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How Does Shakespeare Manipulate Claudius

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Hamlet
In William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, Claudius deceives King Hamlet and ultimately kills King Hamlet to replace King Hamlet’s position as the King of Denmark. The murder was intentional, with all the causes due to Claudius’s actions being overwhelmingly ambitious and his desire for power. Shakespeare uses symbols, dramatic irony, and metaphors to illustrate Claudius’s ambitions to gain power, ultimately portraying deception. Claudius has a burning desire to control and rule Denmark. When King Hamlet was alive, Claudius was overshadowed and lived in his brother's shadow. He feels overlooked and undervalued, leading to a sense of resentment and a burning ambition to ascend the throne. Furthermore, Claudius is motivated by his desire for Gertrude, …show more content…

When King Hamlet came back from the dead, turning into the “Ghost” and returned to seek Hamlet for his help for revenge, the Ghost was a symbol for the victory of evil. Although the Ghost was not in the play for very long, it is a significant character that introduces the antagonist. The Ghost states that he was killed by Claudius with poison. Poison is a symbol that Shakespear uses to portray manipulation, madness, vengeance, and ambitions for power in Claudius. Poison portrays deception, and Claudius’s intention to murder King Hamlet. The use of deception allows Shakespeare to explore broader societal issues. By depicting a corrupt court filled with deception and manipulation, the play offers a critique of the political and social structures of the time. It raises questions about the legitimacy of power, the morality of rulers, and the consequences of unchecked …show more content…

The Ghost compares Claudius to a poisonous snake who bit him and then took over as king after his death. He states “The serpent that did sting thy father’s life / Now wears his crown. (I.v.39-40)”. What the Ghost states is evidence that Claudius has carried out a crime to fulfill his ambitions for power. The web of lies spun by various characters results in misunderstandings, betrayal, and ultimately, a series of disastrous consequences. The famous quote “To be, or not to be?” followed by “That is the question—Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, / Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, / And by opposing end them? (III.i.57–61)” is written by Shakespeare, which reflects Hamlet's contemplation of life's hardships and the moral dilemma of whether it is better to endure suffering passively or to actively confront and overcome the

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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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1378 Words | 6 Pages

Claudius expresses his thoughts on Hamlet to many people including Gertrude: “His liberty is full of threats to us all” (iv.i.14). Hamlet makes attempts to expose Claudius for murdering his father by putting on a play that mirrors the murder and he shames his mother for marrying Claudius. After seeing the play and hearing of Polonius' murder, Claudius felt even stronger about Hamlet being a threat. In order to prevent Hamlet from convincing everyone Claudius should not be king. He tells the people around him that Hamlet has gone mad and must leave.

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470 Words | 2 Pages

The ghost told Hamlet about how he was murdered by Claudius. The ghost told hamlet how he was going to get revenge. He wanted to torment Claudius and then kill him. Even after the king died he is still greedy trying to get revenge. This shows even though the king is dead or someone is dead they will still try and get revenge because they are greedy and don't want to give up their belongings or title.

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Hamlet is very secretive about the ghost, until he tries to convince Gertrude he is there, and fails in the process, which only causes her to believe he is more crazy. King Claudius is a character full of corrupt power, lies and mystery. Claudius’ entire life as king spirals from the secret that he killed his brother, married his wife and essentially stole the crown. Carrying around that disastrous secret

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1124 Words | 5 Pages

When Hamlet is assured by the ghost of his father, that Claudius was the cause

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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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540 Words | 3 Pages

Claudius took over the role of his brother, shortly after his death. He murdered his own brother and is deceiving those around him. Hamlet believes he knows that Claudius killed his father. This causes Hamlet to seek the revenge that Claudius deserves. Claudius is misleading all of Denmark, who should be mourning the loss of their previous king.

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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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140 Words | 1 Pages

Throughout the play of Hamlet, the character of Claudius takes action involving multiple scenarios which help to develop his character. At the beginning of the play, Claudius was recently crowned King of Denmark to his

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679 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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842 Words | 4 Pages

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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979 Words | 4 Pages

He starts to believe that the spirit may be the devil or some sort of demon that was sent to tempt young Hamlet into a destructive existence. The appearance of the ghost causes Hamlet to mistrust his own perceptions of things and doubt the validity of his father’s ghost and the malicious claim that he states. Hamlet decides to stage a play in which the plot very closely resembles the events that the ghost describes as his death. Hamlet feels that if King Claudius is indeed guilty, it will be written all over his face. “The play’s the thing/Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king” (II, ii, 566-567).

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1675 Words | 7 Pages

The ghost’s appearance has a significant impact on Hamlet’s behaviors and forms his decisions through the play. Hamlet, who is suffering from depression since he is dealing with his father’s death and the hasty marriage of his mother with Claudius, his uncle, became obsessed with the concept of life and death after seeing his father’s ghost. In the first appearance of the ghost, he reveals the truth about the how the king has been murdered, which drives Hamlet to seek revenge, and by revenge killing his uncle. The ghost establishes a dilemma and gives Hamlet time to think about his father’s request. But Hamlet has an uncertainty about the existence of the ghost as he notes “the spirit that I have seen may be the devil, and the devil hath power T ' assume a pleasing shape” (2.2.561–563) here, Hamlet is concerned that the ghost may be the devil and questions the motivation of the ghost for killing Claudius.

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1313 Words | 6 Pages

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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1156 Words | 5 Pages

The ghost also reveals that his death was no accident and was murdered by his brother Claudius and should be revenged. These events challenged Hamlet and cast’s a burden to his moral faith. Hamlet decides to not act quickly with his plans of revenge considering there was no evidence to prove that Claudius killed his

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