King Claudius's Ambition Essay
“To be or not or not to be - that is the question” (3.1.64). In life, people often have to decide whether to fulfill their desire by harming others or to uphold their conscience. In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, King Claudius chooses to pursue his desires through the suffering of King Hamlet, Queen Gertrude, Hamlet, and his servants. King Claudius’s lust for absolute power, in addition to his deceitful and manipulating tactics, leads to his downfall. First of all, King Claudius’s ambition to become the next King of Denmark causes him to lose his conscience. As King Hamlet’s ghost reveals the truth of his death, he anguishes, “Thus was I [King Hamlet], sleeping, by a brother’s hand, Of life, of crown, of queen at once dispatched” (1.5.81-82). The throne of Denmark motivates King Claudius to slay his own biological brother to succeed King Hamlet’s “crown”. His desire to gain power has overwhelming covered up his moral values. Furthermore, King Claudius’s ambitions are then revealed by himself during his soliloquy to confess his guilt to God. He comments that he is still “possess[ing] of those effects for which [he] did the murder: [his] crown, [his] own ambition, and [his] queen” and wonders, “May one be pardoned and retain th’ offense” …show more content…
It forces people to lose their conscience and focus on their desires rather than others’ betterment. King Claudius, in fact, is confused with his sudden gain of power. He clearly does not know how to correctly use his power, instead his only concentrates on his ambitions. His desires contribute to the suffering of his people, and even the woman he loves, Queen Gertrude. However, he never learn his mistakes and further use his manipulating tactics to secure his throne. King Claudius’s death at the end is a direct consequence of inability to utilize power correctly. If power is used by reprehensible person, then the likelihood of tragedy will increase as
Examples Of Moral Ambiguity In Hamlet
165 Words | 1 PagesHis father is dead and his uncle marries his mother. Then, he finds out that his uncle murdered his father for the crown. Many aspects of Shakespeare’s characterization of Hamlet in the play, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, point toward the idea of moral ambiguity. Not all people are purely evil or purely good, especially in Hamlet. Every character in the play is responsible for some sort of wrongdoing, but each character is a good person, excluding Claudius, manipulated by other characters with or without the character’s own knowledge.
Figurative Language In Hamlet's Soliloquy
741 Words | 3 PagesClaudius is then compared to the internal organs of slaves and a man without morals, remorse or kindness (Ham.2.2.607-608). The powerful metaphors and adjectives used to describe Claudius not only express Hamlet’s intense contempt and disdain towards him, but also serve to convince Hamlet to commit murder. However, Hamlet depicts himself as a whore, a prostitute, and a swearing kitchen maid (Ham.2.2.614-616), reiterating the notion that he is worthless, as well as weak for expressing his emotions through words rather than actions. The shift from metaphors to similes indicate Hamlet’s failure to move past his cowardice and proceed with an act of revenge that would inflict
Claudius Deceiving Character Analysis
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Rhetorical Devices In What Dreams May Come
1592 Words | 7 PagesLike many British rulers (e.g., Henry IV, Elizabeth I, Richard III), Claudius kills a family member, performing “an act of state” and following “a tradition which every English monarch had had to accept for two hundred years” (45). Once on the throne, he must begin the process of securing his position: praising the dead king, forming political alliances, marrying Gertrude, dealing with the threat of Fortinbras, conciliating ministers (e.g., Polonius), and attempting a reconciliation with his primary rival Hamlet. Because Hamlet refuses to embrace the new king, Claudius must engage in spying tactics to gain knowledge about his potential enemy and, ultimately, decide to terminate the threat. But in Shakespeare’s political tragedy (unlike the realities of British history), murderers are destined to fail. Aside from the fact that all of his supporters die (e.g., Polonius, Laertes), Claudius proves a weak leader because he “invariably prefers compromise to confrontation, placatory gestures to open defiance” (51-52).
Hamlet: The Aristotelian Tragic Hero
1358 Words | 6 PagesHowever, Hamlet’s goes through a journey of different feelings towards this motivation. Hamlet is initially ardent to kill Claudius, driven by his anger and hate towards him. For example, Hamlet describes his hate for Claudius when he exclaims, “O villain, villain, smiling, damnèd villain!... At least I’m sure it may be so in Denmark (1.5.107–110). His description of Claudius as the villain shows that Hamlet seeks to commit justice for the corruption that Claudius has brought about.
Family Dynamics In Hamlet
928 Words | 4 PagesIt seems that Claudius was not happy with just taking his brothers throne, he also took his brother’s wife. Hamlet feels that the new king is full of greed and has taken over their lives. On top of his obsession with revenge Hamlet also appears to have sexual desire for his mother. The loss of his father along with his mother’s marriage to Claudius and his confusion to his feelings for his mother have set hamlet on a dangerous.
I Am Pigeon Livered And Lack Gall Analysis
992 Words | 4 PagesO cursed spite, That I ever was born to set it right.”- Hamlet (1/5 pg. 96). Here he questioned if he truly wanted to kill Claudius and how he ended up with the responsibility in the first place. Once again Hamlet was unsure if he is even capable of killing
Abuse Of Power In Elizabethan Era
1534 Words | 7 PagesFirstly, Hamlet is a play of a man by the name of Hamlet, whose father was murdered by Claudius, his uncle. Claudius murdered the king by pouring poison in his ear to claim the throne for himself. Hamlet is then told by a ghost to murder Claudius for revenge, and he struggles within himself for the length of play whether to do it or not. When Hamlet begins to hesitate it does more damage than good and causes a chain reaction of tragic events, and makes the readers question whether Hamlet is truly sane or not. Claudius’s corruptness begins to show when he uses his authority to order those around him to rid of Hamlet.
Betrayal Of Friendship In Hamlet
1932 Words | 8 PagesPray can I not, though inclination be as sharp as will: my stronger guilt defeats my strong intent” (III.iii.39-41). Claudius is admitting to himself that he betrayed his family murdered his brother in order to become king. Claudius and Polonius both meet their demise after countless betrayals of those who trusted
Use Of Deception In Hamlet
842 Words | 4 PagesClaudius had arranged an execution for Hamlet, to get rid of him permanently. Behind these acts of deception, we can see Claudius had wanted power, and would do anything to achieve it. This makes
The Importance Of Happiness In Hamlet
1124 Words | 5 PagesThe character of Hamlet is expressed as a protagonist. His irritated attitude towards Claudius in scene 2 of act 1 leaves the audience with a clear first impression of his nature. He is deceitful of the king, his uncle Claudius who is now the ruler of Denmark after his brothers “death”, and disgusted of his mother marrying his uncle. Hamlet is an example of someone who has compromised his happiness, in order to avenge his father’s murder.
Loss Of Innocence In Hamlet
731 Words | 3 PagesThis behavior caused disrespect and cruelness. While the king is sleeping like he is in heaven Claudius took that from him and sent him into purgatory. This made Hamlet feel even more angry against his uncle and wants to put him to an end. As a result,Hamlet wants to destroy Claudius for every wrong deed he did. Canales 3 Hamlet is severely motivated into killing for his actions.
Frankenstein And Hamlet Comparison
629 Words | 3 PagesRevenge is a very strong and powerful theme found in stories across all ages and all cultures. During the course of this class two books have also held this theme, Shakespeare's Hamlet and Shelley's Frankenstein. Revenge seems to be such a large theme for both Hamlet and Frankenstein's monster because they both feel utterly betrayed by the people closest to them. In Hamlet, King Hamlet is murdered by his brother, his ghost reveals this to Prince Hamlet.
Hamlet Role Play Analysis
1313 Words | 6 PagesHowever, Hamlet soon discovers that Claudius has been lying to him, and Claudius’ real motive is to kill Hamlet in order to exterminate all possible threats to his reign. Claudius’ role play affects the entire country of Denmark, and he convinces the people that he is the rightful king, when he is not, and has murdered his brother for the throne. Gertrude, too, takes on a role; throughout the play, she seems oblivious to her wrongdoings. She claims that she loves Claudius, and did not just marry him for political reasons.
Compare And Contrast Hamlet And Claudius
1170 Words | 5 PagesThough Hamlet may earn love from the people of Denmark, Claudius earns respect. Some may argue it is better to be loved than feared as a leader, but Claudius’ resilience in his quest to murder Hamlet proves
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