Throughout William Shakespear's Hamlet, actions are taken with different motives than what appears on the surface. Many characters in the play, including Hamlet, act with intentions that are opaque.
             A clear example of a character with actions driven by a hidden objective is Polonius. Polonius conducts all of his action with self-gain in mind. He does nothing without figuring out how it will benefit him in the future. When Polonius' daughter, Ophelia, comes to confide in him about Hamlet's state of lunacy, Polonius neglects to fully listen to what Ophelia has to say. Instead, he begins to make accusations and assumptions as to why Hamlet is acting mad. Polonius believes that the root of Hamlet's actions comes from the "ecstasy of love" that he feels for Ophelia. In order to receive full credit for what he believes is his discovery, Polonius elects that he escorts Ophelia to the King. His seemingly chivalrous actions are not out of concern for Hamlet, but they are rather of self-advancement. If Polonius is the one who consistently informs the King of the various conflicts in the court, he makes himself essential to the King. When addressing the King, Polonius never mentions that Ophelia has spoken to him. He just rambles on about his theory of Hamlet's illness. He then proposes a plan to test his theory that uses his own daughter as bait. Polonius is too narrow-minded and pompous to think that his theory could possibly be wrong. After concluding his wordy one-sided conversation with the king, Polonius encounters Hamlet's insanity first hand. Hamlet sums up the truth about Polonius when he calls him a fishmonger or a pimp, which is a perfect definition of Polonius and his self-serving neglect of others.
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