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Examine shakespeares presentation of claudius
The real picture of Claudius in hamlet
The real picture of Claudius in hamlet
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In our world today, a lot has gone downhill. People show many characteristics that puts all of us to shame. In the play of Hamlet, Claudius is a prime example of many of the traits that people look down on today. Envy, greed, and betrayal are all characteristics that Claudius shows throughout the play. He plays a big part that demonstrates us that maybe the downfall for us could be within ourselves.
Claudius, who is Hamlet’s uncle, is a very jealous man. Before he dies, his brother has it all. He is the king, and he has a wife he loves. Not only is Claudius green with envy, but he also takes the word envy to a new level. His jealousy leads him to do something that he wouldn’t normally do. If his big secret were to get out, it would dig quite a hole in his royal reputation. Before Claudius takes the responsibility of king, he wasn’t exactly a poor person. Many others would gladly take his place. If he put half the effort into his own life, he would be happy. Instead, his envy leads him into a dark place that he isn’t able to leave.
Another disturbing trait of Claudius is greed. H...
In other words, he displays the natural rise and fall of a deceiver. As the illusionist and criminal, Claudius is the owner of secrets he wishes would never be discovered since the throne isn’t the only thing at risk for him. To understand Claudius, one must understand that the severity of his crime comes at the price of his own head. In effect, this is Shakespeare hinting at the idea that the illusionist will eventually hurt himself through his own illusions. In the beginning, Claudius acts like a true noble king. To most characters he was of strong character and perhaps he only took the throne because he was told to since nothing was out of nature. However, as he quickly realizes that Hamlet knows of his faults, Claudius’ character makes a sharp turn in personality. This is shown through the way he addresses Hamlet. Before the meta-theatre occurs, Claudius is shown to be comfortable in addressing Hamlet, the son of the man he murdered, as his own; “But now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son—" (1.2.64). In comparison, as his fear begins to further develop into paranoia, he begins to address Hamlet as not his own child, but Gertrude’s child as he asks, “Where is your son?” (4.1.3). By doing this Claudius attempts to end relations with Hamlet physically and mentally. In spite of that, that didn’t seem to be enough for Claudius. In addition to considering Hamlet an enemy,
... 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.
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.
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...
Claudius’s chief concerns about Hamlet are that his life would have been in danger; his safety. Claudius is concerned that Hamlet would have killed him instead of Polonius, if he was there at that time. He was scared when he heard the news of Hamlet killing Polonius thinking it was him behind the tapestry. With relief and fear, Claudius tells Gertrude, “O heavy deed! It had been so with us, had we been there” (4.1.13-14). Claudius is relieved that he was not murdered by Hamlet. This contributed to character development because this shows us that Hamlet is ready to take revenge, since in the beginning he was confused and afraid, but now has taken the steps to take revenge. Character development can be seen in Claudius too because now we know that Claudius is afraid of the consequences, he will be receiving for the crime he has done.
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.
Claudius is the king of Denmark, who is a very powerful and assertive man. He is the type of person that will do anything to get what he wants and everything in his power to stay king. He will do what it takes to get his way, even if that means betraying the person he is supposed to be committed to and love, his wife Gertrude. Gertrude is the mother of Hamlet, who she deeply cares for and loves. She is convinced that Claudius does as well. In order for Claudius to stay as king he must keep Gertrude happy and pleased. He accomplishes this by pretending to love Hamlet in front of Gertrude when in reality he wants to kill Hamlet. Claudius faces the truth that his secret got out and Hamlet knows he killed King Hamlet. Not wanting to ruin his reputation and of course stay king he plans to have Hamlet killed. He lets Gertrude believe...
Claudius was motivated to take the throne for many reasons but one of the mains ones was his enormous greed. Claudius was not happy being the king’s brother, or being super wealthy, but rather he wanted to be the king himself, he wanted to be the wealthiest and most powerful man in entire kingdom. Claudius reflects back on what he has done when he says, “Forgive me my foul murder? /That cannot be; since I am still possessed/ Of those effects for which I did the murder-/ My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen.” (Hamlet 3.3.52-55). Claudius knows that he has done wrong but his greed has consumed him and he cannot simply give up everything he has taken. The wealth and power he has acquired is what he has wanted his whole life and now he cannot imagine himself without it. He has committed a murder and he has married the queen he will now stick to his ambitions and not turn back. Greed is often when someone wants something in an extreme or an excessive amount above what is necessary. A certain amount of everything is
Claudius was a lot smarter than people gave him credit for. He was clever enough to devise a plan to kill the king, he had spies all around watching Hamlet's every move, and he found a way to become king. In Claudius' case, killing the king without the entire world suspecting him took a lot of planning and work. He poisoned the king in a way that no one would suspect. The play does not say where he got the poison used for King Hamlet, but it is not likely that he could just walk down to the market and purchase it.
First of all, Jealousy is a form of greed that resulted in multiple tragedies. Claudius is jellous and wanted what is brother had. An example of this is when he killed King Hamlet because he wanted the crown, he wanted to rule the kingdom of Denmark, he wanted money, and he wanted Gertrude. When the ghost tells Hamlet, "With witchcraft of his wit with traitorous gifts-- O wicked wit and gifts that have the power So seduce!--won to his shameful lust. the will of my most seeming- virtuous queen."(i.v. 44-46) this proves that Claudius actions came from his greed.
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.
Since the act of masking demands persistent, onerous efforts to prolong its effects, it often leads to emotional exhaustion and causes psychological distresses. To provide a justifiable reason for claiming the Danish throne, Claudius forges sorrows and invents a lugubrious mask. For example, by publicly expressing his griefs in the Danish court, Claudius presents a heartbroken image and establishes himself as a figure who is both emotionally attached to his brother and excessively concerned about family members. Although he internally possesses vicious thoughts and adopts an indifferent attitude towards brotherhood, Claudius’ realistic actings convey the profound love felt towards his brother, which effectively eradicate suspicions of him causing King Hamlet’s death. In this example, the mask conceals his wicked murder and provides a
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 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...
While Claudius is praying, Hamlet has an opportunity to slay him but doesn’t because if he kills him in his prayers he will make him go to heaven instead of hell. Another minor reason for Hamlet’s revenge against his uncle is his affection towards his mother. As the play progresses, we are able to determine that Hamlet’s relationship with his mom is close to incest status. With this information, we are able to imply that Hamlet is jealous of his Uncle Claudius for marrying his mother.... ... middle of paper ...