Claudius, the Central Antagonist in Shakespeare’s Hamlet

555 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The Character of Claudius in Hamlet play

Claudius, the Central Antagonist in Shakespeare’s Hamlet

An important factor of any fictional story is the antagonist, or a person who conflicts with the protagonist – the “hero” of the story (Encarta). As many have come to the realization already, Claudius is the main antagonist to Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Uncle to Prince Hamlet, King of Denmark and Husband of Gertrude, Claudius is quite a character. Imagine the guilt and anxiety brought about by killing one’s own brother, claiming his kingdom as your own, and then going so far as to marry his widow. These were the crimes of King Claudius of Denmark, and one can see that he was pretty much written to be despised by the reader, a noticeable aspect of Shakespeare’s age-old work. Moreover, many often quickly assume, upon their first reading of the play, that Prince Hamlet ought to kill the king (Goddard).

Though, think of a typical reaction to your father’s murder and the remarriage of your mother to a corrupt and greedy man who claims the title as your uncle; that is not an easy pill to swallow. Goddard even asks the question, “Is...

Show More
Related

  • An Exploration of the Ways Shakespeare Presents the Character Claudius

    1539 Words  | 4 Pages

    An Exploration of the Ways Shakespeare Presents the Character Claudius From Claudius’s first speech the audience gains the impression the character is political and educated. Shakespeare uses metaphorical language to emphasis this. Claudius’s first speech in the script is full of metaphorical language, and it shows a manipulating, persuasive character who can convince a kingdom that it was perfectly acceptable for him to marry his brother’s wife just a few weeks after his death. It is the language Shakespeare has chosen to give Claudius that can convince others that he is morally correct. He uses imagery of facial features to represent the kingdom as one body.

    Read More

  • The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare

    1220 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • An Analysis on Claudius

    634 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Hamlet, Shakespeare developed a character, an antagonist, which produces twists and turns throughout the play. Even though in the beginning of the play, Claudius seemed to be an intelligent man, who has excellent speaking skills that helped him take the leadership of his deceased brother’s kingdom, and marry his wife. But, combining both his intelligence and excellent speaking skills, shows Claudius’s true nature: an astute, lustful conspirator. Through the different settings and situations, Claudius’s character contributes to the overall understanding of the play through psychological, biblical and philosophical methods.

    Read More

  • Hamlet And Claudius Research Paper

    695 Words  | 2 Pages

    An interesting comparison between King Hamlet and Claudius is a biblical reference between Cain and Abel. Cain was the first person to be born and Abel was the first person to be killed. Cain was jealous of his brother who was younger yet he became a shepherd while he was a farmer. Whenever they would give offerings to god, Abel’s offering would be accepted while Cain’s offering wasn’t. Cain was jealous of his brother and angered that he was allowed such a better life than him. Besides being a shepherd, Abel’s wife which was decided for him was much more beautiful than Cain’s wife. On one fateful day. Cain invites Abel to the fields and then there Cain murders his brother. This biblical story is commonly associated with Hamlet. One brother takes the life of the other brother because they think that they are more deserving than the other brother. In both cases, the murderous brother is left to walk to their doom in the future and in a sense gets justice inflicted upon them.

    Read More

  • Hamlet - Claudius

    386 Words  | 1 Pages

    What could be worse than killing your brother? Marrying his wife right after! Claudius is the shadiest character in Act I of Hamlet. Claudius had poured the juice of a hebenon (henbane; a very poisonous plant) into his brother’s, Hamlet Sr.’s ear. Hamlet Sr. died quickly but was “doomed for a certain term to walk the night.” Claudius then hurriedly married Gertrude and became king. Hamlet knows none of this however, yet already holds certain contempt for his step-father/uncle.

    Read More

  • Deaths with Meanings

    1139 Words  | 3 Pages

    Claudius is the antagonist in this play, in easier words, the villain. He is the brother of the now dead King of Denmark, Hamlet. Claudius murders his brother and does it in a way that it seems as though death had claimed him in a natural way. He is then quick to marry Queen Gertrude, as a favor to the state of Denmark. Claudius throughout the play is calculating, and will do anything to stay in power: including murdering the son of his current wife, his nephew, Hamlet. During the play, Hamlet becomes a threat to the crown and power in his possession. To overcome this, Claudius confides in Laertes that Hamlet was the cause of Polonius’s death. In an act of revenge Laertes plans his act “I will do ‘t. And for that purpose I’ll anoint my sword. I bought an unction of a mounteback, so mortal that, but a dip a knife in it, where it draws blood no cataplasm so rare, collected from all simples that have virtue under the moon, can save the thing from death that is but scratched withal. I’ll touch my point with this contagion, that if I gall him slightly it may be death” (4.7.139-148). This works wonderfully in Claudius’s favor. With Laertes plotting to avenge his father, Claudius won’t have to get his hands dirty again, and...

    Read More

  • Claudius Vs. Hamlet

    1026 Words  | 3 Pages

    Claudius Vs. Hamlet Is Claudius a worthy adversary for Hamlet? Some would argue that Claudius was not even close to being worthy enough to be Hamlet's opponent, but if you look at all of the evidence in the play, you might think otherwise. First of all, Claudius was obviously worthy if Hamlet was the one who chose to seek revenge. There are also so many minor details that add up when comparing Claudius with Hamlet.

    Read More

  • Hamlet's Arrogance

    1059 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... of treachery and, luckily, Hamlet realizes the king’s subterfuge, crushing the plot and flipping it back on him. Claudius remains steadfast in his efforts to remove Hamlet, going so far as to set up a false fencing competition and foolishly pushing the poisoned wine without considering the suspiciousness of the action. In his short-sighted and rash decision making, Claudius shows that he allows his inflated sense of regality and self-worth to cloud his judgment.

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Hamlet Essays: Claudius - Guilty or Innocent?

    432 Words  | 1 Pages

    William Shakespeare's Hamlet is a play that tells of a young man, Hamlet, who wanted revenge for the death of his father. After speaking with his father's spirit, Hamlet was led to believe that the person who murdered his father was his uncle, Claudius. Claudius kills his brother mainly because of jealousy, the crown, the queen and a hatred of his brother. Therefore Claudius is guilty of the murder of his brother.

    Read More

  • Hamlet and Claudius’ Power Struggle

    1838 Words  | 4 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Claudius' Speech

    1144 Words  | 3 Pages

    William Shakespeare’s Hamlet revolves around Hamlet’s quest to avenge his father’s murder. Claudius’ first speech as King at the beginning of Scene 2, Act 1 introduces the themes of hierarchy, incest and appearance versus reality and plays the crucial role of revealing Claudius’ character as part of the exposition. The audience is left skeptical after Horatio’s questioning of King Hamlet’s ghost in the first scene of the play. By placing Claudius’ pompous speech immediately after the frightening appearance of Hamlet’s ghost, Shakespeare contrasts the mournful atmosphere in Denmark to the fanfare at the palace and makes a statement about Claudius’ hypocrisy. Through diction, doubling and figurative language, Shakespeare reveals Claudius to be a self centered, hypocritical, manipulative and commanding politician.

    Read More

  • Hamlet Acts Morally, Harms Others by his Actions, and Realizes his Tragic Limits

    1017 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most famous work of tragedy. Throughout the play the title character, Hamlet, tends to seek revenge for his father’s death. Shakespeare achieved his work in Hamlet through his brilliant depiction of the hero’s struggle with two opposing forces that hunt Hamlet throughout the play: moral integrity and the need to avenge his father’s murder. When Hamlet sets his mind to revenge his fathers’ death, he is faced with many challenges that delay him from committing murder to his uncle Claudius, who killed Hamlets’ father, the former king. During this delay, he harms others with his actions by acting irrationally, threatening Gertrude, his mother, and by killing Polonius which led into the madness and death of Ophelia. Hamlet ends up deceiving everyone around him, and also himself, by putting on a mask of insanity. In spite of the fact that Hamlet attempts to act morally in order to kill his uncle, he delays his revenge of his fathers’ death, harming others by his irritating actions. Despite Hamlets’ decisive character, he comes to a point where he realizes his tragic limits.

    Read More

  • Hamlet's Hesistation to Kill Claudius

    1500 Words  | 3 Pages

    How far do you agree that Hamlet’s hesitation to kill Claudius in Act Three is underpinned by religious reasons? Of all the different motives Shakespeare presents for Hamlet’s lack of action, which seems to be the most important?

    Read More

  • Claudius Character Analysis in Shakespeare Play

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    King Claudius, as illustrated in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, displays both charm and eloquence. Claudius is an intelligent person and is able to deceive people into believing he is innocent and morally guided. He is adept at manipulating people in order to advance and maintain his own power and fails to show any remorse for his actions. Claudius utilizes his linguistic skills to portray himself as an innocent and prudent leader; however, upon further inspection his diction is a mere smoke screen that hides his manipulative and cunning nature.

    Read More

  • Free Hamlet Essays: Hamlet's Inability to Take Action

    593 Words  | 2 Pages

    With his thinking mind Hamlet does not become a typical vengeful character. Unlike most erratic behavior of individuals seeking revenge out of rage, Hamlet considers the consequences of his actions. What would the people think of their prince if he were to murder the king? What kind of effect would it have on his beloved mother? Hamlet considers questions of this type which in effect hasten his descision. After all, once his mother is dead and her feelings out of the picture , Hamlet is quick and aggressive in forcing poison into Claudius' mouth. Once Hamlet is certain that Claudius is the killer it is only after he himself is and and his empire falling that he can finally act.

    Read More

More about Claudius, the Central Antagonist in Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Open Document