Why Is Hamlet Better Than Claudius

If the secret in politics is to make the maximum possible impact at precisely the right moment then Claudius is a much better image builder than Hamlet. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the new king of Denmark has valuable traits that will help him succeed in any situation. Claudius will do whatever it takes to seem powerful, he can adapt any situation to work out in his favor, and he does not overthink when he is under pressure.

The first thing that makes Claudius very good at achieving the best outcome possible is how he is motivated by seeming powerful and will do whatever it takes to achieve that image. In other words, he feels most fulfilled when he has authority and is perceived as strong by the people around him. After only a few weeks

During his speech, the king makes it clear to everyone that Fortinbras won’t be getting his land back. He also wants them to know Fortinbras is not better than himself: “Now follows that you know, Young Fortinbras, Holding a week of supposal of worth… Colleagues with his dream of advantage” (i. ii.17-21). Claudius thrives in this situation because it is important for him to be in charge and feel like the center of attention. At this moment everyone is still grieving the death of King Hamlet considering it was only two months prior. However, Claudius does not care. By doing this speech he displays his power to everyone and has their attention to return to him. This attention-greedy trait of Claudius would help him achieve the greatest possible outcome in any situation because he has the determination to look very dominant in the public eye. Not only does Claudius do anything to appear powerful but he will do anything to retain power even if it means sacrificing forgiveness to keep his position as king. Claudius expresses true feelings about murdering his brother as he prays: “My crown, mine own ambition and my queen May one be pardon’d and retain this offence?” (iii.iii.56-7). At this point in time Claudius thinks about how he cannot have forgiveness and the crown. This realization is not enough for him to

To clarify, Claudius can turn his problems into something good. This is demonstrated when he uses Hamlet’s madness as a way to protect himself. Throughout the play, Claudius becomes increasingly fearful of what Hamlet might do in his madness: “Was not like madness. There’s something in this soul And I do doubt the hatch and the disclose Will be some danger” (iii.i.166-9). 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. This worked out in his favor because he was able to put reason behind his actions of sending Hamlet to England. Furthermore, after hearing of his fathers death, Laertes and an angry mob storm into the castle to accuse the king of murder. Claudius is able to convince Laertes that he is innocent and that Laertes should get revenge on Hamlet: “Hamlet comes back: what would you undertake, To show yourself your father’s son in deed More