1. In what way or ways does Hamlet, in the course of the play, let the audience know his attitude to Polonius? Throughout Hamlet’s interaction with Polonius, audience can observe the lack of respect Hamlet carries towards him. Hamlet subtly expresses his anger with word choices that contain double meaning. For example, when Polonius attempts to make conversation with Hamlet, Hamlet replies by saying "Excellent well. You are a fishmonger." (Ham, 2.2.166) Although Hamlet understands that Polonius in fact does not sell fish, Hamlet decides to use the word fish as an allusion to women. Hamlet knows that Polonius is willing to get Ophelia to marry anyone, if it meant a social upraise. The extent of Hamlet's opinions on Polonius is revealed once
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An example is when the queen manages to anger Hamlet by describing death as "common. " (Ham, 1.2.72)In response to this, Hamlet replies that "it is common." (Ham, 1.2.74) This sentence has double meanings- although he is admitting that death is a common occurrence, he is also calling the queen's action vulgar. Hamlet's double- meaning also works to allow readers to understand how it feels to be in his situations. For example, when he sees Horatio, he bitterly jokes that "the funeral baked meats/ did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables" (Ham, 1.2.180-181). This allows the readers to get the chilling realization of just how close the two events were together. As for myself I found myself sympathizing for Hamlet, as he barely had time to grieve the death of his father, when he was expected to congratulate his mother on her wedding. Hamlet's tendency to use double- meaning in his speech brings to light the level of intelligence Hamlet possesses. He is able to express his anger without letting the others know; him as well as the readers are able to feel the satisfaction without causing further
An example is when the queen manages to anger Hamlet by describing death as "common. " (Ham, 1.2.72)In response to this, Hamlet replies that "it is common." (Ham, 1.2.74) This sentence has double meanings- although he is admitting that death is a common occurrence, he is also calling the queen's action vulgar. Hamlet's double- meaning also works to allow readers to understand how it feels to be in his situations. For example, when he sees Horatio, he bitterly jokes that "the funeral baked meats/ did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables" (Ham, 1.2.180-181). This allows the readers to get the chilling realization of just how close the two events were together. As for myself I found myself sympathizing for Hamlet, as he barely had time to grieve the death of his father, when he was expected to congratulate his mother on her wedding. Hamlet's tendency to use double- meaning in his speech brings to light the level of intelligence Hamlet possesses. He is able to express his anger without letting the others know; him as well as the readers are able to feel the satisfaction without causing further