HAMLET ESSAY DOS

     It tends to be the most common piece of advice: be true to yourself. Or, just to make it sound more complicated, as Polonius would say, "to thine own self be true..." Polonius told this historic piece of advice to his son Laertes before he left to travel in Act 1 Scene 3. He basically told his son to do what he needed to be able to take care of himself. Don't do anything that would ruin your self image. Seems a bit selfish but at the same time it's true. You do need to put yourself first in situations that mean your reputation aka your position in those times. Although Polonius didn't go about it in the right way. 

     Polonius did a lot of things that were questionable. He obviously did them for his own benefit and look where he ended up. Actually, look where his whole family ended up. The advice given was almost so ironic it's comical. Polonius was a hypocrite for telling his son that bit of advice. He tells his children to not be phonies and yet he was the phoninest of them all! It got his son and his daughter, not to mention himself, killed. 

     It contributed to the story in a huge way. It seems to me that Shakespeare used Polonius as a type of joke. He showed what people in court were like while also portraying it in a comical way. I mean a whole family dying isn't very comical but the fact that they died while following Polonius' advice is just too ironic for it to be taken seriously. He spied on practically everyone, he manipulated anyone he could get his hands on and he followed the King around like a lost puppy. He did what he needed to in order to stay in his position. 

     Now in modern times this advice is used for literally everything. Your sexuality, your fashion, your culture, anything really. Do what you want to do and don't care what anyone else thinks. Although that also seems hypocritical because our society doesn't accept unpopular opinions. So maybe Shakespeare was getting at something with Polonius' character. Possibly foreshadowing? Or symbolism. However you see it, this advice became timeless and extremely popular. 

     Fifty years from now, I can guarantee you will continue to see this piece of advice on tattoos. Hamlet will continue to be studied and taught. Who doesn't love a good tragedy with timeless advice hidden in quotes you don't even understand? I know AP students do!