andyc
New Member
Posts: 8
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Post by andyc on Oct 12, 2011 19:59:17 GMT -5
In Act I, i found the conversations that Polonius had with Ophelia and Laertes to be very questionable. Polonius tells his daughter Ophelia that she should stay away from Hamlet because he is not good for her, despite her good opinions of him. He also tells his son Laertes to "Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice...and to thine ownself be true" (pg 25). Polonius is telling his son to listen to what others have to say, but at the same time be true to yourself and what your own desires are. This conflicts with what he tells Ophelia because he is basically telling her not to be with Hamlet, even though that is Ophelia's desire. He tells his children two different ways of dealing with lifely situations and i just found it odd that he acted different and gave different advice to each of them.
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Reaperx43
New Member
Bout' to go SAM!!!
Posts: 11
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Post by Reaperx43 on Oct 13, 2011 11:24:42 GMT -5
I agree that it is weird to tell one child to be true to yourself and do what you want, and then on the other hand tell the other not to follow her heart. Back in those days there were still the different treatments towards males and females. But, at the same time I agree with Polonius due to the fact that Ophelia is young and partly naive and needs guidance. Laertes is older and can handle himself better than she can. Not only is the age difference a big part of what Polonius says, but also the character difference between the two. The father obviously knows his children well enough to judge their character. Ophelia is weaker, and she can easily be taken advantage of. Laertes has a stronger character, therefore he can take care of himself. So i agree, but also disagree with you.
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