Why Claudius Is To Blame For King Hamlet In Shakespeare's Hamlet

Two people in particular in the play Hamlet are very responsible for the “rotting in the state Denmark.” The two people are Claudius and King Hamlet also known as the ghost. Claudius has demonstrated many actions in this play that show he is guilty and also does not make a good king because of the actions he has made in the passed and present. As for King Hamlet, returning in ghost form shows that the rotting of his body still lingers and haunts Denmark. Unknown to many people in Denmark, Claudius is the reason why King Hamlet is dead. The main rottenness that is still in Denmark is the death of King Hamlet and who caused it. Even Marcellus said it himself; “something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (Act 1, scene 4). In act 1, scene 5

This particular passage that Claudius said in the chapel is very important because it seems to be one of the climaxes of the play and also because it shows a lot about how Claudius is the reason as to why Denmark is rotten. In the beginning of his soliloquy he begins off saying “oh, my offense is rank. It smells to the heaven” (act 3, scene 3). In this first line he is saying that he knows that the crime he had committed is rank and that it can be smelt from the heavens, he knows that eventually the truth will be out. Claudius does not understand as to why he is feeling so guilty as he says, “my stronger guilt defeats my strong intent,” which means that his guilt is more powerful than his desire to be forgiven. Claudius then says a very important metaphor “what if this cursed hand, were thicker than itself with brother 's blood, is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens to wash it white as snow?” This metaphor is a representative of the idea of water being used to cleanse our souls and give us rebirth and to be forgiven of our sins. This metaphor is also important because it shows that the rottenness has stained Denmark and there is no way of it to come off or be forgiven and forgotten unless God comes and basically spreads holy water all over Denmark. Although Claudius is begging and praying for these things to happen, he knows they can’t because he is guilty. As King Hamlet said in the passage mentioned above Claudius killed him for his queen, crown, and ambition, in the end of Claudius’s soliloquy he says “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. May one be pardoned and retain th’ offense?” (Act 3, scene 3). Claudius saying this goes to show that he knows why he had killed his brother and what things it has caused. This quote also shows how much of a bad king