Polonius The tragedy’s fool

A review Remember the characteristics of Shakespeare’s fool? A fool(s) exists in most Shakespearean plays—not only in his comedies. These characters elicit humor, but often do so un-intentionally (intentionally by Shakespeare, unintentionally by the character) The Shakespearean Fool Archetype: Undereducated Fickle Easily confused Sporadically quick-witted occasionally he is sharp; often he’s too dumb to understand what he is saying Often egotistical

First, Listen Listen to this short podcast about the character of Polonius Does it add anything to our previous analysis of Polonius? What characteristics of “the fool” does Polonius exhibit? In your RJ List the characteristics he demonstrates For each characteristic, find an example (FROM THE TEXT) to prove it Share with a partner what you discovered Start at 18:35, the podcast is only 5 minutes—due to space reasons, the podcast is not embedded in the online version.

Second, Analyze Polonius is killed in Act III, Scene IV His death is the first in the play Why would Shakespeare choose to make Polonius the first victim? How does his death impact the other characters? Hamlet Gertrude Claudius Ophelia? Laertes? Consider Shakespeare’s structure. Act III is the climax of the plot; how does Polonius’ death contribute to the climactic nature of this act?

Third, Watch (for fun) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylIOpO-a4JE

Fourth, Work For tomorrow, make sure you have read all of Act IV and answered the RJ questions in your reader’s journal. If time allows, go through the answers.