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. the Tragical History of . H A M L E T . Prince of Denmark .
(Notes)
- Scene 3 [~ Thine Own Self ~] (Act 1 Scene 3)
EH 460, to EH 466- Setting: at the docks of the town near Elsinore Castle;
Daytime, afternoon;
A ship is ready to sail.
(Laertes and Ophelia enter)
Laertes: My necessaries are embarked, farewell;
And sister, as the winds give benefit
And convey, in assistant, do not sleep
But let me hear from you.
Ophelia: Do you doubt that?
~-~-~
The local town, where the docks are, is within easy walking distance of Elsinore Castle, perhaps a quarter mile away.
By embarked Laertes means "placed aboard ship," whatever the ship may be. The ship could literally be a bark, a relatively small sailing vessel.
Laertes's second and third lines mean, as the plain reading, "...as the winds give benefit to me, and convey me to my destination, in similar assistance to me..." The word convey is well used, since it can mean both "transport" and "communicate." So, convey relates to both the wind transporting the ship, and the letter Laertes wants Ophelia to write him, before she sleeps this night.
Laertes makes no mention of whether he'll have the courtesy to write to Ophelia. If he were truly a polite fellow, and if he really cared about her, he would have added that he'll write to Ophelia when he gets to Paris, but he makes no such promise. He's demanding a letter from her before he even leaves, but he doesn't say anything about writing to her.
Hamlet will hear from the Ghost, as he goes without sleep this night.
EH 467, to EH 472- Laer: For Hamlet, and the trifling of his favor,
Hold it a fashion, and a toy in blood,
A violet in the youth of primy nature,
Forward, not permanent; sweet, not lasting,
The perfume and suppliance of a minute,
No more.
Ophelia: No more but so?
~-~-~
We see that instead of promising to write to Ophelia in return, Laertes changes the subject. He's a lout.
Their mother is absent in the play, apparently dead. Considering how prominent the Death theme is in Hamlet, it's the natural conclusion, that she must be dead.
Laertes is attempting to take the place of their mother, and to instruct Ophelia about romance and sex. He is not good at it. His remarks actually anticipate his own expectation of sexual adventure in France, and he is characterizing Hamlet in terms that better apply to himself. Laertes is looking forward to whiffs of perfume and brief sexual encounters in Paris, and, based on his own inclinations, he thinks that's the only interest Hamlet has in Ophelia.
Sex is so much on Laertes's mind, in connection with his trip, that he's compelled to talk about it somehow. He can't help it. He thinks that giving Ophelia advice is a way he can safely mention sex in the presence of his sister. He has no male friends wishing him farewell as he leaves, that he could talk to and joke with, so Elsinore must be a lonely place for him. It's easy to see why he wants to get away, back to Paris.
Suppliance means both "supplication" and "supply." It's an intentional double meaning. Laertes is referring to a "supplication" (an entreaty,) from a man to a woman, to "supply" his sexual needs.
Laertes is repeating what his father has said to him about Hamlet, as we'll learn when Polonius appears, later. Ophelia doesn't accept what Laertes says about it, but she isn't going to have an argument with him at dockside as he's leaving, and she probably wouldn't try to argue with him, anyway, since it would be pointless.
Laertes only lectures Ophelia, and never expresses any interest in her feelings or point of view. He has no empathy with her, thus, we know he has no deep affection for her. If he did, he would be curious to know her view, and would ask her how she feels, and what she thinks. Also, if he were sincerely interested, he would ask her about Hamlet's actual behavior, but he doesn't. Laertes preaches at her, and that's all. He may sound, superficially, as though he cares, but he's being insensitive and inconsiderate.
EH 473, to EH 484- Laer: Think it no more;
For nature, crescent, does not grow alone
In thews and bulks, but as this temple waxes,
The inward service of the mind and soul
Grows wide withal; perhaps he loves you now,
And now no soil nor cautel doth besmirch
The virtue of his will, but you must fear:
His greatness weighed, his will is not his own,
For he, himself, is subject to his birth;
He may not, as unvalued persons do,
Carve for himself; for on his choice depends
The sanctity and health of this whole state,
~-~-~
In response to Ophelia's modest expression of skepticism, Laertes starts blowing wind to benefit And convey his rhetoric to her. In other words, he begins preaching in earnest, as best he can. It's a habit he's acquired from Polonius, as we'll see.
Laertes, personally, doesn't really care about the politics of a wife for Hamlet. He isn't a Danish political aide, he's a youth on his way to Paris. He's picked up the political angle from Polonius, who knows the choice of a wife for a Prince inevitably has a political side. Polonius would expect Hamlet to have an arranged marriage with some noble family, to make a political alliance.
(Arranged marriages among nobility were frequent in those days. For example, James VI of Scotland, who became James I of England, married Anne, the daughter of the King of Denmark, in 1589, and James wasn't even present. He was represented by proxy, who stated the vows on his behalf. The wedding ceremony was at Kronborg Castle, on which Elsinore Castle is based. James later married Anne in person twice, first at Oslo, Norway, and then again at Kronborg.)
Crescent suggests the moon, so temple then suggests the temple of Diana, the Roman goddess of the moon, and also goddess of hunting. Laertes speaks as though he's a follower of Diana, the hunter. This is a subtle allusion, since Laertes will be "hunting" Hamlet at the end of the play.
There's a Moon 'thread' that runs through the play, and Laertes will soon mention the moon as he continues. Gertrude and Ophelia are associated with the moon, but Laertes and Hamlet are mostly associated with the sun, since they're 'sons.' It's a classic stereotype, that women are associated with the moon, and men with the sun.
When Laertes says Hamlet is subject to his birth and that his will is not his own it refers to the politics of a Prince's marriage, as the plain reading. The remarks have an undertone, for the play, in that Hamlet remains at Elsinore in obedience to his mother, despite his desire to leave, and also the Ghost in the image of Hamlet's father initiates the drama. Hamlet's being subject to his birth is the foundation of the play events.
Observe Laertes's "mad," unintentional insult to Ophelia, that it could somehow be a threat to the sanctity and health of Denmark, if Hamlet married her. The notion is absurd, of Ophelia, as Hamlet's bride, being a strategic threat to the nation. Laertes, although he's ignorant of the facts about Ophelia and Hamlet's relationship, is sincere in his concern that Hamlet may be only trifling with Ophelia. However, he's lost himself, and sense, in his rhetoric.
Sanctity refers to saintliness, and the saintliness of Denmark could only be improved with Ophelia as Queen. She's truly religious, sincere, and honorable, but Laertes doesn't appreciate that.
Laertes further casts Ophelia as unvalued by contrast with Hamlet, which anticipates Polonius's later remarks about Ophelia's value in financial terms. Laertes's statements are only a pretense of thought, he is not really thinking as he speaks, and he's not making good sense. He's also being quite rude to his sister, without even realizing it.
Hamlet's choice of talking to the Ghost will indeed put the whole state into question, as events proceed.
EH 485, to EH 491- And therefore must his choice be circumscribed
Unto the voice and yielding of that body
Whereof he is the head; then, if he says he loves you,
It fits your wisdom so far to believe it
As he, in his peculiar sect and force,
May give his saying deed, which is no further
Than the main voice of Denmark goes withal;
~-~-~
Laertes will later recruit a peculiar sect from the town, that is, a mob which wants him to be king, and he will force his way into the Castle. However, he'll find himself going no further than Claudius, the main voice of Denmark, permits. Laertes is talking about Hamlet, but he accidentally predicts something about his own future, and he doesn't know it.
The main voice means the King, Claudius. We'll see that meaning come out later, when Polonius goes to Claudius, to get the King involved in the issue of Hamlet marrying Ophelia, after Polonius becomes convinced that Hamlet does love her.
While Laertes is speaking, the only body of which Hamlet is the head, is his own. Laertes is referring to the expectation that Hamlet will someday be King, the "head" of the political "body" of Denmark, and his wife will be Queen. If Laertes really thought about it, he'd be shocked at the idea that he might have to kneel to his own little sister in the future, but it would do a pompous fool like him a lot of good if he did have to kneel to his sister, instead of patronizing her and preaching at her.
EH 492, to EH 498- Then weigh what loss your honor may sustain
If with too credent ear you list' his songs,
Or loose your heart, or your chaste treasure open
To his unmastered importunity;
Fear it, Ophelia, fear it, my dear sister,
And keep you in the rear of your affection,
Out of the shot and danger of desire:
~-~-~
It's notable that Laertes is slandering Hamlet with his claim that Hamlet only wants Ophelia sexually, when Laertes doesn't know any of the facts of the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia, and Laertes hasn't even bothered to ask. He isn't even curious. Laertes is slandering Ophelia's sweetheart to her, because of his own anticipation of sexual trysts in Paris.
Such is how rumors get started; Laertes's suspicion of Hamlet is on the Rumor/Slander theme of the play. Further, although Laertes is ostensibly expressing concern for Ophelia to her, his point of view is not beneficial to Ophelia's reputation, if he repeats his views to anybody else. He's saying he doesn't think she has discretion, (when he's actually the one who lacks discretion.)
Credent means "trusting," or "believing," and songs means "sweet talk." In undertone, the word credent, from a root meaning of "creed," has the implication of religion. Then, with songs, the line subtly implies listening to hymns in church. So the undertone is that Ophelia shouldn't worship Hamlet, which is ironic in anticipation of some later events.
Loose your heart means to release your heart from restraint, or not to control your affections. Laertes is an unromantic, who thinks the emotions of the heart can be voluntarily controlled. This tells us he has not truly been in love; his affairs with women have been only lustful. A person who thinks he can control his affection has never felt true love.
The rear of your affection is double-entendre. In plain reading Laertes is using military metaphor, meaning that Ophelia should keep herself safely away from the battle lines of her emotion. Laertes depicts love, (which he understands as lust,) to be war. Secondarily, shot means "discharge" and is a double-entendre reference to ejaculation. Laertes's implication, overall, is that Ophelia might become pregnant, but he thinks Hamlet won't marry her.
EH 499, to EH 507- The chariest maid is prodigal enough
If she unmask her beauty to the moon;
Virtue, itself, 'scapes not calumnious strokes;
The canker galls the infants of the spring
Too oft' before their buttons be disclosed,
And in the morn and liquid dew of youth,
Contagious blastments are most imminent;
Be wary then, best safety lies in fear,
Youth to itself rebels, though none else near.
~-~-~
Laertes has run out of his own ideas, (which are really Polonius's ideas that he's been parroting,) but he's still wound up, so he recites some sayings to Ophelia. It's a habit he picked up from Polonius, to recite sayings, and to try to express himself in statements that have the form of sayings.
(The Moon card in the Visconti-Sforza tarot deck illustrates a "chary" maid with her beauty unmasked to the moon. See the Tarot link on the Hamlet (Regained) Home page.)
Chariest puns with "cherriest," from the slang, and rather vulgar, idea of "cherry," with the pun meaning "most virginal." In plain meaning, chariest means "most careful." Laertes is trying to say that the most cautious maid is reckless enough if she only shows her beauty to the man in the moon, and not to a male suitor. "Chary" has an original meaning of sad, or sorrowful. The undertone, in relation to that meaning, is of sorrow and waste, of beauty and virginity being thrown away, in anticipation of Ophelia's death, later in the play.
Laertes is reciting mindlessly, to say something that can be heard to imply nude women by moonlight, while he's talking to Ophelia. We know what he's thinking about, as he looks forward to his trip to Paris.
He says that Virtue, personified, is subject to slander, because of the way people talk, which is true enough. He doesn't realize the implications of his own statements, as he casts aspersions on Hamlet's intentions and Ophelia's integrity. The relationship of Hamlet and Ophelia may be Virtue, personified, for all he really knows. Laertes, himself, is "slandering" Ophelia and Hamlet, as he speaks. He has no facts to support his notions of immorality.
A "gall" is a swelling on a plant. Contagious refers to transmission from one person to another, and a "blastment" is also a swelling. "Blast" further refers to a sprout, or embryo. Laertes is referring to pregnancy, a "swelling" that is "transmitted" from a man to a woman. He's also characterizing unwanted, extramarital pregnancy as disease.
The plant metaphors are on the association of the Catholic saint, St Gertrude of Nivelles, with Queen Gertrude in the play. St Gertrude of N is a patron of gardeners.
Ophelia really has nothing to fear from Hamlet now, but Laertes is accidentally prophetic. She'll have "fearful" experiences with Hamlet after he encounters the Ghost.
EH 508, to EH 514- Ophelia: I shall the good effect of this lesson keep,
As watchman to my heart; but, good my brother,
Do not as some ungracious pastors do:
Show me the steep and thorny way to Heaven,
While a puffed and reckless libertine,
Himself, the primrose path of dalliance treads,
And recks not his own reed.
~-~-~
In undertone, watchman is allusion to the sentinels, who saw the Ghost on their watch. The word is one of the many instances on the Watch motif.
Ophelia actually had no need to hear Laertes's preaching. Ophelia is a good young woman, who replies kindly to her brother, even though he's tedious and obvious. She knows his advice is well meant, and she appreciates that.
The good effect Ophelia means, is the basic soundness of the advice, which could have been expressed in a couple of sentences. A "bad effect" of Laertes's lecture that she's noticed, is that her brother has become a long-winded, pompous ass.
Ungracious means "hypocritical;" Laertes is preaching virtue while planning vice. Ophelia knows why Laertes is talking about sex, as he departs for Paris.
With puffed Ophelia tossed the idea of "swelled up" back at Laertes. In undertone, she's telling him, "don't get all swelled up, yourself, brother."
A primrose path is a path that leads wherever the flowers grow, wherever dalliance can be found. Ophelia is telling Laertes not to wander, carelessly, to "smell the flowers," but to have more integrity.
A reed is an arrow. "Reck" means to reckon, that is, to carefully judge the flight of the arrow. Ophelia is telling Laertes to be careful where he shoots his own arrows. There's a sexual implication, also a reference to Cupid's arrow. This anticipates Hamlet's remark to Laertes, in the final scene, where he will say he has accidentally shot his arrow over the house and hurt his brother. Additionally, there's a pun with "rede," which means "advice," so in the wordplay Ophelia is saying Laertes should regard his own advice.
EH 515, to EH 519- (Polonius enters)
Laertes: Oh, fear me not;
I stay too long, but here my father comes;
A double blessing is a double grace,
Occasion smiles upon a second leave.
~-~-~
Laertes takes no heed of Ophelia's good advice to him in return. Her advice to him is every bit as good as his advice to her, and morally even better under the circumstances, but he pays no attention. His response to her is the verbal equivalent of a shrug.
Laertes says my father instead of "our father" because he's sure Polonius will have more to say to him, in particular, and he doesn't look forward to another lecture. Polonius already lectured him about his trip, and how he should behave himself. It's ironic justice that his own long-winded lecture to Ophelia delayed Laertes, so that he'll get another long-winded lecture from Polonius. Serves him right. But poor Ophelia has to listen to both of them.
As soon as Laertes sees his father, he recites a saying, the same way Polonius so often does. Sayings are a part of Polonius's speech habit. We'll see in what follows how Polonius taught Laertes to speak in sayings. The blessing ... grace saying is a vacuous play on words, of no particular merit, but it's subtly amusing in that, in what follows, Polonius will "bless" Laertes twice, literally just as Laertes said. Laertes was accidentally right in speaking of a double blessing.
EH 520, to EH 524- Polonius: Yet here, Laertes? Aboard, aboard for shame!
The wind sits in the shoulder of your sail,
And you are stayed for; there, my blessing with thee,
And these few precepts in thy memory
Look thou character: give thy thoughts no tongue,
Nor any unproportioned thought his act;
~-~-~
Polonius says for shame that Laertes is not aboard yet, but then keeps him there even longer. Like Laertes, Polonius can't associate what he says with his own actions.
The way Polonius phrases the aboard statement, it sounds as if he's announcing that the name of Laertes's destination is "Shame." The phrasing is intentional from Shakespeare, for irony.
The shoulder means the back, a meaning taken from where the shoulder blades are. The wind is behind the sails, ready to push the ship forward, like a push against a person's shoulder blades.
To character means to write down, or to record. Polonius is telling Laertes to be sure to take note of what he says. As Polonius continues, we see how he taught Laertes also to speak in sayings, and to try to shape his words in the form of sayings.
Look thou character can be read with a second meaning, as well, that a person should look like what he is. The phrase is thereby quite suitable as the introductory phrase for Polonius to begin his trite advice to Laertes. The phrase serves doubly, as both an instruction, and also as advice, itself.
The concept, of a person looking like what he is, can be seen as an intriguing allusion to the Ghost. Is the Ghost what it looks like?
Polonius then recites sayings to Laertes, and also his own statements that he tries to fashion as sayings. Polonius thinks that if he can speak his remarks so they sound like known sayings, it will lend more authority to what he says.
The first advice he gives, unambiguously, is give thy thoughts no tongue, which means not to speak what's on your mind. He doesn't specify what kind of thoughts; presumably one is supposed to infer he means thoughts that would be objectionable, for some reason. Polonius then proceeds to give tongue to everything he can think of, which is exactly contrary to this first advice he gives. If he realized what he was saying, he'd stop talking.
So, Polonius first says that a person shouldn't speak what he's thinking, and then he immediately goes on to tell Laertes everything that crosses his mind.
The concept of giving tongue to thoughts anticipates Hamlet's later remark, when he plans the Mousetrap play, that murder will speak with miraculous organ. It also anticipates Laertes's revelation of Claudius's guilt at the fencing match. Ironically, Polonius is telling Laertes, here, not to do that.
Polonius contrasts thoughts and acts, which reflects his tendency to speak in contrasts, or opposites, which produces an epigram. It's a speech habit that will not always serve him well.
EH 525, to EH 530- Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar;
Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them unto thy soul with hoops of steel,
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment
Of each new-hatched, unfledged courage; beware
~-~-~
With familiar versus vulgar, Polonius is telling Laertes to be "one of the family," but not "one of the common crowd," so to speak. There's also an undertone of allusion to speech, with the line meaning to use familiar language, but not common language - it's an absurdity, and highly ironic as Polonius, in his desire not to be "common" in his speech, uses common sayings all over the place.
The word Grapple subtly anticipates Hamlet's encounter with the Pirates, presented in Scene 17, which is purely accidental by Polonius. The idea of steel around the soul subtly anticipates Claudius in the Prayer Scene, Scene 10, where Claudius will speak of his heart having strings of steel. Then, the idea of being bound in steel has some allusion to the Ghost, in armor, with the Ghost, himself, being only a soul or spirit.
Dull thy palm with entertainment means to wear a callus on your hand from shaking hands with too many people, while greeting them. Polonius is saying to be careful whom you greet and shake hands with. It's good enough advice, as far as that goes. The phrase has a second meaning, of not to dirty your palm by shaking hands with "dirty" people. Dull means both "insensitive" (as from having callus on the skin,) and also "dirty." Both the "callused" and "dirty" meanings apply, simultaneously. Polonius is very much an upper-class man, who views having dirty or callused hands as a "low" thing.
Courage means a "man of spirit," a gallant fellow. Polonius is telling Laertes to avoid the company of devil-may-care youths who could lead Laertes into vice, and get him into trouble. It's the usual parental advice to avoid bad company. However, it's predictable that energetic, high-spirited, fun-seeking friends are exactly what Laertes wants.
Polonius's line also contains a wonderful undertone of allusion to the Ghost. The word courage has a definition of "spirit." The Ghost is a "spirit." The Ghost will tell Hamlet that it's the spirit of his father. The Ghost is new-hatched in that it was (apparently) released from King Hamlet's body only a couple months earlier. The Ghost is also unfledged since it does not yet have its angel's wings in Heaven. The Ghost is a new-hatched and unfledged "spirit," which matches what Polonius says.
Further, it's a question whether Hamlet ought to dull his palm with entertainment of the Ghost, that is, be enthusiastic in meeting the Ghost, as though he were vigorously shaking hands with it, figuratively speaking. So, Polonius's lines contain reference to the Ghost, and - perhaps - good advice to Hamlet about the Ghost. It's all accidental by Polonius, while he tries to advise his son about proper friends. But as a hidden treat from the author to us, his audience, amidst Polonius's long-winded lecture to his son, up pops the Ghost! BOO!
EH 531, to EH 539- Of entrance to a quarrel, but being in,
Bear it that the opposed may beware of thee;
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice;
Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment;
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not expressed in fancy: rich, not gaudy;
For the apparel oft' proclaims the man,
And they in France of the best rank and station,
Or of a most select and generous, chief in that . . .
~-~-~
Polonius continues to speak of opposites, as much as he can. He tells Laertes to beware of fights, but in a fight make the opponent beware of him. Polonius's advice to beware Of entrance to a quarrel is ironic in anticipation of his own fate, later, when he will try to intervene between Hamlet and Gertrude in the Closet Scene, Scene 11.
Beware has a root meaning of "watch," which has allusion to the sentinels's watch, and anticipates Hamlet's "watch" on this night, when he'll see the Ghost. Claudius is the opposed to Hamlet, who wanted Hamlet to stay at Elsinore so Claudius can keep an eye on him. Claudius will find that he needs to beware of Hamlet. Polonius will also be the opposed, to Hamlet, when he later tries to spy on Hamlet, so Polonius should take his own advice to beware.
Polonius then speaks of ear versus voice, which essentially repeats part of what he said earlier, but this time in terms of different opposites. As he says it, Polonius himself is talking, not listening; ironically, he's giving voice like mad, and ear not at all.
He recommends the taking of censure versus giving it. Judgment and censure are synonymous here, and with implication of the political and legal terms. Polonius, himself, will inflict a certain censure on Laertes, using the agent, Reynaldo, as we'll see later. Laertes will not like it.
He unexpectedly recommends Laertes should spend a lot on clothes, but says to look rich as opposed to gaudy. He's using rich to mean "elegant," and gaudy to mean "showy" or "flashy," which can look cheap. He then explains why to spend money on clothes, that "clothes make the man," and he expects the best people in France will know that.
With select and generous Polonius is intending to clarify what he meant by best. He's unsure how to describe the best people in France. In trying to clarify what best might be, he becomes distracted and fails to complete his thought. It's left to the reader to infer that he thinks the best of the French, whatever they are, know clothes make the man. When Polonius talks to Reynaldo, later, we'll see him lose his train of thought again. It's a symptom of his age, and his eccentric way of talking, that Polonius sometimes confuses himself, and loses track.
A king is a chief, so Polonius's last line reflects his desire that Claudius will select him to continue as top aide to the government, in the new administration, and that Claudius will be generous to him. It reveals Polonius's continuing bureaucratic ambition, which is important to his characterization and behavior in the play. It's a worry for Polonius, how generous to him his new chief will be.
EH 540, to EH 546- Neither a borrower nor a lender be,
For love oft' loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulleth edge of husbandry;
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow as the night the day
Thou canst not then be false to any man;
Farewell, my blessing season this in thee.
~-~-~
After losing his train of thought, Polonius recovers by, what else, reciting a saying that he has memorized.
Polonius says love because when his thoughts turned to the subject of money, he inevitably thought of the very common saying, "the love of money is the root of all evil." (The saying is from the Bible, 1st Timothy 6:10.) Polonius is so fixated on sayings, he couldn't help thinking of that one, and he made s slip of the tongue.
Polonius's verbal slip, in saying love, provides an undertone of allusion to the love of Hamlet and Ophelia, which will be 'lost' as the play proceeds. Polonius's accidental phrasing is all too true.
Season means to sow, as in planting seeds. Polonius is hoping the advice he's "planted" in Laertes will grow to become a part of him. In plain terms, he's hoping Laertes will remember what he's said and be improved by it. The idea of seasoning food, to make it better, also applies. The word season carries a double meaning, as happens so often in the play.
About Polonius's concluding advice, to thine own self be true, consider, should a liar be true to himself? That is, should he continue to lie, because a liar is what he is? Or should he be more truthful?
Whether a person should be "true to himself" depends on the kind of person he is. Generally, a person - any person - should be true to higher principles of morality and ethics, that are greater than any individual. If everyone is merely "true to himself" and pursues his own selfish interests, it will make an unhappy world for everybody. Polonius means well, and his phrases are superficially appealing, but little of what he says can withstand scrutiny. The advice, to be true to yourself, is good only if it's said to a good man.
If Laertes is "true to himself" he'll chase every girl in Paris - which is exactly what his father wants him not to do.
Claudius is a murderer, he poisoned his brother. If Claudius is "true to himself" he'll try to poison Hamlet, too.
EH 547, to EH 553- Laer: Most humbly do I take my leave, my Lord.
Pol: The time invites you go, your servants tend.
Laer: Farewell, Ophelia, and remember well
What I have said to you.
Ophelia: 'Tis in my memory locked
And you, yourself, shall keep the key of it.
Laer: Farewell!
(Laertes exits)
~-~-~
When Polonius says invites he means that Time, personified, has "invited" Laertes to leave on his trip. To invite can also mean to tempt, however. In undertone, Polonius is revealing his suspicion that Laertes will experience immoral temptations in Paris. Polonius will try to do something about that in Scene 6.
Ophelia's reply to Laertes means she considers her conversation with her brother private, and she'll remember it, and keep it to herself. Something that's locked is private. She assures Laertes out of respect for their private conversation. You ... shall keep the key means she'll only talk about it with Laertes, later, if he wishes. This is sadly ironic, because Polonius will immediately force the lock, just below. The problem that arises here, from Polonius being so snoopy, is really Laertes's fault, for still being preachy at her instead of saying a simple, sincere goodbye, but Ophelia is the one who's left there with their father.
EH 554, to EH 555- Polonius: What is't, Ophelia, he hath said to you?
Ophelia: So please you, something touching the Lord Hamlet.
~-~-~
Polonius is relentlessly snoopy, and he can't tolerate it that anybody might have a secret from him. He has no respect for private conversation. As soon as Laertes can't hear them, he makes Ophelia break her promise to Laertes. Ophelia resents it.
EH 556, to EH 564- Pol: Marry, well bethought!
'Tis told me he hath very oft', of late,
Given private time to you, and you, yourself,
Have of your audience been most free and bounteous;
If it be so, as so 'tis put on me,
And that in way of caution, I must tell you,
You do not understand yourself so clearly
As it behooves my daughter, and your honor;
What is between you? Give me up the truth!
~-~-~
The privacy of the conversation between Ophelia and Laertes is somewhat saved, in an odd way, when Polonius asks no further questions, but takes off talking, instead. Polonius has talked to Laertes about Hamlet and Ophelia, and presumes that what he said to Laertes is what Laertes then said to Ophelia. Polonius is essentially correct, since Laertes had nothing original to say on the subject of Hamlet, only what his father had said. Polonius approves it, that Laertes preached at Ophelia on the subject of Hamlet.
Polonius has been told, probably by the servants, that Ophelia has been spending time with Hamlet. Polonius excuses his attention to gossip as caution, and there is that element of it, from his view.
The word audience is on the Putting On A Show theme. Polonius takes it that Hamlet has been only acting for Ophelia, his audience, which goes along with Polonius thinking Hamlet is not serious about Ophelia.
The word behooves implies, via wordplay, that Polonius views his daughter as only an animal, such as a horse (which has hooves.) As Polonius continues, he'll speak of keeping Ophelia on a tether, like keeping a horse tied to a rope. Polonius doesn't appreciate his daughter as a human being.
As Polonius speaks, the person who doesn't understand Ophelia is him, not herself. He will not ask her any sincere, factual questions, by which he might gain a better understanding. He hardly listens, and only lectures her.
His exclamatory demand for the truth is a stupid blunder, which makes her more resistant to being open with him. A gentle tone would serve him far better. He's creating an atmosphere in which she won't tell him everything, or much of anything. Ophelia is fundamentally a very truthful girl, and, as her father, Polonius really ought to know that. Polonius lectures about virtue, but he can't see it in front of his own face, in the person of a daughter he's supposed to love.
EH 565, to EH 569- Ophelia: He hath, my Lord, of late, made many tenders
Of his affection to me.
Pol: Affection, puh, you speak like a green girl,
Unsifted in such perilous circumstances;
Do you believe his tenders, as you call them?
~-~-~
Ophelia is, in fact, a green girl, a young, inexperienced woman. It's fatuous for Polonius to say she speaks like a green girl, when indeed she is one. How else would she supposedly speak? (And this is after Polonius lectured Laertes: to thine own self be true.) In his emotionalism, Polonius has lost rational recognition of his own daughter. It's as though he doesn't know who she is.
Green means "young," from the idea of a young plant being green. It's a word on the Gardening motif in the play.
Polonius's denigration of Ophelia makes it ever less likely that she'll be fully truthful with him. Since he's shown he dislikes what she says, she'll say as little as possible to him.
EH 570, to EH 575- Ophelia: I do not know, my Lord, what I should think.
Pol: Marry, I will teach you; think yourself a baby,
That you have taken these tenders for true pay
Which are not sterling; tender yourself more dearly,
Or, (not to crack the wind of the poor phrase
Roaming it thus,) you'll tender me a fool.
~-~-~
Ophelia sidesteps the question, by telling Polonius she doesn't know what to think. It's unsurprising she does that, since whatever she said, he's shown he probably wouldn't like it.
Polonius then talks "price" with her, which is insulting, and has nothing to do with the issue. The expense of Laertes's trip is on his mind, and he's partly taking that out on her.
The word Roaming contains a "Rome" pun, which subtly connects to what the Ghost will imply when it talks to Hamlet, later, in Scene 5. The Ghost will imply it's in Purgatory, which is a concept of Roman Catholicism.
Polonius has gotten stuck on the word tender, in response to Ophelia's innocent use of it, and he has become more interested in every meaning he can twist out of tender than in rational conversation. It doesn't cross his mind that she picked up the word from him in the first place, which means he's "madly" arguing with his own vocabulary. Arguing with one's own vocabulary is a crazy thing to do. When Ophelia said tenders she was only trying to talk to her father in his own terms, in hopes he'd understand.
But, for the word tender, Polonius never finds the meaning of "gentle," which would be the most useful meaning for him as he speaks to his young daughter.
The idea Polonius expresses, of Ophelia accepting money for herself, is highly insulting to her. He doesn't realize how inappropriate his metaphor is.
The idea of baby is on his mind not only with respect to Hamlet and Ophelia, but also his son's trip. In Scene 6 Polonius will make it clear enough that he's worried about Laertes getting involved in a sexual scandal in Paris. Fool has three meanings: that if Ophelia becomes pregnant by Hamlet, without marriage, it will make a fool of her, and also of Polonius, and also, fool was a euphemism, or slang term, for an innocent baby, a bastard child.
By tender yourself more dearly Polonius is attempting to say, marriage before sex. Little does he know. Ophelia and Hamlet are engaged to be married.
EH 576, to EH 580- Ophelia: My Lord, he hath importuned me with love
in honorable fashion.
Pol: Aye, "fashion" you may call it; go to, go to!
Ophelia: And hath given countenance to his speech,
My Lord, with almost all the holy vows of Heaven.
~-~-~
There it is: almost all the holy vows of Heaven.
Holy vows = marriage vows, holy matrimony. Almost means Ophelia and Hamlet are almost at the altar. They're engaged.
Hamlet has knelt to Ophelia, and asked her to marry him, and she has accepted. They have not announced it yet. It's easy to guess that Ophelia and Hamlet want to keep their engagement secret to avoid Polonius and Claudius getting involved, and causing problems, for one thing.
Polonius doesn't know about the engagement, and he's so wrapped up in himself, while lecturing her, that he completely misses her meaning when she alludes to it.
EH 581, to EH 587- Pol: Aye, springs to catch woodcocks; I do know,
When the blood burns, how prodigal the soul
Lends the tongue vows; these blazes, daughter,
Giving more light than heat, extinct in both
Even in their promise, as it is a making
You must not take for fire; from this time
Be something scanter of your maiden presence;
~-~-~
Polonius is unwittingly telling Ophelia that Hamlet's proposal of marriage was only a trap to fool her. Polonius isn't really intending to say that, since he's speaking in ignorance of the facts. Hamlet was not, of course, just trying to fool her. But Polonius doesn't know there's been a proposal, and an acceptance, and he has stupidly created a hostile situation where there's no chance he'll find out from her on this day, in terms he'll understand.
Woodcocks were thought to be unusually foolish, and easily caught, so the word is an insult to Ophelia from her own father.
With Lends Polonius finally got a "loan" word, after he misspoke the word love to Laertes, earlier, after mentioning borrowing and lending. It took him long enough, but with the way Polonius goes on, and with the financial terms he tosses about, it was inevitable he'd use a "loan" word eventually.
After the Ghost talks to Hamlet, Hamlet's soul will be prodigal in lending his tongue vows, which Hamlet will find difficult to carry through. The relevance to Hamlet is an undertone to Polonius's remark, in relation to the play overall, accidental by Polonius. In plain meaning, Polonius is using vows in reference to casual romantic sweet talk that he thinks is all Hamlet has said to Ophelia. He's right that simple sweet talk shouldn't be taken too seriously, but that isn't what Ophelia meant when she said vows.
In the fourth line, Polonius meant to say "more heat than light," referring to there being more passion than wisdom. He's so wrapped up in lecturing, he accidentally got it backwards, and didn't notice.
When he contrasts blazes with fire, Polonius tells Ophelia not to mistake flames for fire. It's a strange distinction to make. He apparently means a brief, bright flash, versus a long-burning flame, or some such thing, and is trying to say Hamlet's "fiery" vows will not give her lasting warmth. Polonius is trying to draw a distinction between an "unfriendly" blaze, like a house burning, with a "friendly" fire, like a fire in a fireplace, perhaps. Polonius is asking a lot of Ophelia, to understand him, with his confused fire metaphors. She'll gather that he disapproves.
Be something scanter means she is to "make herself scarce" for Hamlet, as the more modern phrase puts it.
EH 588, to EH 591- Set your entreatments at a higher rate
Than a command to parley; for Lord Hamlet,
Believe so much in him: that he is young,
And with a larger tether may he walk
~-~-~
Entreatments means "dealings." Polonius is trying to talk to her in business terms. He says Ophelia shouldn't see Hamlet only because he says he wants to talk to her, rather, she should demand more than talk in dealing with him. He doesn't know that something more than casual talk has already been exchanged, and he's really telling Ophelia not to converse with her fiancé, the Prince of Denmark.
Command to parley has a military connotation, with a parley being a truce talk. Laertes used some military metaphor, earlier, concerning the opposite sex. If Polonius views women as "the enemy" it's not too difficult to see why, but the thought would never cross his mind that the dislike he might experience from women could be due to his own behavior. He's working hard, here, to make his own daughter dislike him, but he doesn't perceive that.
A tether is a leash. The person Polonius allows to walk on a longer leash than Ophelia is Laertes, of course, not Hamlet. Polonius thinks Hamlet is like Laertes; he can't tell the difference, so he characterizes them the same way. It's his suspicion about Laertes in Paris that causes him to take for granted that Hamlet's interest in Ophelia is only sexual.
Polonius's mention of parley is highly ironic, in anticipation of later events, where we'll see that Polonius has advised Claudius that a mere "command to parley," with old King Norway, should be enough to solve the problem of Fortinbrasse.
Regarding tether, keeping a person on a leash is a "dog" or "horse" idea. It's woefully insulting for Ophelia's own father to speak of her in such terms.
EH 592, to EH 602- Than may be given you; in few, Ophelia,
Do not believe his vows, for they are brokers,
Not of that dye which their investments show,
But mere implorators of unholy suits,
Breathing like sanctified and pious bonds,
The better to beguile; this is for all:
I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth,
Have you so slander any moment leisure
As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet;
Look to it, I charge you! Come your ways.
Ophelia: I shall obey, my Lord.
(they exit)
~-~-~
Polonius wanders further into using business language, which makes it increasingly clear where Ophelia learned tenders, to which he objected earlier in such a petty, repetitive way. He was objecting to a word she learned from him.
In few means "in few words," or "briefly." When Polonius says that, it only means he may be getting somewhere close to the end of his remarks. Here, after saying in few, he speaks fully nine more lines. To Polonius, 73 words is only a few.
A broker is a dealer in bonds. An "investment" can be an outer covering, an appearance, in addition to a financial investment. There's double meaning, referring both to finance, and to outer appearance. Dye means "color." Polonius means, essentially, that a dishonest broker may offer a bond that has the appearance of true gold, but isn't.
Dye also puns with "die." The "dye" that Hamlet's black mourning clothes show, is his grief over his dead father.
Polonius uses unholy to counter Ophelia's earlier use of holy. He's arguing with her words, again.
Dye, investments, and suits have reference to Hamlet's mourning clothes. Hamlet is wearing black, which is the proper color for mourning, but the Elizabethans also pictured the Devil as being dressed in black. So, black had various symbolisms, depending on the setting. It was the color of sincerity, and also sadness, but it could sometimes be the color of evil.
Breathing like means "sounding like," or "seeming to be." Polonius uses sanctified and pious in following the idea of holy. In doing so, he casts bonds in religious terms, as though he worships money. Bonds has an undertone of allusion to bonds of matrimony between Ophelia and Hamlet, which is entirely accidental by Polonius, since he doesn't know that the prospect of such a bond exists.
Whether the Ghost is genuine, or the "implorator of an unholy suit" when it talks to Hamlet, is a question in the play. Is the Ghost legitimate, or does it only use the sanctified and pious bond of fatherhood, The better to beguile Hamlet? We shall see. Polonius is accidentally making statements that, in undertone, are relevant to other things in the play, which is something he does fairly often, by pure luck, while never knowing what he's saying.
This is for all means "in summary." Now he's really, truly, getting close to the end of what he has to say.
He then forbids Ophelia to see or talk to her fiancé, the Prince of Denmark, the nation Polonius serves. Poor Polonius has no idea, he missed it.
His use of slander is on the Slander/Rumor motif of the play, and is high irony here. As Polonius speaks, the one who is engaging in slander is Polonius, himself, as he presumes something improper by Hamlet and Ophelia when the facts are very much otherwise. But Polonius doesn't know the facts, and he conducted himself in such an offensive and pompous way that he couldn't find out.
Ophelia is now very confused and unhappy. Both her father and brother (in their ignorance) have insisted to her that Hamlet is leading her on. But they're men, and they ought to know how men behave. So maybe when Hamlet proposed to her it was only a trick. Maybe men do that all the time. She doesn't have much romantic experience with men - only Hamlet - and it's her first proposal. But Hamlet seemed entirely sincere, and she thought a marriage proposal was a very serious thing. But maybe it isn't. She doesn't have her mother to ask about such things. Maybe any man would do what Hamlet did, kneel to her and ask for her hand, just to try to fool her. She doesn't know. She loves Hamlet, and he seemed completely sincere when he said he loved her, and asked her to marry him. But her brother and father insist he doesn't really love her, and was only trying to fool her. They're men, they should know how men are. But . . . it's all hopelessly confusing.
She can't talk to Hamlet, her father has forbidden it. She can't question Hamlet, and look at him, to judge for herself whether he's sincere.
Ophelia will obey her father. She's been raised always to do as her father says. The thought of anything else doesn't even cross her mind as a practical possibility. She has no choice, that she knows of, as long as she's living in her father's household, and also she's a fine, obedient child, even if that isn't appreciated. She simply doesn't know what else to do. It hurts her, that she can't see Hamlet, and even as she obeys her father, she deeply resents him.
End of Scene 3
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(Regained)