The Act opens with Polonius speaking with his servant Reynaldo. The readers soon discover that they are discussing Laertes and that Polonius is ordering his servant to spy on his son. He gives Reynaldo money and to go to France and letters for Laertes. He gives him strict instruction on how to pursue Laertes and how he can find out exactly what he is up to without making him look like a disgrace: "You must not put another scandal on him [...] But breathe his faults so / quaintly / That they may seem the taints of liberty" (2.1.29-32). Polonius is an example of an overbearing parent who does not seem to trust his son's judgments and choices. Polonius seems to desire control and he is able to achieve it through his parenting. His actions in this scene tell the reader that he does not truly trust his son, whereas earlier in the play he seemed to support his decision to go back to school and was confident in his ability to be on his own now he wants to check up on him to make sure he is being mature and responsible. This amount of extreme parenting is not appropriate, since he let his son go out on his own he should allow him the opportunity to make his own choices and become an adult without being spied on and watched over. Polonius is not justified in his actions during this part of the play, because he made the decision to trust Laertes to go off to school and is now going back on his decision by spying on him and is also taking away part of the freedom that he granted him. I believe that most of the major and most important aspects of parenting have remained constant over the years. Some parenting habits that have not and will not change are that parents are always going to be protective of their children and that parents will want to make sure their kids have good reputations. Although these habits are common it is how the parent goes about maintaining these habits that determines appropriate or inappropriate parenting.
No comments:
Post a Comment