Claudius, Polonius, And Laertes In William Shakespeare's Hamlet

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, aspects of Hamlet’s personality are emphasized through contrasting characters. The characters that will be analysed are Claudius, Polonius, and Laertes.

It is clear from the beginning that Claudius is Hamlet’s nemesis. This will inevitably intensify some of Hamlet’s personality traits. Notably, Hamlets vengefulness is brought out when he learns of Claudius’ betrayal and deception. When the ghost of his father returns and states that he was murdered by Claudius, Hamlet declares that “The time is out of joint; O cursed spite,/ That ever I was born to set it right!” (1.5. 187-188). As a result, Hamlets perfectionism is emphasized. It is necessary to Hamlet that he gets the highest quality of revenge possible. Hamlet is even in a prime position to end Claudius’ life but hesitates due to his need for perfection. The last trait that gets amplified due to Claudius is Hamlet's misery and unhappiness. When Claudius and Gertrude question him about why he still seems depressed Hamlet states:

“Seems,” madam? Nay, it is, I know not ‘seems.’

‘Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother,

Nor customary suits of solemn black,

Nor windy suspiration of forc’d breath,

Hamlets sharp tongue and openly nasty comments to Polonius are among the harshest that he says. When Polonius inquires to Hamlet if he is aware of who he is, Hamlet replies “Excellent well, you are a fishmonger.” (2.2. 174). This insult carries the connotations of belonging to a lower class as well as referring to him as someone who uses women for profit. Moreover, Polonius creating a situation where Ophelia is used to get information out of Hamlet while spying on them infuriates him. Hamlet engages in the most heated and bitter fight with Ophelia thanks to Polonius’ meddling. Hamlet says, “You should not have believ’d me, for virtue cannot / so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it; / I lov’d you not.” (3.1.