Polonius
Arras-hidden eavesdropper
Polonius is a character in Shakespeare's *Hamlet*—the verbose, meddlesome lord chamberlain who dispenses advice while hiding behind curtains to spy.
His name has become shorthand for a pompous windbag who offers platitudes as wisdom: He droned on like Polonius about the importance of being true to oneself.
The irony is that Polonius's famous counsel ("Neither a borrower nor a lender be") is genuinely quotable despite its source.
Danish prince's revenge tragedy
- courtierRoyal household attendant
- OpheliaGreek name meaning help
- ClaudiusFourth Roman emperor
- GertrudeTraditional German feminine name
Laertes · counselor · Denmark · arras · statesman · father · chamberlain · spy
Tediously long-winded
- pompousAffectedly grand in manner
- sententiousAffecting wise brevity
- prolixExcessively wordy in speech
- verboseMore words than necessary
tedious · windbag · long-winded · meddlesome · overbearing · nosy · prying · busybody
One who advises
- mentorTrusted wisdom-giving advisor
- sageWisdom keeper or seasoning
- elderSenior figure of authority
- statesmanRespected political leader
confidant · strategist · wise · prudent · maxims · precepts · advice · guidance
Hamlet
Danish prince's revenge tragedy
Laertes · Gertrude · counselor · Denmark · arras · statesman · father · chamberlain · spy · victim
garrulous
Tediously long-winded
- pompousAffectedly grand in manner
- sententiousAffecting wise brevity
- prolixExcessively wordy in speech
verbose · tedious · windbag · long-winded · meddlesome · overbearing · nosy · prying · busybody · foolish
counselor
One who advises
statesman · confidant · strategist · wise · prudent · maxims · precepts · advice · guidance · fatherly
Shakespeare
Elizabethan dramatist and poet
- tragedyDisastrous or sorrowful event
- ElizabethanOf late 1500s England
- GlobeFamous Elizabethan theatre
soliloquy · bard · dramatis · troupe · act · scene · aside · stage · performance · role
- ShakespeareRomeo, Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello
- Fictional DadsHomer Simpson, Darth Vader, Mufasa, Fred Flintstone, George Jetson
- Shakespeare CharactersHamlet, Macbeth, Othello, Romeo, Juliet
- HamletHamlet, Claudius, Ophelia, Gertrude, Horatio
PoloniusHamlet
Danish prince's revenge tragedy
Laertes · Horatio · protagonist · tragic hero · Fortinbras