Hamlet++2.1

Hamlet 2.1

2. I think that there is not a lot of significance to this scene. I think it is slightly pointless and maybe a break from the plot line. We find out that Polonius is sending Reynaldo to find out what Laertes is up to. He is spying on his own son through gossip. He even forgets what he is talking about at one point. Then Ophelia enters and we find out that Hamlet is love sick. Polonius decides it is very important to tell the king about this...I think this is a scene for comedy. It does not have a huge impact on the plot line and it is a lot of small, unimportant details.

5. I am not a huge fan of Polonius. I think it is creepy that he is trying to find out what his son has been up to. I understand he is curious, as a parent, however I think he is going about it the wrong way. He is trusting another man to go ask around the town about his son. He is planning on finding stuff out about Laertes through gossip. I think this is really sneaky, deceptive, and almost immature. If he had a good relationship with his son, he would just ask him about his life or even possibly go and spend some time with him to see what his life is like. I also do not like how he reacts to Ophelia when she describes Hamlet's "love-sickness". I am not sure if I am looking at this the right way, but it seems to me that he is just eager to tell the king about it so his daughter can marry up. He could be telling the king out of concern but i think he is more interested in his families status. Polonius is so focused on his families reputation and image to the public. He seems fake and like a terrible father (in terms of only thinking of appearance and not actually loving his children).

8. I thought it was kind of ambiguous when Ophelia is speaking with her father about Hamlet. She describes when he came to see her, saying, " My lord, as I was sewing in my closet, / Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced, / No hat upon his head, his stockings fouled, / Ungartered, and down-gyved o his ankle, / Pale as his shirt, his knees knocking each other, / And with a look so piteous in purport / As if he had been loosed out of hell / To speak horrors- he comes before me" (2.1, 88-94). She describes his haggard state and goes on to say that he walked in and grabbed her arms, stared at her, and then left. I think this is ambiguous because we do not know what this means. We do not know where Hamlet has just come from, why he looks the way he looks, why he is upset, and why he does what he does. We do not know what he is feeling and Polonius takes it upon himself to assume Hamlet is love sick. When in reality, it could be about something completely different. I think Hamelt may be returning from seeing the ghost and acts the way he does due to surprise, fear, and desire for revenge.