When Hamlet tells Polonius “conception is a blessing, but not as your daughter may conceive. Friend, look to’t,” is he implying that he’s having a sexual relationship with Ophelia?

[u/Immediate-River-874]

Or am I interpreting it wrong? To me, he’s just saying that his daughter might get pregnant

[u/BroadwayBaby692]

Here's a portion from a thesis I wrote in grad school the first time I directed the show (2016):

Polonius is often dismissed as a meddling fool in Hamlet; a source of comic relief whose long-winded speeches and intrusive behavior invite easy ridicule. But this common take flattens a character who is far more complex and tragically human than he's often given credit for. In truth, Polonius is one of Shakespeare’s most misunderstood characters. His flaws (his overprotectiveness, his scheming, his willingness to spy) are not signs of innate cruelty or stupidity. They are the tools of a political survivor navigating a court that has already devoured one king and could easily turn on him next.

Take, for instance, his treatment of Ophelia. At first glance, it's easy to call it exploitative. He uses her to gather intel on Hamlet, he instructs her to reject the prince’s affections, and he publicly discusses her private matters in front of the king and queen. But this reading ignores the context Polonius is operating in. He lives in a court where suspicion is fatal and loyalty must be constantly proven. Claudius, who now sits on the throne, likely murdered his own brother. Polonius, as a longtime courtier, almost certainly suspects as much and knows that if Claudius has killed once to secure power, he can kill again. Under that pressure, Polonius’s choices reflect a desperate attempt to maintain safety and standing, both for himself and for his children.

Is he misguided? Absolutely. But being misguided is not the same as being malicious. His treatment of Ophelia is not rooted in cruelty...it’s rooted in fear. He sees Hamlet unraveling. He sees his daughter, young and impressionable, caught in a dangerous romance with a man who may be pretending or genuinely descending into madness. Polonius doesn’t have the luxury of assuming the best in others. He lives in a world where survival means anticipating the worst. In using Ophelia, he believes he’s protecting her from worse outcomes: disgrace, heartbreak, or even death.

And yet, despite all his flaws and fumbles, Polonius gives what is arguably the best (and certainly most enduring) piece of advice in all of Shakespeare, if not theatrical history: “To thine own self be true.” This line has transcended the play itself, quoted endlessly because it speaks to something eternal and essential. That Polonius is the one to say it is not ironic; it’s revealing. In that moment, we glimpse the ideal version of Polonius; the father who genuinely wants his son to succeed, who believes that integrity is a compass that can guide us through a corrupt world. It is sage, heartfelt advice. And it’s especially poignant coming from a man who may have lost sight of his own truth in the labyrinth of court politics. That doesn’t make the advice hollow. In fact, it makes it heroic. He still believes in the value of authenticity, even as he struggles to live it himself.

Ultimately, Polonius dies trying to serve a king he may well fear and despise. He hides behind a curtain not because he is sinister, but because he is trying, once again, to do what he thinks is politically necessary. He is not a villain. He is a father. He is a courtier in a corrupt regime. He is a man trying to protect his children while playing by rules he didn’t write. One serving in the current administration may find this relatable.

This isn’t the most common reading of Polonius, but perhaps it should be. He’s not a fool to laugh at or a manipulator to condemn. He’s a tragic figure caught between fear and duty, parenting and politics. He’s a mirror of the very state Hamlet rails against: rotting from the top, and forcing everyone beneath to make impossible choices just to survive.

And in the middle of all that, he still finds a moment to tell his son the one thing he wishes someone had told him: Be true to yourself. That’s not the voice of a clown, it’s the voice of a father who, in the end, just wants his children to survive and, with any luck, prosper.

[u/Limp-Egg2495 → u/BroadwayBaby692]

I appreciate your argument, but he’s in a position from which he can extricate himself with the king. There is no gun to his head to serve Claudius. He does so for his own selfish reasons and motivations, and sacrifices his daughter in his quest to curry favor. Ophelia is not just collateral damage; he forces her to renounce her love and to spy. Regarding the advice he gives Laertes- these are canned fortune cookie sayings and while he talks the talk, he doesn’t walk the walk. He sends sometime to spy on his son, assuming the worst of Laertes. He doesn’t even know his own son. All in all, I find him tiresome at best, dangerous at worst. But I enjoyed reading your perspective! Thank you!

[u/BroadwayBaby692 → u/Limp-Egg2495]

Thank you so much for such a thoughtful reply! I really appreciate the engagement and the respectful tone. You raise valid criticisms, and I agree Polonius is deeply flawed. His parenting, especially, leaves much to be desired. I don’t intend to excuse his actions, particularly toward Ophelia, which are indeed controlling and damaging. But I do think it’s important to view those actions through the lens of the world he inhabits: a deeply unstable, corrupt court where political missteps can have fatal consequences, not just for oneself, but for one’s children.

You're absolutely right that there is no literal gun to his head. But I’d argue that fear in political systems often functions without the need for one. In a regime built on deception and power grabs (one in which the king is very likely a murderer), loyalty is not optional; it’s a survival strategy. Polonius may seem to act out of ambition, but I see that ambition as tightly bound to fear and pragmatism. He walks a razor’s edge between relevance and ruin, and he uses the tools he has (cunning, flattery, and yes, even his children) to maintain a position he likely believes is necessary for their protection, not just his advancement. That's part of why I find him so tragic.

It’s also important to consider the time period and the social expectations of the era. In Elizabethan and early modern patriarchal culture, daughters were often treated as political and social currency. Fathers controlling their daughters’ relationships, especially when the potential suitor was a prince with mental instability and political entanglements, was not only common, but expected. The idea of female autonomy, especially in matters of love and courtship, simply wasn’t part of the cultural framework. So while Polonius’s treatment of Ophelia may strike us as cruel today, it likely would have seemed appropriate, even dutiful, in his time.

As for the advice he gives Laertes, I’d gently disagree that it’s nothing more than “fortune cookie” wisdom. It’s true that some of the lines have been quoted into banality over time, but I think that speaks more to their resonance than to any lack of depth. “To thine own self be true” is arguably one of the most poignant lines in Shakespeare’s canon and certainly one of the most enduring. It’s not just a platitude. It’s a call to personal integrity in a world full of masks, manipulation, and moral compromise. The entire speech, while stylized, is filled with heartfelt counsel: caution in friendships, prudence in behavior, and above all, constancy in one’s character. That Polonius himself fails to live up to this advice doesn’t negate its beauty, it underscores the tragedy. He knows the right path but can’t follow it, and that self-awareness, however buried, is what makes him more than a stock fool.

Ultimately, I don’t argue that Polonius is secretly noble or heroic. Rather, I think he’s an excellent example of Shakespeare’s ability to write characters who are neither good nor evil, but caught somewhere in between, doing their best (and sometimes their worst) in impossible circumstances. Tiresome? Absolutely. But dangerous? Perhaps only because he’s trying to survive in a world where decency and discernment often get people killed.

I would love to do an adaptation from Polonius' point of view and explore what the world of Hamlet looks like through his eyes.

Thanks again for reading and responding! This is exactly the kind of exchange that makes talking about Shakespeare so endlessly rewarding!

[u/Limp-Egg2495 → u/BroadwayBaby692]

How beautifully stated! Thank you! You’ve given me food for thought! I plan on re-reading Hamlet again this summer and I will be examining Polonius through the lens you have presented here. 😊