Mr. Sullivan, my 12th grade English teacher, made us dress up in Burger King crowns and sword fight with paper towel tubes to make sense of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Here at the American School in Guadalajara we are going to use the internet instead. In the posts below, follow us as we seek to understand why this really is the greatest play in the English language.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
I, 3
Summarize the advice Polonius gives to his son Laertes.Does he seem wise or a foolish?Does it remind you of any advice your parents or grandparents have ever given you?
He advises not to borrow money, to listen more than he talks, to not dress fancy or too flashy, I think it seems like wise advice. It is also similar to what parents tell their kids when they are going on a trip and reminds of the repetitive speech given to me every time I go on a trip.
I thought that the best advice that Polonius gave was "Neither a borrower nor a lender be" and the other thing about spending money and enjoying riches but not being flashy or gaudy about it.
I'm given advice like that all the time by my Mom, especially about money.
Regarding the advice given to Ophelia, I've been told a couple times that "love" is nice, but not actually that dependable or worth anything concrete in the end.
Polonius tell his son for the most part to keep a low profile and to always be himself. Not to pretend to be someone else because in the end being himself will bring better things for him. My parents give this kind of advice every time they think im loosing my head or that i start to act as someone im not. Sometimes when i do something bad they say : " thats so not you". PEDRO MORALES
Basically, the advice Polonius gives his son is that by keeping a low profile, just lke Pedro said, he can avoid all sorts of troubles.
It seems wise, and also very familiar. I probably hear it at least once a week :)
Although my personal favorite, and the one I think is te most useful is the one about listening more than you talk. Because then, when you do decide to speak, you know exactly what to say and how to make people agree with your opinion. Plus, people wo talk all the time are just really annoying. :)
Polonius tells Laertes to always be himself and to also not call too much attention to himself. This advice is wise, as fathers throughout history have said it as does mine, it was as right and its right now.
Polonius tells Laertes to listen more than he talks, to keep his old friends, to take a lot of time in making new friends, and to not be impulsive. These are good advice since it is teaching Laertes to be always cautious and to always think before he acts. This does not really remind me of any advice that my parents or grannies gave me...since they never really give me any advice.
Polonious does not look foolish at all when he gives his advide to Laertes. He basically tells him to take care, to be careful and not be too flashy but still enjoy his time. He tells him not to be vulgar and not to lend or borrow. He says aswell to listen all the time but not talk much, which as well as maite, I think it is very wise advice, for then when he talks he will only say intelligent words. Yes, this reminds me of my mom and her speeches saying how I should be careful and respect myself, to be simple but enjoy life and to talk respectfully and wisely.
Keep having a nice day bombohnes, Maria Jose Fernandez
Overall Polonius' advice to leartes regards his behavior when he is out in France. Polonius advices his son not to borrow money, not to be arrogant, to always be sincere with himself and with others, and most importantly to be a devoted listener but a very wise speaker. This last piece of advice is what I find the wisest out of all the speech. I believe this phrase represents one of the biggest keys to succes "learning how to listen to others advice but follow only those that we consider apt". Through listening we can earn ourselves so much struggle and "falls" than through any other action. Ironically one of the most passive and easy actions (listening)brings forth one of the most complex things to attain in life (success). This is what I hear from my father pretty much once a week. I have oviously learned to love it... Publio Adrianza
Polonius advices Laertes to keep friends close, to listen and learn, to be true to thyself (i just thought i'd add that Shakespearian tone to it :P), to dress modestly, but elegant, and to respect other judgement or opinion apart from his. Polonius seems to me a wise man. Most of the times, we forget these important "values" that, in fact, come in very handy in the everyday life of every individual. These values have been taught to me throughout my life by the adults that surround me, and even by my closest friends. I am very fortunate to have people who care about me and that have the time to give me a piece of advice. Giselle
Some advice that Polonius gives his son is to be economically responsible, not to always have the spotlight on him, to listen more than he does speak, and to be true to himself and others. My parents have given me similar advice like, to be more modest than boastful in my actions, to be conscious of my money spending, and to never be superficial and fake. It is wise advice and many parents find it useful for their children to know in order to be successful in the future. Will Wenholz
Polonius gave Leartes a bunch of advices before he left. They were very wise advices, typical things a dad would say before the kid moves out of the house. Polonius told him to take care of appearance and of the oppinion that others have about you. Your word is the most important/valuable thing you posses. Learn how to keep relationships with other people but without getting too close. Don't lend or borrow, don't say too much but listen all you can. This are the type of things my dad tells me. He says it is the basic structure for success and that if you follow it well, you will get to were ever you want in life. Macarena
Boy does it remind me of advise I,ve heard before...hell yeah! my mom is like the advice machine haha not in a bad way though. when ever i travel by myself, which is actually quite regular now, her advice is alwas to keep my eyes and ears open and not to be to trustworthy of anyone, to be aware of my belongings and to never let people think I am a stupid little girl they can trick, whom of course I'm not. :)
Polonius advice I think resembles a little to my mom's machine advice. He adviced Laertes to be careful with his finances and to spend moderatly and wisely. He told laertes not to borrow or lend money because that only bring conflict, which I think is something everyone should be adviced. One of my favorite past about Polonius lines was the advice about hear everything but not give to anyone and everyone your judgements and opinions, I like it because doing so gives one a kind of power of advantage over the others, a good listener will always have something to use against the adversary or anyone for that matter.
Polonius' advice to his son was very wise and helpful. The most important part of the long speech, was to be listener not a babbler. While it is important to share your knowledge and experiences, if you sit back and listen and observe the world around you, you will prosper more.
Switching to Polonius' adivice to his daughter Ophelis, my grandmother has offered the same advice. She warns be of men in general and strongly urges that i be watchful and gard my "secret treasure" (grandmother's these days) and my heart. Similar to Polonious, my grandmother tells me to be in control of the relationship and let the men come to you, like bees to honey. In addition, never give the man full satisfaction, but establish a firm relationship and further tempt him to make him yours.
He basically tells his son to be humble and wise and to not borrown money, not initiate fights, to listen more than he talks. The latter is my personal favorite. Many people believe that in order to prove their intelligence they must talk a lot and always give their opinion, when in reality, most times this just makes them sound ridiculous. On the other hand, by keeping your thoughts to yourself and forming your own opinions, a lot more can be learned. And when you do decide to talk, you make sure that it is something worth saying. It is not necessary to expose every thought that comes to mind. In fact, as Maite said, people who do this are just ANNOYING! This is advice that has been often given to me by my family.
The most important part of Polonious advice is to stay true to oneself. In this scene polonius doesnt seem foolish at all, he sends of his son without doubts as how he should act or do.
If my aprents are good at something... they are good at giving advice (although i dont always follow it) The part that most sounded familiar was the one about true friends. Poloniues tells Laertes to cling to those who are true friends and dispose of those who are not...if heard the exact same advice. And the part about being true to yourself was also very familiar...
I think that my family, knowing that my brother and I would never buy this advice, would never go to such lengths and tell us what to do in this manner. Instead, my parents and other family members are more about the "don't trust a single soul because everybody wants something from you" branch of advice, which, although cynical-sounding and rather harsh, has overall worked pretty well.
It seemed like and advice a father would give his son. Always be the listener not the speaker, but the wisest thing he said was for him to never forget who he was. It is a common phrase but yeat a powerful one that I have heard THOUSANDS of time :)
maria jose celis Most of Polonius' advice to his so is very wise, but I believe that the most important of all is being himself and never forgetting who he is or where he comes from.
Polonius' advice to his son is advice I've heard over and over again either from my mom or my dad. The most common are "never be anyone but yourself" and "always be open to others comments and ideas".
He wisely advises his son not to be ostentatious, to hear more and speak less, not to initiate problems..basically to behave and be himself. It does kinda sound like advises my mom has given me throughout my life, before going to parties, with friends etc. The one I like best is to listen before you talk and, as my mom added, only if you have something relevant to say. -Maria Astrid (:
I think, Polonious´ advice was extremely wise, for his son to be more careful with what he said and how much he said as well as listening more and not draw too much attention to himself but being himself at the same time. I definately feel it is just as the advices my mom sometimes give me, specially when i am away and i need to take care of myself when with other ppl. I can honestly say, everytime you hear more than you talk you take better decisions and you take more advantage of the situation than the rest.
He advises not to borrow money, to listen more than he talks, to not dress fancy or too flashy, I think it seems like wise advice. It is also similar to what parents tell their kids when they are going on a trip and reminds of the repetitive speech given to me every time I go on a trip.
ReplyDeleteAlex Verlage
I thought that the best advice that Polonius gave was "Neither a borrower nor a lender be" and the other thing about spending money and enjoying riches but not being flashy or gaudy about it.
ReplyDeleteI'm given advice like that all the time by my Mom, especially about money.
Regarding the advice given to Ophelia, I've been told a couple times that "love" is nice, but not actually that dependable or worth anything concrete in the end.
-Lina Silva
Polonius tell his son for the most part to keep a low profile and to always be himself. Not to pretend to be someone else because in the end being himself will bring better things for him.
ReplyDeleteMy parents give this kind of advice every time they think im loosing my head or that i start to act as someone im not. Sometimes when i do something bad they say : " thats so not you".
PEDRO MORALES
Basically, the advice Polonius gives his son is that by keeping a low profile, just lke Pedro said, he can avoid all sorts of troubles.
ReplyDeleteIt seems wise, and also very familiar. I probably hear it at least once a week :)
Although my personal favorite, and the one I think is te most useful is the one about listening more than you talk. Because then, when you do decide to speak, you know exactly what to say and how to make people agree with your opinion. Plus, people wo talk all the time are just really annoying. :)
Polonius tells Laertes to always be himself and to also not call too much attention to himself. This advice is wise, as fathers throughout history have said it as does mine, it was as right and its right now.
ReplyDeleteEvan Baker
Polonius tells Laertes to listen more than he talks, to keep his old friends, to take a lot of time in making new friends, and to not be impulsive. These are good advice since it is teaching Laertes to be always cautious and to always think before he acts. This does not really remind me of any advice that my parents or grannies gave me...since they never really give me any advice.
ReplyDeleteSun Young
Polonious does not look foolish at all when he gives his advide to Laertes. He basically tells him to take care, to be careful and not be too flashy but still enjoy his time. He tells him not to be vulgar and not to lend or borrow. He says aswell to listen all the time but not talk much, which as well as maite, I think it is very wise advice, for then when he talks he will only say intelligent words. Yes, this reminds me of my mom and her speeches saying how I should be careful and respect myself, to be simple but enjoy life and to talk respectfully and wisely.
ReplyDeleteKeep having a nice day bombohnes,
Maria Jose Fernandez
Overall Polonius' advice to leartes regards his behavior when he is out in France. Polonius advices his son not to borrow money, not to be arrogant, to always be sincere with himself and with others, and most importantly to be a devoted listener but a very wise speaker. This last piece of advice is what I find the wisest out of all the speech. I believe this phrase represents one of the biggest keys to succes "learning how to listen to others advice but follow only those that we consider apt". Through listening we can earn ourselves so much struggle and "falls" than through any other action. Ironically one of the most passive and easy actions (listening)brings forth one of the most complex things to attain in life (success). This is what I hear from my father pretty much once a week. I have oviously learned to love it...
ReplyDeletePublio Adrianza
Polonius advices Laertes to keep friends close, to listen and learn, to be true to thyself (i just thought i'd add that Shakespearian tone to it :P), to dress modestly, but elegant, and to respect other judgement or opinion apart from his. Polonius seems to me a wise man. Most of the times, we forget these important "values" that, in fact, come in very handy in the everyday life of every individual.
ReplyDeleteThese values have been taught to me throughout my life by the adults that surround me, and even by my closest friends. I am very fortunate to have people who care about me and that have the time to give me a piece of advice.
Giselle
Some advice that Polonius gives his son is to be economically responsible, not to always have the spotlight on him, to listen more than he does speak, and to be true to himself and others. My parents have given me similar advice like, to be more modest than boastful in my actions, to be conscious of my money spending, and to never be superficial and fake. It is wise advice and many parents find it useful for their children to know in order to be successful in the future. Will Wenholz
ReplyDeletePolonius gave Leartes a bunch of advices before he left. They were very wise advices, typical things a dad would say before the kid moves out of the house. Polonius told him to take care of appearance and of the oppinion that others have about you. Your word is the most important/valuable thing you posses. Learn how to keep relationships with other people but without getting too close. Don't lend or borrow, don't say too much but listen all you can.
ReplyDeleteThis are the type of things my dad tells me. He says it is the basic structure for success and that if you follow it well, you will get to were ever you want in life.
Macarena
Boy does it remind me of advise I,ve heard before...hell yeah! my mom is like the advice machine haha not in a bad way though. when ever i travel by myself, which is actually quite regular now, her advice is alwas to keep my eyes and ears open and not to be to trustworthy of anyone, to be aware of my belongings and to never let people think I am a stupid little girl they can trick, whom of course I'm not. :)
ReplyDeletePolonius advice I think resembles a little to my mom's machine advice. He adviced Laertes to be careful with his finances and to spend moderatly and wisely. He told laertes not to borrow or lend money because that only bring conflict, which I think is something everyone should be adviced. One of my favorite past about Polonius lines was the advice about hear everything but not give to anyone and everyone your judgements and opinions, I like it because doing so gives one a kind of power of advantage over the others, a good listener will always have something to use against the adversary or anyone for that matter.
So far lovin' Hamlet, I dig ya Shakespeare...
Peace
btw, POLONIUS, what a great name, seriosly I am considering it for my future offsprings...:)
ReplyDeletePolonius' advice to his son was very wise and helpful. The most important part of the long speech, was to be listener not a babbler. While it is important to share your knowledge and experiences, if you sit back and listen and observe the world around you, you will prosper more.
ReplyDeleteSwitching to Polonius' adivice to his daughter Ophelis, my grandmother has offered the same advice. She warns be of men in general and strongly urges that i be watchful and gard my "secret treasure" (grandmother's these days) and my heart. Similar to Polonious, my grandmother tells me to be in control of the relationship and let the men come to you, like bees to honey. In addition, never give the man full satisfaction, but establish a firm relationship and further tempt him to make him yours.
He basically tells his son to be humble and wise and to not borrown money, not initiate fights, to listen more than he talks. The latter is my personal favorite. Many people believe that in order to prove their intelligence they must talk a lot and always give their opinion, when in reality, most times this just makes them sound ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, by keeping your thoughts to yourself and forming your own opinions, a lot more can be learned. And when you do decide to talk, you make sure that it is something worth saying. It is not necessary to expose every thought that comes to mind. In fact, as Maite said, people who do this are just ANNOYING!
This is advice that has been often given to me by my family.
Pilar Arechiga
The most important part of Polonious advice is to stay true to oneself. In this scene polonius doesnt seem foolish at all, he sends of his son without doubts as how he should act or do.
ReplyDeleteIf my aprents are good at something... they are good at giving advice (although i dont always follow it) The part that most sounded familiar was the one about true friends. Poloniues tells Laertes to cling to those who are true friends and dispose of those who are not...if heard the exact same advice. And the part about being true to yourself was also very familiar...
victor zamora
Polonius' advice seems overall wise, if only a bit of a hackneyed cliché. However, considering the fact that this was written in the 15-1600s, one could say it is only wise, as it may not have been so common to say this back then. His advice includes staying true to oneself, being neither a borrower or a lender, and listening rather than talking.
ReplyDeleteI think that my family, knowing that my brother and I would never buy this advice, would never go to such lengths and tell us what to do in this manner. Instead, my parents and other family members are more about the "don't trust a single soul because everybody wants something from you" branch of advice, which, although cynical-sounding and rather harsh, has overall worked pretty well.
Carlos Sisniega
It seemed like and advice a father would give his son. Always be the listener not the speaker, but the wisest thing he said was for him to never forget who he was. It is a common phrase but yeat a powerful one that I have heard THOUSANDS of time :)
ReplyDeleteIt has a become a rutine for my mom to give me a speech everytime I go out. She becomes paranoid and starts talking of how bad companies can turn into a bad influence, and that I should never forget that there is always a family supporting me, and that I should never let the bad people change me I should always remember who i am. Cliché but true.
KARLA JACINTO(:
maria jose celis
ReplyDeleteMost of Polonius' advice to his so is very wise, but I believe that the most important of all is being himself and never forgetting who he is or where he comes from.
Polonius' advice to his son is advice I've heard over and over again either from my mom or my dad. The most common are "never be anyone but yourself" and "always be open to others comments and ideas".
He wisely advises his son not to be ostentatious, to hear more and speak less, not to initiate problems..basically to behave and be himself. It does kinda sound like advises my mom has given me throughout my life, before going to parties, with friends etc. The one I like best is to listen before you talk and, as my mom added, only if you have something relevant to say.
ReplyDelete-Maria Astrid (:
Checked.
ReplyDelete-Mr. Paul
I think, Polonious´ advice was extremely wise, for his son to be more careful with what he said and how much he said as well as listening more and not draw too much attention to himself but being himself at the same time. I definately feel it is just as the advices my mom sometimes give me, specially when i am away and i need to take care of myself when with other ppl. I can honestly say, everytime you hear more than you talk you take better decisions and you take more advantage of the situation than the rest.
ReplyDelete