Original artwork, not a still
Hamlet · 1602
An old man is twice a child.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is a courtier's quip at an old man's expense, set against Hamlet's sharper insult, and its force is that Polonius really is foolish and fussy in this scene. Rosencrantz frames it as something they say, a common saying, and that is how it survives: a gentle, slightly cruel way of describing old age as a return to childhood.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for HamletShow the scene
In Act II, scene 2 of Hamlet, at Elsinore, Hamlet has just welcomed his old schoolfellows Rosencrantz and Guildenstern while hiding that he knows they were sent to spy on him. Polonius, the king's long-winded counsellor, comes in, and Hamlet mutters to Guildenstern that this great baby has not yet left his swaddling-clothes. Rosencrantz, thinking the joke over, replies that perhaps Polonius has come round to babyhood a second time, for they say an old man is twice a child. Hamlet ignores him, says Polonius is coming to talk about the players, and teases the old man with a riddling answer.
Sources (1)
- The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (MIT): Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2Entrance of Polonius, Hamlet and Rosencrantz exchangeReference checked
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