Laertes and Polonius object to Hamlet because they feel that he threatens Ophelia’s virtue and cannot be trusted. Laertes and Polonius say that Hamlet might appear to be sincere in expressing his love for Ophelia; However, they point out that his expressions are superficial and that she should be suspicious of his loyalty to her. Laertes speaks to Ophelia of Hamlet’s deceptive nature and commands her to be both alert and critical of Hamlet. Laertes obviously speaks down to Ophelia as an absolute and dominant figure with a commanding superior tone. Laertes’ tone suggests his patriarchal view of society and Ophelia’s obedience to her father supports this view of society. Similarly, Polonius believes that Ophelia’s virtue and status is worthy of a better man than Hamlet and that by being with Hamlet her virtue and status are lowered. Polonius also speaks to Ophelia with the assumption that she will submissively obey his words, further exhibiting the patriarchal society in the play. Laertes and Polonius both object to Hamlet because of a lack of trust and communicate their opinions to Ophelia in a commanding manner.
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