Question

Toward the end of Act III, Scene II, Hamlet mentions to Polonius that he sees the shape of a camel, a weasel, and a whale in the clouds. What's Hamlet doing here? What does this brief bit show us about Polonius?

a) Hamlet is daydreaming, showing his distracted state of mind.
b) Hamlet is mocking Polonius by making up absurd images.
c) Hamlet is seeking hidden messages in the clouds.
d) This bit shows that Polonius is easily deceived and takes Hamlet's nonsense seriously.

Answer 1

Hamlet is mocking Polonius by fabricating absurd images in the clouds, which demonstrates Polonius's gullibility as he believes Hamlet's nonsensical comments.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the iconic play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the protagonist's interaction with Polonius while supposedly observing shapes in the clouds at the end of Act III, Scene II serves as a critical instance of character exposition. Hamlet is not daydreaming nor seeking hidden messages but rather, he is mocking Polonius by inventing absurd images (option b). This behaviour illustrates Hamlet's astute awareness of Polonius's nature and suggests that Hamlet is toying with him. In turn, this interaction reveals that Polonius is susceptible to deception, displaying his gullibility as he takes Hamlet’s nonsensical remarks seriously (option d).