The Fool

"POLONIUS:
My liege, and madam, to expostulate
What majesty should be, what duty is,
Why day is day, night is night, and time is time,
Were nothing but to waste night, day and time.
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief: your noble son is mad:
Mad I call it; for, to define true madness,
What is't but to be nothing else but mad?
But let that go.
QUEEN:
More matter, with less art.
POLONIUS:
Madam, I swear I use no art at all.
That he is mad, 'tis true: 'tis true 'tis pity;
And pity 'tis 'tis true: a foolish figure;
But farewell it, for I will use no art.
Mad let us grant him, then: and now remains
That we find out the cause of this effect,
Or rather say, the cause of this defect,
For this effect defective comes by cause:
Thus it remains, and the remainder thus."
(2.2.93-112)

Shakespeare is a master of the theatrical archetype. He utilizes archetypal roles in almost every play, making statements about society or humanity using these characters. For example, Ophelia more or less fits the role of the ingenue in Hamlet: the young, beautiful woman being influenced by the men around her. The guards in the opening scene of Hamlet are heralds, introducing the conflict of the ghost and the political turmoil in Denmark. The role of the fool is played by Polonius, but the Shakespearean fool is uniquely complex. Polonius is a blundering and inarticulate fool, but there is a wise simplicity within his inanity.

Polonius is a ridiculous man, prone to distraction and long-windedness. He opens his speech to the king and queen by saying, in no less than seven lines, that he will state his purpose briefly (93-99). When Polonius continues, he loses track of what he is saying, repeating the same few words over and over again: "That he is mad, 'tis true: 'tis true 'tis pity; / And pity 'tis 'tis true" (105-106). He regains his thought process, deciding to accept Hamlet's mental state as the truth (108), and moves on to try to find the best way to state the cause of Hamlet's madness. In all of this, he uses too many words, loses his train of thought, all while trying to be respectful of the king and queen and still show his own importance.

Yet, within all his buffoonery, Polonius still manages to say things that are wise and thought-provoking. He states that "brevity is the soul of wit" (97), both contradicting his own actions and making an assertion that continues to be heavily quoted today (albeit out of context). In these few words, he sums up the core of much of Shakespeare's humor: short wittiness far surpasses the rambling joke or riddle. Polonius later asks, "to define true madness, / what is't to be nothing else but mad?" (100-101). This can be interpreted as a blundering question meant to make Polonius sound wiser than he is, but he strikes on the fool's distinguishable levity. Insanity can be seen as being complicated and hard to decipher, or it can be faced directly and addressed as simply being a state of relative mental obscurity. Madness is nothing but madness, and Polonius' blunt statement of such shows him to be a perfect example of Shakespeare's fool.

Traditionally, the archetype of the fool shows the lightness and happiness of life by never being serious, always playing jokes, and reminding people of their bodily impermanence. Shakespeare takes this role a step further, adding in an element of true wisdom and understanding to his fools, beneath all the buffoonery. While Polonius may come across as idiotic, he does convey some truth and wisdom in his long-winded speeches, and he does remind us of the levity and comedy of life.