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What reasons do Laertes and Polonius give for their command to Ophelia to stp seeing Hamlet?
What? Why? How?
1. What reasons do Laertes and Polonius give
for their command to Ophelia to stop seeing
Hamlet? Are they reasonable?
Laertes wants her to stop because Hamlet is a
prince who 'may not carve for himself':
Ophelia is too far beneath Hamlet, socially,
for their relationship to have any hope of
surviving. Hamlet is bound to end up in a
political marriage to the Princess of Poland or
somewhere.
One possible mistake is to believe that Laertes
really believes that Hamlet is dallying with her
affections following his first speech. Laertes
wants her to persuade herself that this is the
case in order to make it easier for her to drop
the prince: 'Think it no more' (my emphasis).
Polonius is far more cynical. He believes his
daughter is a 'baby' whom Hamlet intends to
trap into bed. The prince's words are those of a
man whose blood is burning with lust, a lust
which 'lends the tongue' the sincere promises
Hamlet has made.
Laertes is probably the more reasonable. At
least his worries are based on the fact that
Hamlet is a prince rather than mere suspicion.
But even he, in his offensive warning to
Ophelia to 'fear' the power of her lust, has a
low opinion of the affair (and of women). Both
men are obsessed by family honour, an
important theme in the play, and the
preservation of Ophelia's 'chaste treasure'. The
Hamlet we have met in Act 1, scene 2, doesn't
look like the sort of man to dally with a young
girl's affections, especially considering that he
is so agonised by his mother's infidelity
What else can I help you with?
Does Laertes believe that Hamlet will some day marry Ophelia?
No. He is of the view that Hamlet will have a bride chosen for him, probably some woman of royal blood. He wouldn't be able to marry Ophelia even if he wanted to. (Ironically, Gertrude later reveals that she had intended that Hamlet should marry Ophelia, so Laertes was wrong.)
Why does Hamlet attack Laertes?
"Osric did not "get" Hamlet and Laertes to fight. He stood by as a referee in the duel between the two adversaries. He called out the "hits". They duelled because Laertes believed that Hamlet was responsible for the death of his sister Ophelia and wished to avenge it. This belief had been fostered by Claudius who saw a way of having Hamlet killed as he knew that Claudius had murdered his - Hamlet's - father." This is almost correct. Indeed Osric was not the cause of Hamlet and Laertes duel, the King was the one who came up with this idea because he found it the easiest way to have Hamlet killed without the suspect of foul play. But Laertes agreed to the duel not only because he believed Hamlet's madness caused Ophelia to also go mad ultimately killing her, he also dueled because of Hamlet's cold blooded murder of his father Polonius...just wanted to add that Polonius had two reasons for wanting to duel Hamlet.
Why is laertes worried about his sisters interaction with hamlet?
Laertes is worried that Ophelia might compromise herself by getting too involved with Hamlet. Hamlet, he explains, is a Prince, of a royal family, and may be required to marry someone else for political reasons. If Ophelia's relationship with him has gone too far, her reputation will be damaged
Why can Polonius be considered a comic character?
Oh honey, Polonius is a hot mess express of a character. He's a bumbling old fool who can't stop meddling in everyone's business, giving out unsolicited advice like it's going out of style. His long-winded speeches and constant nosiness make him the comedic relief in Hamlet, whether Shakespeare intended it or not.
Choose the best summary of the elder brother's reasons for not going into the forest.?
The elder brother had five reasons
How did Laertes's words to Ophelia about Hamlet relate to what Polonius said to her about Hamlet?
Both Laertes and Polonius were telling Ophelia not to have anything to do with Hamlet, for different reasons. Laertes says that she should avoid Hamlet because, being a prince, he can be compelled to a political marriage whatever he feels. Polonius says that she should avoid Hamlet because he is only trying to get into her pants.
Does Laertes believe that Hamlet will some day marry Ophelia?
No. He is of the view that Hamlet will have a bride chosen for him, probably some woman of royal blood. He wouldn't be able to marry Ophelia even if he wanted to. (Ironically, Gertrude later reveals that she had intended that Hamlet should marry Ophelia, so Laertes was wrong.)
Why does Hamlet attack Laertes?
"Osric did not "get" Hamlet and Laertes to fight. He stood by as a referee in the duel between the two adversaries. He called out the "hits". They duelled because Laertes believed that Hamlet was responsible for the death of his sister Ophelia and wished to avenge it. This belief had been fostered by Claudius who saw a way of having Hamlet killed as he knew that Claudius had murdered his - Hamlet's - father." This is almost correct. Indeed Osric was not the cause of Hamlet and Laertes duel, the King was the one who came up with this idea because he found it the easiest way to have Hamlet killed without the suspect of foul play. But Laertes agreed to the duel not only because he believed Hamlet's madness caused Ophelia to also go mad ultimately killing her, he also dueled because of Hamlet's cold blooded murder of his father Polonius...just wanted to add that Polonius had two reasons for wanting to duel Hamlet.
Why is laertes worried about his sisters interaction with hamlet?
Laertes is worried that Ophelia might compromise herself by getting too involved with Hamlet. Hamlet, he explains, is a Prince, of a royal family, and may be required to marry someone else for political reasons. If Ophelia's relationship with him has gone too far, her reputation will be damaged
What plan do Polonius Claudius and ophelia now put into action?
Polonius, Claudius, and Ophelia devise a plan to observe Hamlet's behavior and determine the cause of his apparent madness. They decide to use Ophelia as bait, encouraging her to interact with Hamlet while they secretly watch their encounter. This scheme aims to gather evidence about Hamlet's feelings and mental state, ultimately to confirm whether his madness is due to his love for Ophelia or if there are other underlying reasons.
Why does laertes and polonius caution ophelia about Hamlets interest her?
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.
Contrast Claudius' and Laertes' reasons for being in Denmark?
Claudius wants money while Laertes wants the biddies.
Which conflict in Hamlet is most mysterious in terms of its root cause?
This would be: why Hamlet does not seek his revenge on Polonius upon discovering Polonius's murdering of Claudius, Hamlet's father. It is unknown why Hamlet does not kill Polonius until he has been cut with a poisoned sword and is already 'dead'. But it is essentially because he is too indecisive and pensive, when he should be impulsive and seek his immediate revenge.
Does Hamlet pretend not to love Ophelia for his plan?
It's very possible that Hamlet distances himself from Ophelia for strategic reasons. He may have assessed her as a potential ally and rejected her (all that holding her at arms length in her closet stuff) as being unsuitable because she is a weak person. He may have sensed her dependence on Polonius and have pushed her away because if she knew anything about him she would give him away. He may have kept her at arm's length to protect her from the danger he knew would come to him. Or the idea of being a loner may have suited better with the picture he was trying to create of himself as being unbalanced and possibly suicidal. Any combination of these is possible. On the other hand one can make a consistent reading where Hamlet doesn't actually love Ophelia at all and all his "I loved Ophelia! Forty thousand brothers with all their quantity of love could not make up my sum." is just bravado fueled by his jealousy of Laertes' genuine love for Ophelia.
Do Claudius and Polonius have similar reasons for spying on Ophelia and Hamlet?
Polonius explains this earlier in the play, in 2.2. P: You know sometimes he walks four hours together Here in the lobby. Q: So he does indeed. P: At such a time I'll loose my daughter to him Be you and I behind an arras then. Mark the encounter. If he love her not, And be not from his reason fall'n thereon, Let me be no assistant for a state But keep a farm and carter's.
What will happen to ophelia if she does not heed to her brothers advice?
According to Laertes, she may compromise her reputation by going too far with Hamlet, only to find later on that a marriage with a different woman has been arranged for him for political reasons. However, we learn from Gertrude that that was not the plan at all and that Gertrude had intended that Hamlet and Ophelia should marry. Claudius would not have resisted her desire in this, because he is deeply in love with Gertrude. Nevertheless, had Ophelia gone too far with Hamlet (and the source material and some productions of the play including Kenneth Branagh's movie suggest that she had done so) she still would have been repudiated by Hamlet in the nunnery scene (III, 1). The bitter sting of Hamlet's repudiation would be all the greater if Ophelia had already become his mistress or (as in some versions of the story) was carrying his child.
Why can Polonius be considered a comic character?
Oh honey, Polonius is a hot mess express of a character. He's a bumbling old fool who can't stop meddling in everyone's business, giving out unsolicited advice like it's going out of style. His long-winded speeches and constant nosiness make him the comedic relief in Hamlet, whether Shakespeare intended it or not.
