Polonius

               "There ; my blessing with thee ! And these few precepts in thy memory Look thou character." (I.3.58)
                 Polonius says that he going to give a "few" pieces of advice to his son as he goes out on his journey and instead he gives this drawn-out speech full of unwanted wisdom. Then, after he is finished, he acts like if Laertes was holding him up! Polonius here demonstrates how he is part of that stereotypical group of old men that love to impart the wisdom from their years whenever they get the chance. If Hamlet was written in today's world, he would constantly be saying ,"When I was your age..." and such.

             "You shall do marvellous wisely, good Reynaldo, Before you visit him, to make inquire Of his behaviour." (II.1.4-5)
              So now we catch a glimpse of what Polonius really thinks of his son. He apparently has set some low standards for him by telling Reynaldo to watch out if Laertes engages with prostitutes, gamblers, drunkards and so on. However, I believe that he has set Reynaldo on this mission to see whether or not Laertes holds to his wisdom. And so ironically, Polonius disrespects his son by spying on him to find if Laertes disrespects him by not keeping his advice! Their father-son relationship has gone bad because of uncertainty and suspcion, headed by Polonius.

              "Hath there been such a time, I 'Id fain know that, That I have positively said "Tis so,' When it proved otherwise ?" (II.2.145)
               Here, Polonius reveals his puffed up pride. He has such high regard for himself that it causes him here to basically say, "I've never been wrong before". He insists that it is his daughter who is making Hamlet mad. Why? Probably because he is a proud father of his beautiful daughter, just like most fathers. His pride, however, is his flaw. Proud of his wisdom, proud of his
daughter, and proud of his position, he feels like he cannot be touched by fate, only fortune.

             "And I’ll be placed, so please you, in the ear of all their conference. If she find him not, to England send him or confine him where your wisdom best shall think." (III.1.184-187).
              All of these duties that Polonius is preforming only serves to show him to be a suck-up. Just like Rosencraft and Guildstern, he now wants to earn favor with this King because favor with the King is worth more than favor with anyone else. Rather than directly talking to Hamlet about his daughter Ophelia, he conspires against his prince to win the King. And it almost appears that his pride and confidence in the problem with Hamlet being Opheila that he would rather send Hamlet to England than be wrong.

           "He will come straight. Look you lay home to him.Tell him his pranks have been too broad to bear with, and that your grace hath screened and stood between much heat and him. I’ll silence me even here. Pray you, be round with him."
            It is a shame that to the end Polonius has become another tool for the King. He calls himself a servant to the royalty, but so is Horatio and the two are very different. And the way that he borders commanding the Queen on what she should say to Hamlet when they talk is a more authoritative tone than when he has talked to the King and Queen before. There is definitely a dynamic measure of authority and confidence that develops in Polonius as he serves the King more, and this is where it finally ends.