Laertes and Polonius

Hamlet, Laertes, and Polonius all express valid concern and affection for Ophelia. For her protection, Laertes justifies his warnings to Ophelia about Hamlet’s true intentions after arriving in Denmark for the tainted royal ceremony. In Act 1 Scene 3, Laertes cautions her that Hamlet’s decisions about dating are based on the sole benefits for his country, if not arranged. His royal duty is foremost and for this reason, Laertes tells his sister to guard her virtue, knowing that Hamlet can be rash and persuasive. Reminding Ophelia of her non-royal ancestry, Laertes predicts that Hamlet’s proposal to Ophelia would be halted by public judgment, as their union would be unacceptable given that the prospective queen is not of “Royal blood”. He therefore predicts a sudden end to there relationship, which he tells his sister isn’t worthy. After all, who wants to just flirt if their romance is doomed to terminate?

Polonius offers similar advice that he hopes Ophelia will understand. As a father, he is worried that Ophelia will be “used”. Apprehensive that Hamlet’s youth has magnetized him to Ophelia for her physical attractiveness, rather than her character, Polonius advises Ophelia to stray from Hamlet’s flirtation and instead search to redefine herself. Polonius therefore urges his daughter to refrain from seeing Hamlet by presenting Hamlet’s vacillating lust and vacuity as unworthy to her.

Polonius’ concern that his daughter will be “used” by a lewd young man is still a topic prominent in today’s society. Therefore, his argument seems fair in that from a “birds eye view” he worries about his daughter. Laertes’ evidence is simply not as strong as Polonius’ evidence. Though he presents a valid point that Ophelia would be more likely to agree on, his evidence of the consequences is absent. He doesn’t seem to address the alternative if they DO marry, whereas Polonius suggests that should they continue to date, she will feel manipulated. In Act 1 Scene 3, Polonius and Laertes instruct Ophelia to “ignore Hamlet’s vows” and think twice about his projected affection. In this way, they have manipulated her and thus reduced her to their subject, as evidenced by her response, “I shall obey, my Lord” (I.III. 136).  Their treatment of Ophelia suggests that they are misogynistic, even though they are seemingly concerned with her wellbeing. However, Ophelia feeds into their misogyny, having been indoctrinated with the image of her being subordinate as “less than royal”. Therefore, she legitimizes her inferiority by looking to Hamlet as the epitome of perfection and realizes that she clearly does not descend from nor belong to royalty.