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A essay on hamlet personality
The Character of Claudius in Hamlet play
A essay on hamlet personality
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Throughout Shakespeare’s Hamlet the characters prove that almost nothing is as they perceive it, and t is, perhaps, their own faults for why they do not know the truth. They believe what they want to believe. One reason behind these assumptions is the tendency of people to believe what they see- and nothing more. At the beginning of the play King Claudius addresses his people about mourning the late King Hamlet, of which he says has “us befitted to bear our hearts in grief” (1.2.2-3). While Claudius admits to grieving his brother’s death, he does not honestly feel that way as he is the one who killed King Hamlet. To all others in the court, Claudius is a genuine king, but it is only because no one has seen the king do anything to contradict …show more content…
When Polonius discovers that Hamlet was acting in a terribly strange manner towards Ophelia by tearing his clothes and screaming at her, his response is that “this is the very ecstasy of love” (2.1.114). Without having access to Hamlet’s mind, Polonius has no idea what the circumstances surrounding Hamlet’s behavior are, but he assumes that the prince has gone mad because Ophelia will not sleep with him. Though this is not the case, it seems to be the most reasonable explanation to Polonius, so it is easier for him to believe. When Hamlet comes across Claudius praying in the church, he decides to kill Claudius at “a more horrid hent” (3.3.93). Hamlet imagines that Claudius is repenting for killing King Hamlet, and he refuses to kill Claudius when he might go to heaven. However, once Hamlet exits the scene, Claudius admits that his “words without thoughts never to heaven go” (3.3.98-99). Claudius realizes that he has no feelings of guilt for murdering his brother and that his prayer is meaningless. Hamlet’s impression that Claudius is presently innocent is the result of his expectation of the words spoken in prayer to be true. These characters often think they know the motives of others, and that keeps them from finding out what is …show more content…
When Polonius decides that he wants to know what his son is up to in Paris, he hires Reynaldo to spy on Laertes. His suggestion is that Reynaldo should say he has “some distant knowledge of him, as thus: ‘I know his father and his friends, and, in part, him’” (2.1.14-16). Polonius wants Reynaldo to lie about his friendship with Laertes in order to gain information on him. When Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius instead of Claudius, his mother tells Claudius that Hamlet “whips out his rapier, cries, ‘A rat, a rat!’” before stabbing Polonius behind a curtain (4.1.11). Gertrude swears to her husband that Hamlet had no intention of killing any human. While she is lying to Claudius, she is attempting to protect her son from harsh
As human beings we are bound to be flawed & bound to act upon one’s natural instincts without foreseeing the effects those actions carried by us will bring. In William Shakespeare “The Tragedy of Hamlet” we are brought upon the true affect a death has brought towards a prince, not being just any death but of its father who has returned as a spirit to let hamlet acknowledge that he was murdered by his Uncle Claudius. Rage has filled this young soul and the desire to revenge his father takes him to what most of his family believes is insanity. He is tormented by a decision he’s yet to accomplish of making his father’s murderer who’s now married to his mother pay or to let him live and betray his word of vengeance he promised his father. According to Samuel Taylor Coleridge Hamlet is both “amiable and excellent in nature” but with one quality of waiting to long and not taking true actions, what Coleridge fails to acknowledge is that Hamlet is not made to be a perfected character he is flawed with sensitivity, a vulgar approach and a
King Hamlet's "foul and most unnatural murder" (Shakespeare I.v.31) tops Claudius' list of egregious sins. Using his mastery of manipulation, Claudius, the “incestuous” and “adulterate beast” managed to win the honorable queen Gertrude by using the “shameful lust [of her] will” (I.v.49…52-53). Claudius had to use verbal trickery to influence Gertrude into switching husbands that quickly after her husband’s death, which shows his true skill: lying convincingly. Claudius manages to validate his ascent to the throne by diverting attention away from him and to the attack by the young Fortinbras of Norway (I.ii.1-38). The most horrible of Claudius’ crimes is his lack of emotion over his traitorous fratricide. Claudius does not even give his late brother a word of respect; instead the focus is upon the future of Denmark. Claudius goes so far as to chastise Hamlet for his “unmanly grief” (I.ii.98), emphasizing that for the benefit of Denmark; all those affected by the death of King Hamlet should keep a strong façade. Later in Hamlet, Claudius begins to openly express his remorse and recognizes the immorality of his actions when he says himself: “O, my offense is rank, it smells to heaven;/ It hath the primal eldest curse upon’t, / A brother’s murder. Pray cannot I” (III.iii.40-42). He expresses his grief and sin in private but keeps a façade in front of the rest of the kingdom. Claudius is
Claudius decieves everyone in different ways and at different times , always and only to protect himself from everyone else finding out that he killed the king. We can't truly say that he deceived Gertrude or not because we still don't know if she knows about Claudius killing the king or not because that is part of her own deception , but we know that he deceived the people and Hamlet himself (before he talks to the ghost). This next quote comes from the ghost of the king convicting Claudius of the murder ,"If thou didst ever thy dear father love- revenge his foul and most unnatural murder(p.57, act1,scene5 ,lines29-31). This quote proves that Claudius actually did commit the murder. This next quote is from Claudius himself after the funeral and the wedding giving a speach about the death of the king and the whole deal with Fortinbras,"To our most valiant brother-so much for him(p.21, act1 ,scene2 ,line25)." This quote shows that Claudius obviously doesn't have much remorse for his dead brother and might be covering up the fact that he killed him. And we all know what that means...What does it mean?! It means that he actually is the rat and is the evil one in the play.
Polonius takes this opportunity to spy on Hamlet and informs Gertrude that he will hide behind a tapestry and eavesdrop on their conversation. During their conversation Hamlet forces his mother in front of a mirror as to literally reflect on herself and the betrayal she’s caused him to feel. He tells her that he wants to reveal the figurative inmost part of her, but she takes this literally and thinks that he means he is going to murder her. She cries out for help which causes Polonius to cry out as well. Hamlet, thinking that the voice of the man who had just cried out for help belonged to his uncle, stabs Polonius through the curtain and kills him. Gertrude laments the murder of Polonius calling it a bloody deed and Hamlet retorts, “A bloody deed! Almost as bad, good mother, As kill a king and marry with his brother” (Shakespeare 1862). In this scene, Hamlet reaps revenge on Gertrude by emotionally torturing her so she may feel the utmost guilt for betraying her son and husband. Then, Hamlet’s unremorseful character is revealed in his ability to murder Polonius when he thought it was Claudius he had heard behind the curtain. Hamlet then justifies his murdering Polonius by equating it to Gertrude’s sin of marrying the man, her brother in law, who killed her
Claudius’ investigations into Hamlet’s unusual behavior involved Ophelia. He wishes to unveil the nature of Hamlet’s apparent madness. Throughout the beginning of the play the reader is aware of Hamlet’s anger towards his mother which he releases upon Ophelia after she is instructed to meet with him in the lobby. Claudius and Polonius direct Ophelia towards Hamlet and urges her to tell him that she wishes to return the affection that she had refuted from Hamlet. Hamlet’s inner conflict with his mother manifests itself in his actions as he suggests that Ophelia becomes a nun instead of a “breeder of sinners” (III. i. 123). This statement appears to be directed towards Gertrude as he wishes that she does not breed children with Claudius; who he claims is a sinner. Hamlet follows this by denouncing women and marriages as he states: “I say, we will have no more marriages. Those that are married already, all but one, shall live” (III. i. 149). Hamlet speaks of Gertrude and Claudius. As he leaves, Claudius and Polonius unveil themselves and discuss Hamlet’s conversation. They appear to not be convinced that he speaks because of love for Ophelia. Infact, Claudius states that Hamlet’s sadness is dangerous – “and I do doubt the hatch and the disclose will be some danger” (III. i. 169). During this segment of the play, the reader is shown that Hamlet’s actions are causing Claudius to further investigate the problem which will lead to Claudius’ order of killing Hamlet.
Following the performance of “The Mousetrap”, Hamlet is summoned to his mother's chamber. Upon arguing with Gertrude over the intentions of his play, and his reasons for wanting to distress the king so openly, Hamlet kills Polonius. “How now? A rat? Dead for a ducat, dead (III.iv.27-28)! Perhaps Hamlet did not know whom he was killing. “Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell! / I took thee for thy better”(III.iv.38-39)! Perhaps Hamlet thought he was killing the king.
... the only way to honour his father Polonius is by killing Hamlet. In addition, as Claudius reads the letter from Hamlet to Laertes he says “'Tis Hamlet’s character. “Naked” And in a postscript here, he says “alone.” Can you advise me?” (IV, VII, 52-53). This shows that Claudius takes advantage of Hamlet’s return alone as an opportunity for Laertes to kill him. Through Claudius’s actions the readers observe how he deceives Laertes into killing Hamlet for his own benefit without getting blood on his hands. Furthermore, Claudius’ desperation to kill Hamlet leads to him losing sight of what is important, which is being the king of Denmark, what he originally wanted, instead the lies he told and the manipulation he spread is now taking over. To conclude, it is evident through the play that the words and actions of Claudius have only lead to the spread of deception.
Unlike traditional villains, facts suggest that Claudius does have conscience, despite not following it. Though his negative qualities ultimately overweigh the good that he attempts to magnify to the public, the King shows certain qualities like his ability to care, love, and express his guilt that are somewhat hidden to the people of Denmark. He seems to think of highly of Polonius’ opinion and is also kind to Ophelia. His love for Queen Gertrude is one of the more intriguing aspects of the play because it could be seen as his tragic flaw. He explains to Laertes why he does not seek justice against Hamlet after the killing of Polonius, saying “The Queen his mother lives almost by his looks…my virtue or my plague…I could not by her” (4.7, 13-18). This reluctance to get ri...
As illustrated through his speeches and soliloquies Hamlet has the mind of a true thinker. Reinacting the death of his father in front of Claudius was in itself a wonderful idea. Although he may have conceived shcemes such as this, his mind was holding him back at the same time. His need to analyze and prove everythin certain drew his time of action farther and farther away. Hamlet continuously doubted himself and whether or not the action that he wanted to take was justifiable. The visit that Hamlet recieves from his dead father makes the reader think that it is Hamlet's time to go and seek revenge. This is notthe case. Hamlet does seem eager to try and take the life of Claudius in the name of his father, but before he can do so he has a notion, what if that was not my father, but an evil apparition sending me on the wrong path? This shows that even with substantial evidence of Claudius' deeds, Hamlet's mind is not content.
In Hamlet, the value of truth incorporates the theme of appearance as opposed to reality and it links ...
In conclusion, Shakespeare has been accused of inconsistency with Hamlet only because he has kept up the distinction which there is in nature, between the understandings and the moral habits of men, between the absurdity of their ideas and the absurdity of their motives. Hamlet is not a fool, but he makes himself so. His folly, whether in his actions or speeches, comes under the category of impropriety of intention.
Once Hamlet learned or even suspected that Claudius murdered his father, he should have prepared for anything. Instead, Hamlet enters a deep personal reflection on morals and what is right and wrong. This gives an opening for Claudius, who says”And for his death no wind of blame shall breathe/ but even his mother shall cunchange the practice/ and call it an accident”. Despite the rather clear evidence Hamlet has gathered of Claudius’ corruption, Hamlet’s lack of action and emotional breakdown opens himself up to easy manipulation. As his madness becomes apparent to all those around him, he allows himself to be sent to England despite the obvious that Claudius is plotting something. He should have known that his enemy knows the truth and fortunately, barely escapes death. As time passes, it’s clear that Hamlet is losing all sense of caution in rationality when he decides to have a fencing match with the man who already tried to kill him. All of the actions taken by both Claudius and Laertes clearly show there intent to kill, but Hamlet becomes obnoxiously trusting. Although being trusting of others isn’t a bad quality, it is definitely not something you want to take up with your enemies. Hamlet’s overall lack of motivation to defend himself becomes too apparent, he had many opportunities to win this war of deception, but caused his own
“In some respects we can know fictional characters even better than we know people.” The author of Literature, Structure, Sound, and Sense makes an important point about fictional characters. An author can “make” or “break” a story by how they portray the characters as well as how relatable they are. An author can also make a story interesting by using different types of characters, as well as following the three principles of a good character. Shakespeare uses these concepts in Hamlet to brilliantly display his characters and allow readers to relate to each of them.
In his anger, Hamlet seems to act like a madman, prompting King Claudius, his wife Gertrude, and his advisor Polonius to send Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet and figure out why he is acting mad. Hamlet even treats Polonius' daughter Ophelia rudely, prompting Polonius to believe Hamlet is madly in love with her, though Claudius expects otherwise. Polonius, a man who talks too long- windedly, had allowed his son Laertes to go to France (then sent Reynaldo to spy on Laertes) and had ordered Ophelia not to associate with Hamlet. Claudius, fearing Hamlet may try to kill him, sends Hamlet to England. Before leaving, however, Hamlet convinces an acting company to reenact King Hamlet's death before Claudius, in the hopes of causing Claudius to break down and admit to murdering King Hamlet. Though Claudius is enraged, he does not admit to murder. Hamlet's mother tries to reason with Hamlet after the play, while Polonius spied on them from behind a curtain. Hamlet hears Polonius, and kills him through the curtain, thinking the person is Claudius. When finding out the truth, Hamlet regrets the death, yet Claudius still sends him to England, accompanied by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern with orders from Claudius that the English kill Hamlet as soon as her arrives.
Hamlet continues to forcibly instill these ideas on Ophelia until he finally leaves the scene. Following Hamlet’s encounter with Ophelia, he confronts Claudius on the matter of his guilt. He reveals more thoughts of anger and outrage upon Claudius. Claudius then trys to pray and absolve his sins. Hamlet, with his sword drawn, declares that Claudius should die in a state of sin, not under prayer. In Hamlet’s mind his father was murdered before being able to ask for forgiveness and now he shall do the same to Claudius. He concludes hell will be the destination of his uncle's soul. This shows that not only was he upset with his father's murder but also that he wasn't given the opportunity to absolve his sins.