Why does laertes and polonius caution ophelia about Hamlets interest her?

Answer 1

Laertes says because Hamlet is prince, he can be requried to enter into marriages for political reasons. Even if he loves her, Hamlet has no control over who he marries. Polonius says that Ophelia is one of Hamlet's "phases" and he doesn't truly love her. He thinks he's just interested in her body.

Answer 2

Laertes gives two reasons. First, Laertes thinks that Hamlet's love for Ophelia is temporary, not lasting. Here are those lines from Laertes.

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For Hamlet, and the trifling of his favor,

Hold it a fashion, and a toy in blood,

A violet in the youth of primy nature,

Forward, not permanent; sweet, not lasting...

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Second, Laertes believes that because Hamlet is the Prince, he will probably have an arranged marriage with a royal princess, for political reasons. Political marriages among the royalty were common in those days. They were used to try to create national alliances. One example of royal marriage, which may be especially relevant to the play Hamlet, is the marriage of King James VI of Scotland (who later became James I of England) and Princess Anne of Denmark. That royal marriage was a little over ten years before Hamlet was completed by Shakespeare, and it was very well noted in England.

Here are Laertes' lines about royal marriage.

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His greatness weighed, his will is not his own,

For he, himself, is subject to his birth;

He may not, as unvalued persons do,

Carve for himself...

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"Greatness" is a reference to Hamlet's royal status. "Unvalued" means a person who lacks royal social status. "Carve" means choose. It amounts to saying that ordinary persons can marry each other as they please, but members of the royalty are expected to honor their social status. Ophelia is an aristocrat, we know, because her father Polonius is a lord, but she is not a princess.

Answer 3

But he did. In a letter to her he says "Doubt that the stars are fire, doubt that the sun doth move, doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love. . . .that I love thee best, O most best, believe it." That sounds like a confession of love to me. Of course, in the nunnery scene (Act III Scene 1) he behaves as if he does not love her any more, which could be as a result of his discovering that Ophelia has been helping her father spy on him. Or perhaps he does not want her to be caught in the dangerous plots which were going on in the Danish court.

Answer 4

Laertes thinks that, being a royal person, Hamlet will have a marriage arranged for him. "His greatness weigh'd, his will is not his own, for he himself is subject to his birth; he may not, as unvalued persons do, carve for himself." Laertes, unlike Polonius, is prepared to believe that Hamlet might love Ophelia, but thinks that whether he loves her or not will not make any difference as to who he will marry.

Answer 5

Leartes was protecting his sister from being hurt. He knew that Hamlet had to marry for political reasons and not for love. He was trying to save Ophelia from getting hurt.