Polonius- Critics

Question 1

Harold Bloom on Polonius’s Complexity

Answer 1

“Polonius is a tedious old fool, but his mind, however slow, is cunning, and not wholly ignoble. He has an air of knowing more than he does, but there is something in him that makes the men who despise him seem rather juvenile.”

Question 2

G. Wilson Knight on Polonius as a Symbol of Corruption

Answer 2

“Polonius is not only a spy in the literal sense but a symbol of the corrupt and spying court that Hamlet detests. He embodies the moral rottenness that Hamlet perceives in Denmark.”

Question 3

Rebecca Smith on Polonius’s Role as a Father

Answer 3

“Polonius seems to love his children; he seems to have the welfare of the kingdom in mind. His means of action, however, are totally corrupt”