Polonius is a character in William Shakespeare's Hamlet. He is King Claudius's chief counsellor, and the father of Ophelia and Laertes. Polonius connives with Claudius to spy on Hamlet. Hamlet unknowingly kills Polonius, provoking Ophelia's fit of madness and death and the climax of the play: a duel between Laertes and Hamlet.
Generally regarded as wrong in every judgement he makes over the course of the play, Polonius is described by William Hazlitt as a "sincere" father, but also "a busy-body, is accordingly officious, garrulous, and impertinent." In Act II Hamlet refers to Polonius as a "tedious old fool" and taunts him as a latter day "Jeptha".
Read more about Polonius: Character, Sources, Name, Stage and Film Portrayals, Famous Lines, Notable Portrayals