Polonius’s “too long” comment about the Trojan war speech in Hamlet
The purpose of the long Trojan war speech in Hamlet is to amplify a key theme of the play: the immoral nature of seeking vengeance. It depicts Pyrrhus, who is the avenger, as being like a messenger from hell inflicting widespread death and destruction.
Halfway through this long Trojan war recital, Polonius makes a curious remark about its length, prompting a cynical retort from Hamlet:
Polonius. This is too long.
Hamlet. It shall to the barber’s with your beard! Prithee say on. He’s for a jig or a tale of bawdry, or he sleeps. Say on, come to Hecuba.
Like this Trojan war speech, Hamlet has several scenes that seem unnecessary to the action of the play. Nonetheless, Shakespeare includes them because they are focused allegorical scenes deliberately crafted to artistically amplify the meaning of the play, using symbolism, analogy or parody. In fact, these scenes now serve as some of the best clues to Shakespeare’s intended meaning—if they do not contribute to its action, they contribute to its message.
Scenes of this nature include the long swearing ritual in Act I, the dialogue between Polonius and Reynaldo in Act II, Hamlet’s instructions to the players in Act III, the campaign of Fortinbras against Poland in Act IV, the long conversations between Hamlet and the gravedigger and between Hamlet and Osric in Act V, and, of course, this long speech on Pyrrhus’s slaughter of Priam.
Polonius’s remark that the speech is “too long” may then be Shakespeare’s anticipation of his critics’ response. It enables him to answer his critics directly by Hamlet’s reply. From it, we know Shakespeare is aware the Trojan war speech centred on Pyrrhus is long. Also, we know by his insistence on continuing with it, that it is relevant to the play.
Polonius’ “too long” remark, together with Hamlet’s cynical retort, is thus Shakespeare’s way of telling us that all the scenes that do not move the main action along are nonetheless there for a reason. They function as focused allegorical scenes that amplify the main message of the play through symbolism, analogy or parody. They are part of the cohesive unity of the entire play, meticulously crafted to convey a sage message for humanity. Every part of the play (with no exception whatsoever) contributes to its central message.
It is time we give Shakespeare due credit for creating plays that are not only lyrically brilliant but are also profoundly meaningful. I have now written four books on seven Shakespearean plays, all in the form of a running commentary of each play in its entirety, specifically to demonstrate its cohesive unity in delivering its message. The plays are Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, The Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo & Juliet, Twelfth Night and Macbeth. It is not possible for even one play to have this cohesive unity occurring purely by chance, let alone seven of them.