This above all, to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
– Polonius, chief counselor to the king, in Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Act 1 Scene. NB: In view of the surging enthusiasm for the Doctor Who series, we would be remiss not to point out actor David Tennant’s critically-hailed portrayal of the titular gloomy Danish prince for BBC television.
2 Comments
James Wood posted on September 18, 2010 at 2:56 pm
I’ve always loved this line, but in seeing it now I ask myself whether it is necessarily true. The fact that it is spoken by the pompous windbag Polonius is perhaps reason enough to be suspicious of it. If I am an inveterate liar, and I am true to myself, must I not be false to others? Or why can’t I be true to myself because that is best for me, and false to others if that is also best for me?
Marguerite posted on September 20, 2010 at 9:58 am
Polonius does love his son and intends to be truthful towards him, yet is perhaps too overprotective. His relationship with his children is rather emotionally honest, yet practically suspicious; he is true in words (towards his son), but not in action.