Hamlet #4: Polonius' Asides

During Polonius and Hamlet's first interaction, Polonius has a series of asides that highlight what he is truly thinking. Hamlet does not know who Polonius is and Polonius plays along believing it to help his cause. However, the audience knows the true identity of Polonius and Polonius' asides serve as the portrayal of the true Polonius' thoughts. In his first aside Polonius says, "How say you by that? Still harping on / my daughter. Yet he knew me not at first; he said I / was a fishmonger. He is far gone. And truly, in my / youth, I suffered much extremity for love, very near / this. I'll speak to him again" (II. ii. 204-208). Polonius is annoyed by the way Hamlet is talking about his daughter, but he realizes that Hamlet does not know who he or his daughter is and accounts that to the madness that he believes Hamlet had fallen into from his love of Ophelia. Polonius feels that he can empathize with Hamlet so he decides to continue to speak with him in hopes to discover something helpful. In Polonius' second aside he says, "Though this be madness, yet there is / method in 't" (II. ii. 223-224). Polonius realizes that although Hamlet has gone mad his madness is thought out, which seems to contrast the idea of madness. However, given Hamlet's level of intelligence it fits his character. In Polonius' third and final aside of this initial meeting he says, "How / pregnant sometimes his replies are! A happiness / that often madness hits on, which reason and / sanity could not so prosperously be delivered of. I / will leave him and suddenly contrive the means of / meeting between him and my daughter" (II. ii. 226-231). Polonius accounts the philosophical nature of Hamlet's statements to his madness claiming that a sane person could not make such statements. However, being a student of philosophy it is highly plausible that Hamlet could make such statements while sane. Polonius then decides to leave Hamlet while he plans how to prove his theory that Hamlet is mad because of his love for Ophelia. Each of Polonius' asides in this interaction with Hamlet give insight into Polonius' thoughts about Hamlet and his current state of mind.