Final answer:
Polonius attributes Hamlet's odd behavior to love for Ophelia, considering it the result of unrequited affection rather than actual madness or other factors.
Step-by-step explanation:
Polonius explains away Hamlet's odd behavior by attributing it to love for Ophelia. He believes that Hamlet is mad due to his love for her and that this unrequited affection is the source of his apparent insanity.
Polonius is firm in his conviction that Hamlet's behavior is a consequence of matters of the heart, rather than political preoccupations, the desire for revenge, or genuine mental illness.
Polonius explains away Hamlet's odd behavior by considering him to be mentally ill. In Act II, Polonius says to Horatio that Hamlet's behavior is due to his 'wretched vision' and suggests that Hamlet is not in his right mind. Polonius dismisses the idea of ghosts and believes that Hamlet's strange behavior is a result of his mental state.