Polonius Gives The Best AdviceIn the meantime, Polonius has his own family issues: his daughter, Ophelia, is much attracted to Hamlet, and his own son, Laertes, is about to go back to Paris to study more. As he is sending off his son, Polonius gives him his advice.Shakespeare’s language is magnificent. It has a great theme; it is written in noble language; it speaks across the ages; it speaks to each of us individually. Great language, noble language—never has the English language reached such beautiful heights as in the hand of Shakespeare.In one of these memorable passages, Polonius gives some of the best advice on how to live your life that you will ever get:... my blessing with thee!And these few precepts in thy memoryLook thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue,Nor any unproportioned thought his act. [Ponder that as Hamlet goes through with some unproportioned acts.]Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.
Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel; [Make good friends, keep them.]But do not dull thy palm with entertainmentOf each new-hatch’d, unfledged courage. [Don’t undertake too many enterprises or get involved with too many people and their schemes.] BewareOf entrance to a quarrel; [don’t get in a lawsuit] but being in,Bear’t that thou opposed may beware of thee. [In other words, you get in a fight, see it through to the end.]Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice; [Keep your own counsel.]Take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgment. [Listen to what everybody’s saying about you and criticizing you, but you be spare in your criticism.]Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not express’d in fancy; rich, not gaudy;For the apparel oft proclaims the man,
And they in France of the best rank and stationAre of a most select and generous chief in that.Neither a borrower nor a lender be,
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,And borrowing dulleth edge of husbandry.This above all: to thine own self be true,And it must follow, as the night the day,Thou canst not then be false to any man.Shakespeare is saying to listen to your father and mother about law school or medical school, but to be wise and prudent in matters of life. Ultimately, you choose in life what is your mission or calling. Find it out, follow it, do what you love. It’s all there in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.