HOW MACHIAVELLIAN DO YOU LIKE YOUR POLONIUS?
In Shakespeare's Hamlet, how much Machiavelli should we imagine in the king's key adviser, Polonius?
Is Polonius an aging and self-absorbed old man—
a bootlicker too concerned about his daughter’s virginity?
(Then why is he the key adviser?)
Or is he a manipulator who purposefully withholds his daughter's affections so they will be more desired by Hamlet, so that the match will get royal approval, and so that she might marry into royalty?
(Does he lead Gertrude to want her son’s heart mended by the return of Ophelia’s once-denied love, so his daughter will then be the next queen —implied perhaps in the David Tennant version?)
In 2.2, Polonius is certain that the denial of his daughter's affections has caused Hamlet's madness, in spite of Claudius' inclinations otherwise.
In 3.1, Gertrude, manipulated by Polonius, says,
"for your part, Ophelia, I do wish
That your good beauties be the happy cause
Of Hamlet's wildness: so shall I hope your virtues
Will bring him to his wonted way again,
To both your honours."
Mission accomplished?
[Bottom line, he doesn't want Ophelia to be pregnant
out of wedlock by Hamlet, but fine if HE convinced the throne
to accept the match, so she's the future queen?]
How Machiavellian is Polonius?
#Shakespeare #Hamlet #Literature #Bible #Religion #Renaissance #EarlyModern #theatre #Drama #literarycriticism #machiavelli
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Links to a description of my book project:
On LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eJGBtqV
On this blog: https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2017/05/hamlets-bible-my-book-project-im.html [Originally posted around the week of 9/25/17 on LinkedIn]
In Shakespeare's Hamlet, how much Machiavelli should we imagine in the king's key adviser, Polonius?
Is Polonius an aging and self-absorbed old man—
a bootlicker too concerned about his daughter’s virginity?
(Then why is he the key adviser?)
Or is he a manipulator who purposefully withholds his daughter's affections so they will be more desired by Hamlet, so that the match will get royal approval, and so that she might marry into royalty?
(Does he lead Gertrude to want her son’s heart mended by the return of Ophelia’s once-denied love, so his daughter will then be the next queen —implied perhaps in the David Tennant version?)
In 2.2, Polonius is certain that the denial of his daughter's affections has caused Hamlet's madness, in spite of Claudius' inclinations otherwise.
In 3.1, Gertrude, manipulated by Polonius, says,
"for your part, Ophelia, I do wish
That your good beauties be the happy cause
Of Hamlet's wildness: so shall I hope your virtues
Will bring him to his wonted way again,
To both your honours."
Mission accomplished?
[Bottom line, he doesn't want Ophelia to be pregnant
out of wedlock by Hamlet, but fine if HE convinced the throne
to accept the match, so she's the future queen?]
How Machiavellian is Polonius?
#Shakespeare #Hamlet #Literature #Bible #Religion #Renaissance #EarlyModern #theatre #Drama #literarycriticism #machiavelli
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Links to a description of my book project:
On LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eJGBtqV
On this blog: https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2017/05/hamlets-bible-my-book-project-im.html [Originally posted around the week of 9/25/17 on LinkedIn]
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