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Polonius sacrifices his daughter making a promise to the king that he will discover the cause of Hamlet's madness. True or False?

User Vashty
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

Polonius does not literally sacrifice his daughter to discover Hamlet's madness; rather, he uses her to spy on Hamlet to see if his behavior is caused by love for her, which is false.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that Polonius sacrifices his daughter to discover the cause of Hamlet's madness is false. Polonius does use his daughter, Ophelia, to try and understand Hamlet's behavior by arranging a situation where he and King Claudius can eavesdrop on Hamlet and Ophelia’s interaction.

However, there is no literal 'sacrifice' in the sense of her life being given up for a promise made to the king. Polonius's intent is to use Ophelia as a means to determine whether Hamlet’s apparent madness is due to his love for her.

User RoberMP
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