Is King Hamlet Selfish

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Recommended: The Character of Claudius in Hamlet play

What should be said of a person who kills his own brother to ascend to the throne of Denmark? It is easy to label Claudius as an indefensible murderer, especially because Shakespeare relays many of the events in Hamlet through Prince Hamlet’s perspective. Although Claudius is unquestionably villainous, he is also a highly effective and judicious statesman.
Claudius ends King Hamlet’s life in order to pursue a more sophisticated style of governance. King Hamlet had been a proud, haughty man who took risks with his country. Horatio describes this as a positive characteristic, saying that when the King was challenged, he “Did slay this Fortinbras, who by a sealed compact well ratified by law and heraldry, did forfeit, with his life, all those his lands which he stood seized of to the conqueror” (1.1.85-88). His brash actions were wildly popular in Denmark at the time—Horatio and the guards are awestruck by the bravery that King Hamlet displayed in gambling the country to maintain his pride— but they weren’t the actions of a skillful diplomat. In assassinating the …show more content…

When Hamlet killed Polonius, Claudius could have punished him in any overt manner he chose. However, he had two reasons to suppress the incident: first that Gertrude loved Hamlet and would have wanted him to be protected, and second that Hamlet was quite popular and punishing him would have caused further instability to Claudius’s rule. His solution was to separate Hamlet from Denmark, and have him killed while on a seemingly innocent diplomatic mission to England. This took all the blame off of Claudius, and had it succeeded, would have solved many of Claudius’s problems. The plan, though well thought out, ultimately failed because Hamlet had a stroke of luck in stumbling upon the letter bearing the order to kill him. It shouldn’t be considered a shortcoming on the part of

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    Claudius killed Hamlet’s dad and then married his mom to become the leader of Denmark. Later in the play, Hamlet sees his dad’s ghost and is informed of the horrific act committed by his uncle. Hamlets’ dad’s ghost says, “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (I. V. 25). Hamlets’ dad says this to Hamlet so that his uncle could get retribution for his actions. Hamlet has many opportunities to kill Claudius, but is unable because of the wrong timing.

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    He gets a chance to kill the crown, and thinks ‘’Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven/ And that his soul my be as damnes and black/ As hell, whereto it goes’’ (3.4.98-99). But he hesitates, Claudius prays so he might go to heaven if Hamlet kills him now; he wants Claudius to burn in hell and wants himself to go to heaven. He looses his temper and kills the person behind the curtain, ‘’ How now, a rat? Dead for ducat, dead’’ (3.4.25-30). He assumed that was Claudius who sneaked into his mother’s closet and now he goes back to being a sinner so he can kill the crown now, but the one behind the curtain turns out to be Polonius. Hamlet does not care about him although Ophelia loves Polonius. Hamlet decides to take action after he sees Fortinbrass and his army ‘’O, from this time forth/ My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth’’ (4.4.68-69). He sees that they go to death willingly and he does not stand up against Claudius, with this he sets his mind to killing Claudius. Sadness comes with the loss of Ophelia and he goes in a duel with Laertes. Horatio tries to change his decision, but Hamlet says ‘’Not a whit, we defy augury. There is a/ Special providence in the fall of a sparrow’’ (5.2.233-234). Hamlet decides to do the duel and he thinks that he cannot run from his destiny. He gets into a duel full of cheats, Hamlet looses his mother to

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