As you begin to read and understand the tragedy of Hamlet, you should begin to see how the many characters affect what happens as the story progresses. The further you get into the plot, however, it is quite clear that there is one strong supporting character that shapes the role of the main character of the story. When Prince Hamlet, the main character learns that his uncle Claudius was the person who had killed his father, Prince Hamlet becomes enraged by this and vouches to honor his father's death by slaying his uncle for his wrongdoing. Prince Hamlet is further enraged and disgusted by the acts of his mother, Queen Gertrude who has most hastily agreed to marry the brother of the former king of Denmark. When this occurs, we begin to see …show more content…
As the mock play begins, Prince Hamlet is careful to bare witness to his uncle's actions and observes him during the production. When King Claudius becomes aware that he is being set up, he stands and runs out of the room which only gives Prince Hamlet even more suspicion that he is the culprit. At this point in the play, Prince Hamlet is given another opportunity to kill his evil uncle when he is disovered to be praying in his room. Hamlet again decides not to act on his rage because he thinks that killing someone who is in prayer is not right. Near the end of the play, Claudius comes up with a scheme of his own in which he will devise a fencing match between Laertes, in which a poisoned sword will be used to kill Prince Hamlet for revealing that he knows of the death. With one swift strike of the sword, Hamlet begins to die,but before he does, he finally succeeds in killing his uncle with the same sword that was used in his uncle's murderous scheme. It is also believed that the reason why Hamlet finally killed Claudius was because his mother accidentally took a drink of poisoned wine which was originally meant for
It is too late though, the poisonous sword had cut Hamlet. In anger, Hamlet steals the poisoned sword and runs it into Laertes. He then charges Claudius and runs into him. He also takes the wine and forces Claudius to drink from it. Both Claudius and Laertes died before Hamlet.
...m to put his life in danger to find out more information about Hamlet, which ultimately leads to his death. Claudius also planted the idea of murdering Hamlet into Laertes’ mind, and this became the main goal of Laertes towards the end, which leads him to his death. Hamlet has hurt the women that he loves, both Ophelia and Gertrude die. Claudius and Hamlet also die, which is ultimately how the corruption of the nation of Denmark ends, through this it can once again be the great nation that it once was.
Prince Hamlet, a university student, is an extremely philosophical and thoughtful character. When his father the King of Denmark dies, Hamlet returns home only to be presented with evidence that suggests his uncle Claudius may have been responsible for his father’s murder. In the initial acts of the tragedy, Hamlet seeks to prove his uncle’s guilt and contemplates all of his actions and options, prior to seeking revenge.
In the beginning of the play, Hamlet's father comes to him as a ghost from the grave. He tells Hamlet of his uncle's betrayal of him and tells Hamlet that he must kill Claudius to set things right. Through this event, Hamlet...
When Claudius finds out that Hamlet knows about his shameful act, he demands Hamlet to be killed. Claudius knows that although Hamlet was crazy, he had a great influence on the people of Denmark, which may result in Hamlet exposing Claudius to the people of Denmark of his sinful acts to receive the crown. “As checking at his voyage, and that he means No more to undertake it, I will work him To an exploit, now ripe in my devise, Under the which he shall not choose but fall.” (4.7.60-63) Claudius supports Laertes and decides that Hamlet should be killed in a duel with Laertes. Prior to the duel, Claudius will have Laertes sword sharpened as well as a poisonous oil on the tip, killing anyone simply scratched by it.
This, of course, causes a landslide of tragedy in the play. Claudius exiles Hamlet to England and sends sealed letters to the King of England telling him to kill Hamlet upon his arrival. Ophelia goes insane. Laertes, Hamlet's brother, returns from France with an army, demanding to know why Polonius was killed. Claudius enlists Laertes to kill Hamlet. Ophelia commits suicide. Hamlet and Laertes duel at her funeral; both of them are mortally wounded, Gertrude kills herself and Hamlet kills Claudius.
Claudius quickly takes advantage of this by manipulating Laertes to duel Hamlet. Laertes, under the influence of Claudius takes his fury one step further and poisons his sword, a poison so lethal that one cut will end Hamlet. During their duel, Laertes wounds Hamlet then "In scuffing", they exchange swords. Hamlet wounds Laertes and they are both poisoned.
Hamlet, a young prince preparing to become King of Denmark, cannot understand or cope with the catastrophes in his life. After his father dies, Hamlet is filled with confusion. However, when his father's ghost appears, the ghost explains that his brother, Hamlet's Uncle Claudius, murdered him. In awe of the supposed truth, Hamlet decides he must seek revenge and kill his uncle. This becomes his goal and sole purpose in life. However, it is more awkward for Hamlet because his uncle has now become his stepfather. He is in shock by his mother's hurried remarriage and is very confused and hurt by these circumstances. Along with these familial dysfunctions, Hamlet's love life is diminishing. It is an "emotional overload" for Hamlet (Fallon 40). The encounter with the ghost also understandably causes Hamlet great distress. From then on, his behavior is extremely out of context (Fallon 39). In Hamlet's first scene of the play, he does not like his mother's remarriage and even mentions his loss of interest in l...
Ambition is the desire for power, honor, fame, wealth and the will to do anything to obtain them. Claudius is full of ambition and commits nefarious acts against his own family to gain power. In Act one; Scene five, Hamlet has been blessed by the presence of his father’s ghost. King Hamlet, who is absolutely irate, tells Hamlet exactly how he died. Murdered, more specifically poisoned, by his brother in his sleep. Not only did Claudius murder him but he robbed him “Of life, of crown, of queen.” All of these are things he viciously snatched from King Hamlet to fulfill ambitious life style. Although in Denmark the people elect their king Claudius is of royal blood, he knows the ins and outs of governing a body of people, thus possibly the reason...
Hamlet’s characterization of Claudius isn’t fair and is biased as a result of his grief and the image he holds up in his mind of his dead father. He seems to be caught up in the differences between Claudius and Old Hamlet; he doesn’t see that for all his damning of Claudius, he is much more like the new King in personality and character than he ever was like his dead father who he elevated to status of god on earth. In Hamlet’s failing to see Claudius as anything but an underhanded, murderous tyrant, Shakespeare gives the audience an opportunity to see all sides of the new King through other characters and lets the audience make up their mind as to whether Hamlet is right or wrong. In a way, Shakespeare ends up showing the stark humanity in Claudius, both his capacity for good and evil.
Hamlet struggles constantly, trying to decide how he should go about avenging the loss of his father to his deceitful uncle-stepfather. Planning to kill him isn’t easy. Hamlet is given many opportunities to kill Claudius, but keeps stalling for time to be certain the ghost had spoken the truth about the murder. Finally, Hamlet decides upon a plan. “the play’s the thing/Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King”(II.ii.612-613). He will stage a performance for the King that would actually be a reenactment of his father’s murder. The play he chooses to reenact is entitled "The Murder of Gonzago" with a few changes made to accommodate Hamlet’s new lines and actions reflecting Claudius murdering his father. Upon seeing Claudius’s crazy behavior during and following Hamlet’s play, Hamlet realizes that his ghost-father had spoken the truth.
Finally we arrive at the sword match between Hamlet and Laertes. Hamlet is unaware of Claudius’ poisoned goblet and the poisoned tip of Laertes’ sword. When Laertes cuts Hamlet, he makes the choice to stab Laertes, who would see him dead as well.
...ns hastily without much premeditated thought, while Claudius plots everything out before actually does anything. The morality of an issue worries Hamlet while Claudius has no appreciation for moral law. Finally, Claudius does whatever it takes to get power, while Hamlet does the same type of things, although they are not right he feels bad about them and has moral conflicts unlike Claudius who murders without moral consent. Shakespeare wrote in characters like Claudius to help his audience understand more about the main character. Claudius helps define Hamlet’s position on those issues while other foils deal with other characteristics. Foils are what bring a flat character to a round character, a static character to a dynamic character. It’s the minor characters that are able to make a hero, the hero and a villain, the villain.
Claudius is seen in Hamlets eyes as a horrible person because he convicted murder and incest. Claudius had killed the king of Denmark, Old Hamlet, to obtain the position of the throne. He had been jealous of Old Hamlet’s wife Gertrude and wanted to marry her for her power. Although, such an act would be called incest and considered unnatural he did not care, all he had cared about was the power that he would be stealing from Hamlet and Old Hamlet, Gertrude’s son and husband (R). When Hamlet had talked to his f...
Old Hamlet is killed by his brother Claudius. Only two months after her husband’s death a vulnerable Gertrude marries her husband’s brother Claudius. Gertrude’s weakness opens the door for Claudius to take the throne as the king of Denmark. Hamlet is outraged by this, he loses respect for his mother as he feels that she has rejected him and has taken no time to mourn her own husband’s death. One night old Hamlets ghost appears to prince Hamlet and tells him how he was poisoned by his own brother. Up until this point the kingdom of Denmark believed that old Hamlet had died of natural causes. As it was custom, prince Hamlet sought to avenge his father’s death. This leads Hamlet, the main character into a state of internal conflict as he agonises over what action and when to take it as to avenge his father’s death. Shakespeare’s play presents the reader with various forms of conflict which plague his characters. He explores these conflicts through the use of soliloquies, recurring motifs, structure and mirror plotting.