Hamlet Character Analysis of King Claudius
The character of Claudius the King in Shakespeare's Hamlet is a complex individual. In the play he murders his brother, marries his former sister-in-law (the Queen), and ascends to the throne of Denmark. These three deeds were performed by a shrewd and self-serving man. The King will do almost anything to protect the throne, in spite of knowing that he did not rightfully earn it. He resorts to underhanded tactics such as spying, manipulation, and deceit in order to overcome whatever he perceives as a threat to his supreme position. Claudius first appears in Act 1, scene 2, where he addresses the court after his marriage to the Queen. He begins by acknowledging their feelings of sorrow for the former King Hamlet, then transitions into expressing his thanks for their acceptance of the marriage. By receiving the court's acceptance of him as King, Claudius can proceed to comfortably reign and carry out the affairs of the state of Denmark. He continues on with his speech to discuss the plans that he has developed to remedy a situation that is brewing with Young Fortinbrau. Claudius demonstrates great strategic planning skills by diverting Young Fortinbrau's revenge on Denmark and it's citizens. The Fortinbrau issue helps
"A little more than kin, and less than kind" My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent; It hath the primal eldest curse upon't, Hamlet is suspicious of the King, and those suspicions yield some validity by Hamlet's meeting with the Ghost of his Father. The ghost informs Hamlet that Claudius poisoned him while taking a nap. The former King instructs Hamlet to get revenge for his "unnatural murder". As a result of this meeting, Hamlet's behavior changes. Everyone perceives this change as lunacy due to Hamlet's inability to accept the death of his father. However, Claudius does not believe that this is the root cause of Hamlet's madness. Since he is uncertain of Hamlet's knowledge of his secret, Claudius feels that his supremacy is being threatened by Hamlet.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1070
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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