Jim Norton plays a very safe, redundant Polonius. He dotes on his children and is Claudius' right hand man. With Ophelia, he seems to just want what is best for her and she understands that. Laertes seems to listen to his fathers advice and respect him. The line, "to thine own self be true..." is written down on a piece of paper and read to Leartes by Polonius. The fact that it is read shows that Polonius practiced what he was going to say to his son and chose his words carefully. Norton's costume is casual business attire (pictured left) which provides tha appearance of a clean-cut respectable looking man.
Hamlet Directed By Lyndsey Turner (2015)
Jim Norton as Polonius
Reviews
"Jim Norton has improved as Polonius, although would such a wise man need to write his words of advice to Laertes down? Thankfully his death is also much better than the clumsy staging of early shows, but he still remains a bit dull, which is a shame when Oliver Ford Davies has shown how lively a character he can become."
- Full article here.
“Jim Norton canters tidily through his Polonius...”
-Daily Mail (2015) - full article here.