Polonius to Laertes and Ophelia

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Polonius… Telling Kids What’s Up Since the Middle Ages Parenting is an odd thing. Some people are terrible parents and some can be fantastic parents, but it takes a special kind of parent to take on the mantle of the good and the bad parent for different kids. Polonius falls into the category of special parent. His actions are completely understandable by the standards of the time period, but in todays day and age his actions are despicable. When talking to Laertes, Polonius’ heir, Polonius takes on the tone of a knowledgeable mentor. However, when he is talking to his daughter Ophelia, Polonius assumes an arrogant and condensing attitude.This shift is completely out of the blue in that there is no apocalyptic event that would cause Polonius to undergo the one-hundred and eighty degree turn in his attitude; the only thing that changes is the gender of his audience. The Merriam- Webster defines mentor as “someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person.” When Polonius is talking to Laertes he even says at the beginning of his lecture “There- my blessing with thee” (lines 57-58), which in effect is Polonius saying that he approves of what Laertes does and he has Polonius’ full support. From then on Polonius continues his speech in which he basically tells Laertes to be cautious and to do things in moderation. Of course Polonius does this in many more words than necessary and purposefully using multiple extended metaphors in getting his point across. This may not seem odd at first until one looks at the advice that Polonius gives to Ophelia, his daughter. Polonius imparts his wisdom onto Ophelia following his speech to Laertes and right from the get go one can tell that he does not view Ophelia in the same light as Laertes, his male heir. Polonius opens the lecture portion of his conversation with Ophelia with”Affection

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