Here we see Polonius speaking to Queen Gertrude and, in the middle of a long, drawn-out speech, Polonius reveals the truth that "brevity is the soul of wit." In other words, the smaller amount of words that one needs to use to say something should signify how smart that person is. Again, the irony is that Polonius is neither brief nor wise. How can we tell as readers? Gertrude is clearly frustrated by Polonius's rambling when she says this one simple line: "More matter, with less art." How is she instructing Polonius? She wants him to stop rambling, get to the point, and stop using superfluous words. Polonius proves himself the fool once again by saying again and again that he will heed her advice and "use no art at all." Ultimately, Polonius fails miserably at taking both his own advice and Gertrude's.
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