Which Shakespeare play includes the character Polonius?

Which Shakespeare play includes the character Polonius? Hamlet. Polonius is the chief counsellor to King Claudius and the father of Ophelia and Laertes in Shakespeare’s tragedy.

He is a talkative, meddling courtier who tries to explain Hamlet’s strange behaviour while secretly spying on him. His attempts to manage events repeatedly expose his poor judgment, although he is also protective of his children and concerned with courtly reputation.

Polonius is killed when Hamlet, hearing someone concealed behind a tapestry in Gertrude’s chamber, thrusts through it without checking who is there. Hamlet believes he may have struck Claudius, but kills Polonius instead. The death drives the later revenge plot involving Laertes and contributes to Ophelia’s collapse.

A common mix-up is confusing Polonius with another royal adviser or with Hamlet’s father, the former King of Denmark. The character is unmistakably tied to Hamlet, even though early versions of the play use the alternate name “Corambis” for him.