Quote Analysis

Polonius regrets that he misjudged Hamlet's intentions toward Ophelia, admitting he had assumed Hamlet was merely toying with her affections and would ultimately harm her.

The verb 'quoted'—meaning 'observed' or 'noted'—is ironic given that Polonius has just sent Reynaldo to spy on Laertes using elaborate indirection; he laments not watching Hamlet closely enough even as he over-monitors his own son. His fear that Hamlet 'did but trifle' and 'meant to wreck' Ophelia projects his own manipulative mindset onto the prince—he assumes Hamlet uses people instrumentally because that is what Polonius himself does. The self-accusation rings hollow because he immediately pivots to a new scheme (telling the King), showing regret has not changed his methods.

Support a thesis that Polonius's self-criticism is itself a form of self-deception—he admits misjudging Hamlet but learns nothing, simply substituting one confident misreading (Hamlet the seducer) for another (Hamlet the lovesick madman), which shows how his need for interpretive control blinds him to his own limitations.