Hamlet Quote Analysis

Hamlet tells Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that Polonius is still immature, comparing him to an infant.

The metaphor of 'swaddling clouts' (baby blankets) infantilizes Polonius despite his age and authority. Hamlet inverts the usual hierarchy: the elder statesman is the child, which strips Polonius of the wisdom his position supposedly confers and frames him as helpless and absurd.

Support a thesis that Hamlet sees through the court's pretensions—this quote shows him refusing to grant Polonius the respect his office demands, revealing how little he values the structures of power around him.