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King Claudius Selfish

1885 Words8 Pages

Claudius, the King of Denmark, takes over his brother’s throne after his death. After Claudius becomes king, he marries the former King Hamlet’s widow, Gertrude, his sister-in-law (Sobczak, Magill, Long, eds. 805). Queen Gertrude and the rest of Denmark do not know that Claudius murdered King Hamlet to not only take his place as king, but to also take his queen. Prince Hamlet, the former king's son, being the only one aware of Claudius’ terrible sin which causes turmoil throughout the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, becomes outraged (Nelson-Cave. 42). Several different sides to Claudius’s character make up his demeanor throughout the play. Some of them being guilt, deceit, and selfishness. Guilt, being something Claudius struggles with greatly, can be found several times throughout the play. Prince Hamlet wants Claudius to reveal …show more content…

Claudius cannot hide his guilt, but he does well at hiding what he’s feeling guilty about. Along with guilt, his deceitfulness can be found throughout the play as well. Claudius hides the truth from everyone and uses this to his own advantage. His deceitful methods enable him to become king which ends up hurting him in the end. Lastly, selfishness, Claudius’ most recognizable characteristic, controls his decision making. You can see his selfishness in everything he does. He doesn’t want good for anyone except himself. He not only disregards what's best for others, but he also puts others in harm's way just to get what he wants (Wilson par. 5, 8, 10, 14 & 16). Claudius’ character, revealed in Hamlet, shows how evil rulers will go to great lengths by using deceptive and manipulative ways to obtain and retain power at all costs. Claudius is thought of as a good king at the beginning of the play because of his great speeches makes to Denmark. All of the information stated in his speeches makes it seem that he cares about the people and wants what’s best for them. He makes known his concern for Denmark

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Like 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).

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Claudius 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

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Hamlet's uncle claudius killed king hamlet out of envy. It was envy for the throne and for the power to be the king of denmark. In act three scene three he clearly states that he murdered king hamlet for his own ambition, for the crown and for the queen of denmark, Gertrude. A lot of the deadly sin envy goes around throughout the story of hamlet. A lot of people want something someone else has.

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Killing someone for the throne? Is this Envy? Pride? Greed? Greed is the desire for material wealth or gain.

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Claudius schemes and manipulates many people for many different reasons whether for his personal protection, sparing someone’s feelings, or to carry out a crime. This motives affect other characters causing them to do things that

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However, 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.

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This is what causes Hamlet to compromise his love for Ophelia, as she is stunned and disrespected by his attitude. Similarly, Claudius wanted to gain power, and uses his ambitious attitude to murder his brother, quickly marry his widow, and take the throne himself. Despite their similar nature the two men are driven by different goals. Claudius works to gain and keep power, while Hamlet is working to seek revenge for his father. However, Claudius continues to rule in his power, and dwell in his wronged achievements allowing himself to pursue his

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Claudius, as seen in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, is both intelligent and clever, two traits that, put together, complement his manipulative and dangerous nature. Due to his cunning nature he portrays the role of a very complex villain. The death of King Hamlet by Claudius results in Prince Hamlet to act out of character, which thus resulted in the tragic death of Polonius and Ophelia. While Hamlet and Gertrude were having conversation, Polonius was hiding behind the huge carpet that was hanging on the wall. Unknowingly, Hamlet stabs Polonius.

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Though 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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When he learns Claudius is responsible for the death of his father, he intends to reveal this newfound information to not only Gertrude, but the rest of the characters. He is smart enough to know that she will not believe him based solely on his encounter with the ghost, and must create a trap where Claudius will reveal his guilt on his own. When the players arrive at the castle, he alters their script to mimic the king’s murder and “catch the conscience of the king” (II.ii.567). During the performance, Claudius shows signs of guilt and worry, making Hamlet’s plan a success and proving his

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Firstly, 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.

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Claudius 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

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However, 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.

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Hamlet: the story of a prince who solely wants to revenge his father’s murder at the hands of his uncle. In the end, Hamlet succeeds in completing his goal, but at the price of his own life immediately following Claudius’ death. Throughout the play there were several points where Hamlet could have killed his uncle without facing immediate repercussions, however, fate intervened and caused Hamlet to delay killing Claudius until the very last second. Fate also had a role in shaping Hamlet’s fatal flaw throughout the play. Because of fate’s interference in his life, Hamlet falls victim to his fatal flaw, his inability to act, thus causing him to delay in killing Claudius, ultimately creating the perfect scenario for fate to right the wrongs of Hamlet’s father through Hamlet’s own death.

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