1) What is Laertes advice to Ophelia?
She needs to stop seeing Hamlet. Since he is a prince he is going to have to marry a woman who is good for the country, even if he doesn’t love her. And since Ophelia isn’t really in the same class as Hamlet there is no way that he can really marry her, so sooner or later he is going to break her heart.
2) How does “The canker galls the infants of the spring/ too oft before their buttons be disclos’d” fit into the ideology of the decaying garden?
It is the worm destroying a flower before it can bloom. Ophelia is the flower in the garden. If she is ruined she either goes to the nunnery or the whorehouse. So she is either saved or basically discarded.
3) What analogy does Ophelia give to her brother as an answer to his advice? What does she mean?
“Do not as some ungracious pastors do, Show me the steep thorny way to heaven, while like a puff’d and reckless libertine himself the prumrose path of dalliance treads, and recks not his own rede.” She is telling him that yeah is right about what he is saying but she isn’t going to listen to him. Also that he is pointing our her perfect way to heaven and saying she needs to do things right so she can go to heaven, when at the same time he is on the same path she is on. Basically she is saying he needs to take his own advice, instead of gallivanting with women in France because she actually knows what he has been doing over their.
4) List five of the “few precepts” that Polonius gives to Laertes.
He needs to think but not speak, he needs to think thoroughly before he acts and don’t make any rash decisions, be friendly to others but don’t make yourself cheap, when you have tested their friendships and they are good, attach to them with bonds of steal, don’t try and make friends with every new man you meet, and listen to everyone but only tell those who are privileged.
5) In lines 105-109, what is the metaphor that Polonius uses to describe Hamlet’s words of love?
He is saying that Hamlet’s love isn’t real. That he these tenders are not sterling.
6) List and explain one metaphor found in the lines 115-135.
“When the blood burns, how prodigal the soul lends the tongue vows.” This is basically saying that lust will make you say anything even if you know what your saying doesn’t make sense or isn’t justified.
7) What is Polonius’ command to Ophelia?
To stop seeing hamlet. And she agrees.
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