1. Sarah Cano
Mr. Fitzgerald
IB English SL
22 September 2011
CSI: Polonius
Polonius is the father of Ophelia and Laertes, and appears to be a loving father who
wishes the best for his kids. Shakespeare illustrates Polonius’ fatherly aspect when Polonius is
giving advice to his children. However, when examining Polonius’ advice further, it appears to
be poor Christian advice, which could eventually get his children in trouble.
The color red can be viewed as a symbol of love or a symbol of the devil. This perfectly
describes Polonius, because the advice his gives his children appears to be loving, like the color
red. Once the advice is given and absorbed, it is clear that it was actually not very Christian. This
is similar to red, because red can also be perceived as a color of the devil, and by giving his
children non-Christian advice, Polonius is promoting the devils actions. Like red, Polonius can
be loving, but at the same time it can also be evil.
A symbol which can be used is deception. Polonius deceives his children and the
audience into believing that he cares about his children. Although his advice is encouraging, it
might not necessarily be encouraging the right actions. By acting as though his advice is the
truth, Polonius convinces his children and the audience that his guiding words are morally
correct.
Lastly, and image which helps describe Polonius is apple juice. Apple juice is just as deceiving
as Polonius. Like Polonius’s advice, apple juice appears to be good and healthy, but in fact it
contains a lot of sugar. This perfectly describes Polonius because people automatically assume
apple juice is good for you because it is a fruit. This is similar to Polonius because he is the
father of Ophelia and Laertes, so the audience would assume the advice is good, when in fact it is
not.