FAMOUS PLAYWRIGHT POET AND OTHERS
HAMLET
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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Because Polonius seems incapable of delivering an intelligent remark.
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Because Polonius is an exceptionally long-winded and verbose individual.
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Because Polonius is essentially declaring the chatty King Claudius witless.
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Because Polonius is marking an astute observation about Hamlet’s long soliloquies.
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Detailed explanation-1: -Why is it ironic that Polonious declares that “brevity” [being direct and concise] “is the soul of wit” in Act 2, scene 2, line 97? Because Polonius seems incapable of delivering an intelligent remark. Because Polonius is an exceptionally long-winded and verbose individual.
Detailed explanation-2: -The line itself is actually an example of Shakespeare’s humor, because Polonius tends to have long, rambling speeches to say simple things. By saying brevity is the soul of wit, Polonius is unintentionally admitting that he himself is not witty because he doesn’t know how to be brief.
Detailed explanation-3: -What is humorously ironic about Polonius saying, “Brevity is the soul of wit"? It is because he keeps saying how he’s going to be brief but he keeps saying so much he loses the point which is, Hamlet is crazy in love.
Detailed explanation-4: -The irony all belongs to Polonius; he is there to trap Hamlet and finds himself trapped instead. He has said he will silence himself, and he is indeed silenced. There is both simple irony and dramatic irony. The Ghost’s invisibility to Gertrude raises the question of Hamlet’s sanity.
Detailed explanation-5: -’Brevity’ is the soul of wit’ means that one can say a lot more by using the minimum of language to convey something. In other words, being brief is the essence of intelligence.