These characters stay true to themselves but, may cause death for others. Claudius, Horatio, and Polonius all stay true to themselves. Just because this is happening doesn't mean you can rely on them.
Claudius falsed many people while staying true to himself. From the very beginning of the play, Claudius has only cared about himself. If it didn’t have anything to do with benefiting himself he wants nothing to do with it. You might think Claudius was doing the right thing. Stepping in to take the throne when King Hamlet died, but actually he was just selfish and wanted the queen and all the power. The ghost of Hamlet's father, King Hamlet states, “The serpent that did sting thy father’s life now wears the crown.” (1.5.45-46). Throughout
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the whole play Claudius is just trying to keep ahold of many secrets. He is also trying to keep ahold of the crown. There is not one moment Claudius isn't thinking about killing hamlet. From the very beginning he knew hamlet knew about his father's death. From that point he was all about getting rid of his nephew. Claudius had to kill hamlet no matter what it took. He had many plans to kill hamlet, but they all seemed to go wrong at some point. All of this leading to not only the death of himself, but the death of Laertes, his beloved wife, and Hamlet. Laertes even states: The treacherous instrument is in thy hand, unbated and envenomed. The foul practice hath turned itself on me, Lo, here I lie, never to rise again. Thy mother’s poisoned I can no more. The King - the King's to blame. (5.2.326-330) King Claudius was true to himself and only to himself up until his death. Horatio is one of the only ones in the play to stay true to himself , while also staying true to others. He was always there for Hamlet when others were not. Hamlet states: Dost thou hear? since my dear soul was mistress of her choice, and could of men distinguish her election, hath sealed thee for herself; for thou hast been as one, in suff’ring all, that suffers nothing. (3.2.58-62) He is talking about how Horatio is the only real friend Hamlet has. People like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern act like they are friends with Hamlet but really betray their friendship for the King, Claudius. Horatio was the only friend there to believe Hamlet about his father's ghost. If Horatio didn’t believe this Hamlet's sanity would no doubt be in question. Hamlet is the one that put Horatio in charge of watching King Claudius watching the play for his reaction. This meaning that Hamlet must of told Horatio about Claudius killing his father. Horatio is a always looking out for Hamlet for example when they first saw the ghost Horatio states: What if it tempt you toward the flood, my lord, or to the dreadful summit of the cliff that beetles o’er his base into the sea, and there assume some other horrible form, which might deprive your sovereignty of reason and draw you into madness?
(1.4.76-81)
Horatio is a good friend to Hamlet, he is also the only character to not only stay true to himself but all of the other characters as well.
Polonius may have done many people wrong but stayed true to himself. Just like Claudius he was trying to hide and get away with many things. Polonius was constantly spying on Hamlet and his daughter Ophelia. Polonius believes that Hamlet is just playing his daughter and that he really isn't in love so he sets up a plan to see if it's really true. Polonius states:
Read on this book, that show
of such exercise may colour your loneliness, We are oft to blame in
this, ‘tis too much proved, that with devotion’s visage and pious
action we do sugar o’er the devil himself. (3.1.50-55)
Yes Polonius finds out Hamlet didn't love his daughter, but Hamlet was playing Polonius because he knew about his spying plan. Spying didn’t help Polonius at all. Polonius spying actually led to his death. Hamlet and his mother Queen Gertrude were talking in her bedroom about Hamlet's insanity and Polonius was behind the curtains. He makes a noise and Hamlet reacts, stabbing the curtain. Hoping to find King Claudius, it was actually Polonius. Hamlet knows that Polonius is just as bad as King Claudius except with spying. Hamlet
states: Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell. I took thee for thy better. take thy fortune: thou find’st to be to busy in some danger. Leave wringing your heart; for so I shall if it be made of penetrable stuff, if damned custom have not brazed it so, that it be proof and bulwark against sense. (3.4.36-43) Polonius stayed true all the way to his death, but he was definitely not true to others, only himself. In the end Claudius, Horatio, and Polonius were all true to themselves, but these characters being true to themselves cause several deaths. Even their own.
In addition, Hamlet’s feigned insanity fooled Polonius into believing that he was simply mad with love for Ophelia. Because Polonius was the king’s advisor, he was greatly trusted by King Claudius. After Polonius reads Hamlet’s love letter, the king and queen begin to believe what Polonius is saying about Hamlet just being madly in love. “Do you think ‘tis this?” asked King Claudius.
In Hamlet, The new king Claudius is able to gain respect from the kingdom. He even steals the love of Hamlet’s mother Gertrude. The old king’s councilor, Polonius, becomes Claudius’s councilor and his best friend. He helps Claudius keep an eye on Hamlet and tries to keep him from finding out anything about his father’s death. Polonius believes that if he helps Claudius that he can make life better for himself and for his daughter and son. But in the end, his actions get him slayed, drive his daughter to insanity, and eventually set...
character Polonius in Shakespeare’s Hamlet fits the description of one who tries to deceive others
Throughout literature, there a character who provides a moral compass for other characters. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Horatio’s character seems fairly simple: somewhat of a “yes-man” to Hamlet, often agreeing with anything Hamlet says. However, at the end of the play we understand his significance, as he is one of the last survivors. This transition is unexpected because for most of the play, Horatio is a reserved character and doesn’t speak very often. Despite this, it is clear that Horatio and Hamlet’s friendship is extremely deep, and Hamlet trusts Horatio more than anybody. At first, the relationship is one of a prince and an advisor, but as the play goes on we realize they are in fact close friends. Horatio is much more than a “yes-man” to Hamlet, even though this may not be visible for most of the play. This friendship is due to three of Horatio’s characteristics: trustworthiness, loyalty, and admiration, which make him an ideal friend to Hamlet. These traits also inspire confidence in Horatio from other characters in the play. Even Shakespeare shows that he values Horatio by allowing him to survive at the end of the play.
Upon learning that Ophelia has allied herself with Polonius and Claudius, he loses his head and has an incredibly dramatic episode. He is initially honest and open with Ophelia, but his mood quickly changes when he learns they are being spied on. He questioned Ophelia’s motives by asking whether she was honest and fair. He breaks her heart upon the realization she is not on his side. He tells her that he once loved her, then their conversation spirals into nothing more than Hamlet hurling insults at his former love before storming out.
The scene between Hamlet and Polonius took place in Act II Scene 2. In Hamlet's first encounter with Polonius, he immediately insulted the old man by calling him a "fishmonger". He then quickly changed his opinion and complemented Polonius by calling him an honest man. Hamlet said, "to be honest, as this world goes, is to be one man picked out of ten thousand". As we know Polonius definitely was not such a man. Hamlet was portrayed as a clever lad, who was playing a psychological game with an old fool. He asked Polonius whether or not he had a daughter, pretending he did not know that Ophelia was Polonius's daughter. When Hamlet was asked about what he was reading, he replied by saying, "words, words, words". Throughout this scene, Hamlet revealed himself to Polonius as a mentally unstable man. He was playing a fool himself, while ingeniously using this to make Polonius look like an even bigger fool. He cleverly insulted Polonius' appearances indirectly, by referring to the book he was reading. According to that book old men had grey beards, their faces were wrinkled, they had a plentiful lack of wit, and so on. He was describing Polonius exactly. Perhaps the most humorous part took place when Hamlet, while saying, "for yourself, sir, shall grow old as I am, if like a crab you could go backward", he advanced towards Polonius, causing him to walk backwards. Those words and the actions on the stage revealed Hamlet to be a daring young man. When Polonius finally left, Hamlet dropped his pretense and yelled, "These tedious old fools!". In Act III Scene 2, Hamlet used a recorder, the musical instrument, as a telescope when Polonius entered the scene. He asked Polonius, "Do you see yonder cloud that's almost in shape of a camel?". Hamlet always pretended to be the madman in front of Polonius, while he actually made him look like an old fool.
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
Horatio is Shakespeare's utilitarian character. Horatio serves as a foil to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, prompts Hamlet to disclose his feelings, gives vital information in the form of exposition (verbal or in a letter) or verification of Hamlet's reality, and helps to build the suspense of the play. The only emotional aspect of his character is that he remains alive, and serves as a vehicle for Shakespeare's moral of Hamlet.
Delving into the character of King Claudius in Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, we find a character who is not totally evil but rather a blend of morally good and bad elements. Let’s explore the various dimensions of this many-sided character.
There are many ways to interpret Hamlet 's relationship with Horatio. Most obviously, Horatio is the only person in the play that Hamlet trusts. He is the only one who knows for certain that Hamlet 's madness is an act, the one person Hamlet confides in personally, and the one whom bids Hamlet goodnight upon his death. Considering his conflicts with his family, Horatio is the only "family" Hamlet has. He understands that Horatio is very rational and thoughtful, yet not overly pensieve like himself. As the play continues, Horatio questions Hamlet 's judgment twice. Once is when Hamlet tells him of a letter from King Claudius that he has found in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern 's pack, telling the King of England that he must have Hamlet killed. The second instance is when Hamlet tells Horatio that he will fight Laertes, son of Polonius, who Hamlet killed earlier in the play. Horatio loves Hamlet with all his heart, but he is directed by a more sensible disposition, which makes him to speak the truth to Hamlet, despite the fact that Hamlet never once takes Horatio 's warnings. In fact, there is only a single point in the play at which Horatio loses his sensible outlook, and it is but a momentary loss. At the end of the play, when Hamlet is killed in his fight with Laertes, Horatio, in his grief, offers to kill himself with his own sword. It is Hamlet 's dying request that Horatio tell
By the completion of Hamlet, the audience recognizes the Mephistophelian nature. Shakespeare provides the proof is Claudius’ true nature chronologically as the play proceeds. “Claudius dares to be both a villain and a hypocrite; his heart does not smile with his face; he is guilty of murder and incest, the smile on his face hides guilt and the planning of yet more villainy in his heart.” (Bertram 141) From Claudius the audience learns the dangers of such character flaws and traits that he possesses.
Horatio’s minor role is vital to the story of Hamlet. He does not add anything to the plot of the play and instead acts as the voice of common sense. Horatio is an outside observer to the madness that ensues after the murder of King Hamlet. All of Hamlet’s soliloquies revolve around irrational speculations about death and decay. However, Hamlet’s conversation with Horatio ground the play in reality. In those conversations, Hamlet reveals his feelings to his closest friend. Horatio is the only one Hamlet can come talk to about what is going on in his life.
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.
Although King Claudius fails in comparison to his late brother King Hamlet, he still tries to portray king like traits and exemplify king like deeds. However, we quickly find that he is weak and faulty king not truly fit to rule. His character embodies irony to the fullest. Hamlet even refers him as a joke compared to his father. Even if Claudius is ruler over Denmark, he is still a peasant compared to King Hamlet: “So excellent a king, that was to this/Hyperion to a satyr, so loving to my mother” (I.ii.139-140). Yet, King Claudius tries to his newfound power to influence others. He uses the throne as a mask to hide his true self and...
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...