Polonius believes that Hamlet is acting strangely because he is in love with his daughter, Ophelia. Polonius had earlier instructed Ophelia to cut off contact with Hamlet and that is what Polonius thinks is making Hamlet mad.
Hamlet was her boyfriend. Polonius was her father. Laertes was her brother. Claudius was her father's employer and her boyfriend's father. Gertrude seems to have been a bit of a surrogate mother to Ophelia.
In Act 3 scene 1 of Hamlet (the "nunnery" scene), Claudius and Polonius eavesdrop on the conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia. Well, it's sort of eavesdropping since Ophelia knows they are there and if Hamlet does not know at the beginning of the conversation, he figures it out pretty quickly.
Polonius is a character, not a theme. And what tells us about the characters in the play is 1. What they do, 2. What they say about themselves and 3. What others say about them, in that order.
If you are referring to The Lobby Scene, he knows that Claudius and Polonius are eavesdropping on them from behind the arras.
Polonius is sure that Hamlet has gone mad with love for Ophelia. See these lines by Polonius in Act 2 scene 1: ~Polonius: Come, go with me! I will go seek the King;This is the very ecstasy of love,...Ophelia: ... I did repel his letters, and denied His access to me.Polonius: That hath made him mad;~ So Polonius thinks Hamlet is suffering from the "ecstasy of love" for Ophelia, which has driven him mad.
Hamlet was her boyfriend. Polonius was her father. Laertes was her brother. Claudius was her father's employer and her boyfriend's father. Gertrude seems to have been a bit of a surrogate mother to Ophelia.
He plans to get Hamlet to talk to Ophelia, while he and Claudius are eavesdropping.
In Act 3 scene 1 of Hamlet (the "nunnery" scene), Claudius and Polonius eavesdrop on the conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia. Well, it's sort of eavesdropping since Ophelia knows they are there and if Hamlet does not know at the beginning of the conversation, he figures it out pretty quickly.
Polonius is a character, not a theme. And what tells us about the characters in the play is 1. What they do, 2. What they say about themselves and 3. What others say about them, in that order.
If you are referring to The Lobby Scene, he knows that Claudius and Polonius are eavesdropping on them from behind the arras.
Polonius is sure that Hamlet has gone mad with love for Ophelia. See these lines by Polonius in Act 2 scene 1: ~Polonius: Come, go with me! I will go seek the King;This is the very ecstasy of love,...Ophelia: ... I did repel his letters, and denied His access to me.Polonius: That hath made him mad;~ So Polonius thinks Hamlet is suffering from the "ecstasy of love" for Ophelia, which has driven him mad.
Polonius is the chief counselor to the king, and also the father of Ophelia and Laertes.
Polonius.
Ophelia is hamlets love interest.
In "Hamlet", Polonious devises a plan to test his theory that Hamlet is madly in love with Ophelia, and since she is ignoring him, he is depressed. He plans to arrange for Hamlet and Ophelia to meet. He will hide close by and ease-drop to determine if he is correct in his assumption.
Polonius tells Claudius and Gertrude that Ophelia and Hamlet have had a relationship which Polonius had Ophelia break off, and that this might be the cause of Hamlet's wild behaviour.
Ophelia