Polonius- Quotes

Question 1

“Give thy thoughts no tongue, Nor any unproportion’d thought his act. Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.”
(Act 1, Scene 3)

Answer 1

Polonius gives this advice to his son, Laertes, before he departs for France. It’s part of a long list of maxims that reflect Polonius’s concern with appearances and propriety

Question 2

“This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.”
(Act 1, Scene 3)

Answer 2

In the same speech to Laertes, Polonius delivers one of his most famous lines, advising his son to be true to himself, even though Polonius himself often seems insincere and manipulative

Question 3

“Brevity is the soul of wit.”
(Act 2, Scene 2)

Answer 3

Ironically, Polonius says this while being anything but brief in his speech. This line underscores his tendency to be verbose and self-important

Question 4

“Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t.”
(Act 2, Scene 2)

Answer 4

Polonius muses on Hamlet’s behavior, noting that despite Hamlet’s apparent madness, there seems to be a purposeful pattern to it. This observation reflects Polonius’s suspicion but also his failure to fully grasp Hamlet’s motives

Question 5

“I will be brief: your noble son is mad: Mad call I it; for, to define true madness, What is’t but to be nothing else but mad?”
(Act 2, Scene 2)

Answer 5

Polonius attempts to explain Hamlet’s madness to Gertrude and Claudius but ends up in a convoluted explanation, illustrating his pedantic and circular reasoning