Shakespeare's Presentation Of Claudius In Hamlet
'Hamlet' opens with the death of Old King Hamlet, Father of Hamlet,
Prince of Denmark. The new king, Claudius, brother of the previous
king has married Gertrude, the dead man's widow and has taken the
throne.
Shakespeare presents Claudius as the plays 'damned smiley villain'
although he does allow him some redeeming features; leading an
audience to view him as a complex and contradictory figure within the
play.
After Old King Hamlet dies Claudius is crowned king of Denmark and
talks to the people as though he has sympathy and is saddened by his
brother's death 'and that it is us befitted to bear out hearts in
grief, and our whole kingdom to be continued in one brow of woe.'
However, he comes across as insincere as he marries his brother's wife
so soon after the funeral. Claudius is sly and clever as he counters
possible opposition to his marriage by flattering his court; thanking
them for their better wisdoms, which have freely gone with this
affair! For the same reasons he turns his attention to the threat of
invasion by Fortinbras and shows himself to be an excellent king:
knowledgeable, organised and efficient in dealing with the imminent
attack by diplomatic means.
The king's treachery is revealed when the ghost of Old King Hamlet
appears to Hamlet who talks very much of his hate of his brother,
Claudius 'The serpent that did sting thy fathers life now wears the
crown.' Referring to Claudius as a serpent who plays around beneath
you, very deceptive and sly. Claudius has committed two crimes of
murder, Fratricide- murder of his brother and Regicide- murder of the
ki...
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..., I am but hurt.' Hamlet kills Claudius by forcing
him to drink the poison his mother has drank. Hamlet is not an
unprincipled murderer and traitor, Claudius is! Claudius has
manipulated Laertes and deserved to die by Hamlet, as it was an act of
revenge and justice for the murder of his father.
Claudius is the obvious villain of the play presented by Shakespeare
as a contradictory character with clear strengths and weaknesses. He
possesses excellent leadership qualities, is diplomatic, determined
and clever but beneath this impressive public image he is cowardly,
deceptive, murderous and duplicitous. He is therefore presented as a
complex character throughout the play. Shakespeare's presentation of
Claudius allows him to explore human nature and the themes of
corruption, appearance and reality and political intrigue.
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.
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.
... 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.
When one reflects on the questions they are asked in life, one of the most thought provoking questions is “what is your favorite movie?” Though a trivial question, one constantly finds oneself baffled trying to think of a movie in which they can truly say is their favorite. Once one comes up with an answer to this question, the preceding question is “why?” What is it that truly makes a movie great? One can argue the characters, or the story line that makes the movie great. But ultimately it is the memorable scenes in which make the movie ones favorite. It is the scenes that truly stand out above the other components of a movie or play. For this reason, numerous writers emphasize one or two scenes in which stand out from all the rest. This technique was mastered by no other than the playwright William Shakespeare. Shakespeare throughout his tragedies focuses on two scenes that stand out to the audiences. Shakespeare’s emphasis on scenes is evident in act 1 scene 1, act three scene 1 of his play Hamlet, and Act 2kj… of his play King Lear.
Claudius’ first speech effectively reveals his character to the audience. Shakespeare’s use of diction and doubling suggests Claudius’ façade conceals his true intentions. Claudius’ artful yet manipulative use of language and his diplomatic foreign policy, prove him to be a commanding politician. This speech sets the stage for the rising action of the play. It plays a major role in revealing plot elements key to an understanding of the play and enables the audience to make an impression of Claudius and decide for themselves his possible role in King Hamlet’s death.
Hamlet as Victim of a Corrupt World Troubled by royal treason, ruthless scheming, and a ghost, Denmark is on the verge of destruction. Directly following King Hamlet's death, the widowed Queen Gertrude remarried Claudius, the King's brother. Prince Hamlet sees the union of his mother and uncle as a "hasty and incestuous" act (Charles Boyce, 232). He then finds out that Claudius is responsible for his father's treacherous murder. His father's ghost asks Hamlet to avenge his death, and Hamlet agrees.
“The serpent that did sting my father’s life / Now wears his crown.” (Hamlet 1.4.38-39). In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the protagonist Claudius is an evil and cunning villain. Shortly after the king of Denmark dies rather suddenly his brother Claudius took over his position as king. Claudius married his wife and instantly gained access to all his wealth and power. There was no evidence to suggest that the king had died of anything other than natural causes except for what a ghost told his son Hamlet. The ghost of the king told Hamlet that he had been murdered and betrayed by his own brother Claudius, the one person that he trusted the most. Hamlet vowed to take his revenge on
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.
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.
Claudius is responsible for the death of King Hamlet, regardless of this, he wants to portray himself as someone that is worthy of running the nation of Denmark. Claudius connects to the people of Denmark by demonstrating that they are all participating in the grieving of King Hamlet, “Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s death The memory be green, and that it us befitted To bear our hearts in grief” (I.ii.1-3). King Hamlet’s death is very recent, but Claudius places himself as someone that is part of the kingdom that will be mourning the death of King Hamlet. This is demonstrated through irony since instead of mourning he is actually enjoying what King Hamlet has left behind; the nation of Denmark and his wife, Gertrude. Through this, Claudius also demonstrates that he wants others to believe that he has not done anything wrong. In order to convey the image of being healthy, Claudius and his court drink merrily within the castle; making the excesses that the court enjoys apparent. Hamlet is not fond of the drinking but then comes to the conclusion that “His virtues else, be they as pure as grace, As infinite as man may undergo, Shall in the general censure take corruption” (I.iv.33-35). Hamlet then foreshadows his own destiny. No matter how good a person may be, that person can become corrupt due to something that has ...
Claudius is one of the main characters responsible for his own death in the play because he portrays himself to be untouchable; not thinking clearly of the consequences to his actions. He starts off by killing his own brother and marrying his queen, Gertrude, only because he lust power and sex. His cold-hearted actions make him the antagonist of Hamlet and most deserving of death. Through all of his malicious actions, he plans a duel between Laertes and Hamlet assuring Hamlet’s death as well by poisoning a drink and the end of Laertes’ sword. He definitely got a taste of his own medicine because he died a rightful death by the sa...
The relationship between Hamlet and Claudius is problematic, largely due to the fact that they both wish death upon the other. For instance, they view each other as a threat, which is a foreboding sign within a royal family. When Hamlet learns that his father was murdered by his own uncle - Claudius, Hamlet vows to avenge his father’s death by killing Claudius when he is told, “But know, thou noble youth, The serpent that did sting thy father’s life now wears his crown” (1.5.38-40). In other words, the ghost of Old King Hamlet informs Hamlet that Claudius has murdered him. He compares Claudius to a serpent, a large deadly
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...
... 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.
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.