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Is Hamlet A Good King

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In Act 5 Claudius seems to be a good king but in reality, he is plotting something much darker for Hamlet. Before the fencing match between Laertes and Hamlet, Claudius talks about how he would put a “jewel” in Hamlet’s cup if he were to get the gets the first hit. "In the cup an union [the king] shall throw richer than that which four successive kings in Denmark's crown have worn."(V.ii. 243-245). He is giving Hamlet a gem, which is really a poison capsule, for dealing the first hit. This is obviously a ruse but when he puts it in Hamlet’s drink Hamlet say’s that he is “too focused” on the match with Laertes to take a drink and that he will when the match is done. But when Gertrude drinks from the cup while praising her son for landing another
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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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It all starts out the same whenever Hamlet wins the duel against Laertes and his mother celebrates by taking a sip of the poisoned drink. When Hamlet figures out that Claudius was the one who spiked the drink and was responsible for now both of his parents’ deaths, he decides that it is time to seek revenge. He took his sword and backed Claudius into a corner and told him to drink the poisonous drink. He nodded his head, obeying Hamlet at once. I believe that this was partly because of built-up guilt he has had ever since he killed his own brother.

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Now when looking at Hamlet there seems to be this underlying issue with who gets to be king after King Hamlet 1st (using that name for a minute). We assume due to Hamlet’s canon age and that fact he’s the Prince we would assume that he would be king. However that is not entirely true, as Claudius is the past king's brother, and thus would be next for the throne. Assuming the system is like this because the king and Claudius are by both mother and father related, not just the child of a husband and wife.that plus the fact that Claudius came into the picture right after what seems like the King Hamlet 1st’s funeral that could definitely cause household and family tension.

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355 Words | 2 Pages

After listening to the audio of the play and reading about it, I’m a little confused. These soldiers are looking at the old spirt of the old king of hamlet. My thinking would he was coming back to finish the Job, but he died before he could. Now I think Hamlet is a pretty good, I agree why he would have hatred for his uncle, he lost his father plus his mother marries her brother-in-law only after a few months of her husband’s death. That makes me think did Hamlet’s uncle have anything to do with his brother’s death… Hamlet really did annoy me only because he was so indecisive; after looking at it again he is just in a tragic situation and also young.

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There are many things a king needs to be great. A king needs to be well-liked by his subjects to prevent being overthrown. Kings also need confidence, and substantial knowledge of the land and of the people he rules. Being well-liked and having conviction and knowledge are very important, but most of all, a king needs to be levelheaded. In order to call the important shots that impact an entire nation, a king needs a thorough thought process to reach the proper decision.

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His suicidal thought and his erratic behavior cause for the king, queen, Ophelia and his friends to begin to spy on him just pushes him over the edge. His action cause concern for King Claudius who shows in ways that he is not trusting of Hamlet because of this the King begins to plot with Laertes to kill hamlet in fencing dual. During this dual Hamlet is stabbed and dies from the poison that was on the blade. Gertrude is seems to be a shallow woman in some ways yet King Hamlet, Hamlet and King Claudius are all devoted to her.

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Over Thinking and Its Effects On Society Everyone has flaws and flaws are great to have as it increases diversity, but sometimes flaws some flaws can lead to destruction. In the story of Macbeth the tragic flaw of unchecked ambition that created a monstrous Macbeth and multiple murders of innocent people, leading to Macbeth’s unruly power and greed. While in the story of Hamlet the tragic flaw of overthinking and Hamlet’s procrastination resulted in a domino effect of unnecessary deaths because he was unable to think quickly and follow through with his plan. The flaw of over thinking and inaction results in a world where no one can accomplish what needs to be done and our world can no longer progress at a faster rate.

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1534 Words | 7 Pages

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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I will, mu lord; I pray you pardon me. [Aside] It is the poison’d cup: it is too late” (V.ii.282-284). Claudius does not want Gertrude to drink the poison but is too slow to stop her since she didn’t know from beforehand. Claudius’s biggest betrayal is how he became king. As he confesses while he prays, “A brother’s murder.

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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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There are various approaches to describing a hero. There is also an infinite number of individuals who can be defined as heroes. A hero can be a person who demonstrates valor. A hero can be a champion. A hero can even save a life or even mankind.

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Hamlet is William Shakespeare 's renowned tale of mystery, intrigue, and murder, centered on a young misguided prince who can only trust himself. Some may say that the actions of Prince Hamlet throughout the play are weak and fearful, displaying a tendency to procrastinate and showing an apathetic nature towards his family and peers. Others spin a tale of a noble young scholar, driven mad by the cold-blooded murder of his father by his uncle. In truth, I believe Hamlet is neither of these things. Hamlet is a sort of amalgamation of the two, a bundle of contradictions thrown together into one conflicting but very human mess of a character.

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Firstly, according to Providentialism and the great chain of being, there is a hierarchy related on the understanding of the world. In the state’s sphere, the king is the figure of God on Earth; he is elected by God. However, Claudius is not an elected king, but an “imposed” one (he kills his brother in order to crown himself). Moreover, in some moments (IV, iii, 3-4 and IV, vii, 18-21), Claudius questions the idea that the king is not elected by God but by the crown, since Hamlet is supported by the people. Thus, the play presents an illegitimate crown.

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677 Words | 3 Pages

This is an act of villainy because Hamlet didn’t know that Laertes’s sword was poisoned which means that Hamlet wounds Laertes out of anger, and would mean that Hamlet would be seen again as a murder to the people of Denmark. This again shows that Hamlet could be considered to many as a villain instead of in Hamlet’s mind a hero. When Hamlet has the opportunity to kill Claudius while he is praying, he stops himself and which could be seen as the most active part of Hamlet’s villainous trait stops himself from killing Claudius. Hamlet justifies this action because in his mind Claudius would be sent to heaven and decides that if he is to kill Claudius if needs to happen when Claudius is committing a sin (III, iii, 74-97). When Hamlet decides this it truly reveals himself as a villain because he is scheming to send Claudius to a place worse than purgatory.

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Through the entirety of the play “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare, the characters were overcome with the need for revenge as the outcome of many deaths. Therefore, no one was happy through “Hamlet” and it resulted in a tragedy. The character Hamlet played a big role in turning towards revenge and never would classify himself as being happy. Hamlet displays positive and negative behavior throughout the play. Hamlet exhibits strengths and weaknesses as well, although his weaknesses of over-thinking, bitterness, and his inability to accept the death of his father overshadow his strengths.

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