So I don't really have much to say on Hamlet yet but I thought I would start some discussion (which I seriously doubt anyone will respond to tonight, but that's besides the point).
One thing that I really didn't get and that has been really bothering me is Act 2 Scene 1. At first I thought that the significance of this scene would manifest itself later, but once I finished the play, I realized Shakespeare never really developed the main plot line in this scene. Thus, why did Polonius ask his manservant, Reynaldo to go to France in order to spy on his son Laertes? And why did he ask Reynaldo to tell subtle untruths about Laertes in order to discredit the latter slightly? Maybe I just didn't read the play closely enough, but I just don't get the importance of, or even the need for, this scene. If someone could shed some light, that would be excellent!
Thanks.
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I read that that scene is supposed to reveal Polonius's calculating mind and manipulativeness, or something like that. Also read that Polonius wanted to show Laertes a lesson on reputation and how important it is.
Polonius also reveals his two sided nature. First, he seems caring, giving Laertes good advice before he goes to France. But then, he hires a spy, whom he wants to discredit his own son. Quite the opposite I might say.
Hope that helps
Thanks Albert! Though this explaination does not wholly satisfy me. Sure it points out Polonius's manipulative, two-sided nature, but couldn't Shakespeare (who was, like, a literary genius or something) have found a way to do this that was actually relevant to the larger plot of the play? Also, teaching Laertes a lesson about reputation is important, but Laertes's reputation never seems to be questioned at any point in the play. Maybe I'm still missing something here...
I see your point, Liz, and I'd like to pose another theory?
We see that the relationship between Polonius and Laeter is often compared with that of Hamlet and Claudius (his pseudo-father). Is it possible that Shakespeare is simply using this as a connection to the plot as a whole, and showing how another father and son interact.
I had another thought bubble. Is it possible that Polonius asks the spy to discredit his son to bring him back home? Polonius says that he didn't want his son to go to France, but was worn down by his constant nagging. With a ruined reputation, his son would come home, but no blame would be put on Polonius.
I read that a lot of scholars completely disregard this scene as important as, like you said, it doesn't really fit in the grand scheme of the play.
I HOPE EVERYONE SEES THIS!
I found two really great sites for Hamlet criticism:
http://www.hamlethaven.com/
http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/playcriticism.htm#Hamlet
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