# Why is Polonius spreading nasty rumors about his son Laertes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 30, 2002, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-polonius-spreading-nasty-rumors-about-his-son-laertes/134600 "2002-10-30T22:12:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-polonius-spreading-nasty-rumors-about-his-son-laertes/134600/1 "2002-10-30T22:12:12Z")
In ACT II Scene 1 of **Hamlet** Polonius is instructing Reynaldo to go to France and spread rumors and lies about his son Laertes. Why? This does not make any sense. ---
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-polonius-spreading-nasty-rumors-about-his-son-laertes/134600/2 "2002-10-30T22:36:15Z")
Reynaldo wonders the same thing: > [@](#): > > _Rey._ But, my good lord— > _Pol._ Wherefore should you do this? > _Rey._ Ay, my lord, > I would know that. Polonius pretty much answers that he hopes the person to whom Reynaldo is speaking will, on hearing the lie, pipe up with some truth about Laertes’s dirty deeds. Polonius seems pretty sure that his son is doing dishonorable things in Paris, and hopes that Reynaldo, by starting with some false gossip, will get some true gossip, and spread it along to Polonius. > [@](#): > > [_Pol._] See you now, > Your bait of falsehood take this carp of truth, > And thus do me wisdom and of reach [understanding], > With windlasses [roundabout methods] and with assays of bias [indirect attempts], > By indirections find directions [the way things are going] out… It took me a bit to figure it out too. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-polonius-spreading-nasty-rumors-about-his-son-laertes/134600/3 "2002-10-30T22:37:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Muad’Dib \* > \*\*In ACT II Scene 1 of **Hamlet** Polonius is instructing Reynaldo to go to France and spread rumors and lies about his son Laertes. Why? This does not make any sense. \*\* As I read it (or heard it), Polonius is trying to advise Reynaldo on the best ways to draw out an honest answer about Laertes’ behavior in France. His reasoning seems to be that if Reynaldo hints that he _already_ knows something questionable about Laertes, whoever he is speaking to is more likely to share whatever they know in the same vein, however reluctant they might otherwise have been. It’s basically a way for Reynaldo to grease the wheels of the conversation, so to speak. Of course, Polonius’ plan would backfire abominably, as it would end in giving Laertes a bad reputation whether he had one in the first place or not… but perhaps Polonius has reason to believe that he already has one. Then again, perhaps Polonius is a “foolish, prating knave” after all, and really didn’t have a clue what he was doing. _shrug_ ---
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-polonius-spreading-nasty-rumors-about-his-son-laertes/134600/4 "2002-10-30T22:44:53Z")
> [@](#): > > And thus do me wisdom That should be “And thus do _we of_ wisdom…” ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2002, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-polonius-spreading-nasty-rumors-about-his-son-laertes/134600/5 "2002-10-30T23:31:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Loopus \* > \*\* > > That should be “And thus do _we of_ wisdom…” \*\* The irony being that you can screw up the grammar in Shakespeare and many people (including me, I must admit) wouldn’t notice. ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2002, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-polonius-spreading-nasty-rumors-about-his-son-laertes/134600/6 "2002-10-31T02:21:18Z")
Ahh, that seems to make sense. I only wish that it was more explicitly stated in the text. I still find Shakespeare an absolute pleasure to read. When I am grasping it, of course. ---
**Author:** ![StPaul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58f4c7/32.png) [@StPaul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StPaul)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-polonius-spreading-nasty-rumors-about-his-son-laertes/134600/7 "2002-11-04T07:25:08Z")
One might wonder why Shakespeare put this scene into the play. It has no relevance to the rest of the play - who cares what Laertes is doing off stage. The only possible use of the scene is to allow Kenneth Branagh to wedge in a Gerard Depardieu cameo somewhere. If only Shakespeare had hired a better editor…