamlet's madness: heartbreak, and then he proceeds to read (and
criticize) a love letter that Hamlet had sent to
Ophelia.
The king is not totally convinced, so Polonius
tries to pump Hamlet for more information. The quick-witted Hamlet only insults
Polonius and gives him nothing. The next step is to go through with the plan conceived
earlier: spy on Hamlet and Ophelia as they
interact.
Polonius is indeed a "fishmonger," a term which
many believe to mean a pimp. Hamlet calls Polonius this when Polonius is interrogating
him. He also calls Polonius Jephthah--an Old Testament figure who sacrificed his
daughter for a military victory. Polonius is using his daughter to ingratiate himself
with the king.
He is an unscrupulous, conniving old fool,
lacking Hamlet's wit and intelligence. He is no match for Hamlet, who sees through
Polonius's "knee-crooking" ways.
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