Student Question
Why didn't Claudius give Polonius an elaborate funeral in Hamlet?
Quick answer:
Claudius did not give Polonius an elaborate funeral to avoid drawing attention to the suspicious circumstances of his death and Hamlet's involvement. A grand funeral could have prompted questions about why Polonius was in Gertrude's bedroom and potentially exposed Claudius's own secrets. Additionally, Claudius feared public backlash due to Hamlet's popularity and the political instability in Denmark, which could threaten his tenuous hold on power.
There's a direct answer to this excellent question in Act 4, Scene 5. Ophelia has gone mad, and Claudius tells Gertrude that the people are
Muddied
Thick and unwholesome in their thoughts and whispers,
For good Polonius' death, and we have done but greenly
In hugger-mugger to inter him.
The people are confused ('muddied'), and spreading negative rumours about Polonius' death: Claduius worries that he has been 'green' (naive) to bury ('inter') him in secret ('hugger-mugger').
Later in the same speech, Claudius reveals why he has buried Polonius in secret: no-one knows that Hamlet did the deed, he tells Gertrude, and therefore
....necessity, of matter beggar'd,
Will nothing stick our person to arraign
In ear and ear.
Because they have no other information (they are 'beggared' of 'matter') nothing will stop the people from blaming ('arraigning') Claudius (who speaks here with the royal we), and whispering their suspicions in ear...
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after ear.
Claudius buried Polonius in secret because he didn't want anyone to know about the death: but word has got out, and now that Claudius himself is rumoured to be to blame for the death, he wonders whether he has made the wrong decision.
In Act 4, sc. 5, Laertes asks Claudius why his father's funeral was so limited - why Polonius wasn't given any military rites or formality. Claudius merely responds that Laertes has a right to question how Polonius died and that he hopes the guilty party will be punished by death. Then in sc. 7 of that act, Laertes asks Claudius why Hamlet wasn't dealt with like a criminal since Hamlet killed Polonius. The question regarding the limited funeral isn't addressed directly. Claudius explains though that he couldn't deal with Hamlet like any other criminal because Hamlet is so loved by the people of Denmark. He says that any faults Hamlet has are turned into virtues by the people so if he, Claudius, tried to punish Hamlet, the people would have turned against Claudius. Claudius goes on, later in the scene, to tell Laertes that he has a plan that may allow Laertes to kill Hamlet.
In Hamlet, why doesn't Claudius provide a state funeral for Polonius?
Claudius fears the outcome of such a funeral. As Hamlet is the guilty party, and being much loved by the multitude, he cannot risk the attention it would bring to Hamlet's supposed madness and conspicuous absence. Even under the guise of obtaining help for Hamlet's madness in England, he would risk calling attention to the murder and the people of Denmark forgiving him considering the sudden death and hasty marriage of Claudius and Gertrude. Also, Denmark is in political turmoil and Claudius holds a tenuous position. He has been approved by vote, and can be ousted just as easily, as is seen when Laertes returns to avenge his father's death with a mob calling for him to be king.
A state funeral would draw too much attention to Polonius' death and risk opening up questions about the circumstances surrounding his demise. One of the first questions might be, What was Polonius doing in the queen's bedroom? All kinds of rumors could have been raised. The truth was also a little awkward. He was there to spy on the conversation between Gertrude and her son. Why would he need to do that? What might Gertrude and/or Hamlet be hiding? And, if Gertrude was hiding something, would that mean that Claudius also had something to hide. In addition, the heir to the throne was the one who killed Claudius when he discovered Polonius in his mother's bedroom. That could have lead to all kinds of rumors and innuendo. So, Polonius was buried quickly and without honor, much to his children's dismay.