Essay on Claudius of Shakespeares Hamlet - 1872 Words

Claudius of Hamlet A close second in nobility to the protagonist in Shakespeare’s Hamlet is the incredible King Claudius. His superior qualities render him a worthy antagonist capable of a plummeting downfall at the climax. G. Wilson Knight in The Embassy of Death interprets the character of Claudius: Claudius, as he appears in the play, is not a criminal. He is - strange as it may seem - a good and gentle king, enmeshed by the chain of causality linking him with his crime. And this chain he might, perhaps, have broken except for Hamlet, and all would have been well. But, granted the presence of Hamlet - which Claudius at first genuinely desired, persuading him not to return to Wittenberg as he wished -†¦show more content†¦It would seem initially that Gertrude, rather than Claudius, is to blame for the protagonist’s â€Å"violent emotions† (Smith 80); thus in his first soliloquy Hamlet cries out, â€Å"Frailty, thy name is woman!† Claudius’ first appearance is at a court gathering where he very dishonestly laments the death of his brother: Though yet of Hamlet our dear brothers death The memory be green, and that it us befitted To bear our hearts in grief and our whole kingdom To be contracted in one brow of woe, Yet so far hath discretion fought with nature That we with wisest sorrow think on him, Together with remembrance of ourselves. (1.2) Claudius handles the affairs of state very confidently, regarding Norway and Fortinbras; and personal matters with familial concern, like Laertes’ return to studies in France and Hamlet’s dejection: â€Å"How is it that the clouds still hang on you?† The king is a â€Å"capable ruler and a resourceful man† (Boklund 120). Claudius shares the decision-making with Gertrude, and â€Å"perils his very soul for her†(Faucit 11). Claudius supports her wish that Hamlet remain at Elsinore rather than return to his studies: â€Å"Let not thy mother lose her prayers, Hamlet, / I pray thee stay with us, go not to Wittenberg.† Coleridge states regarding this scene: In theShow MoreRelated Shakespeares Hamlet - Claudius Essay2442 Words   |  10 PagesClaudius of Shakespeares Hamlet’s G. Wilson Knight in The Embassy of Death interprets the character of Claudius in Shakespeare’s Hamlet: Claudius, as he appears in the play, is not a criminal. He is - strange as it may seem - a good and gentle king, enmeshed by the chain of causality linking him with his crime. And this chain he might, perhaps, have broken except for Hamlet, and all would have been well. But, granted the presence of Hamlet - which Claudius at first genuinely desiredRead More Hamlet: The Character of Claudius in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay1330 Words   |  6 PagesHamlet: The Character of Claudius  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Of all the characters in Shakespeares Hamlet, perhaps the role of Claudius is the most intriguing and crucial. Claudius is the most controversial, the most mysterious and the most talked about character in this play. Many people look at Claudius and only see a villain, but there are additional sides to him that are often overlooked: Claudius the father, the husband, the ruler and the mortal individual. In this play the characters are not super-humanRead More The Character of Claudius in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay805 Words   |  4 PagesThe Character of Claudius in Hamlet As a supporting character in Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Claudius is not developed to his full potential. His primary role in the play is to initiate Hamlets confusion and anger, and his subsequent search for truth and lifes meaning. But Claudius is certainly not a static character. While Claudius’ qualities are not as thoroughly explored as Hamlets,   the treacherous King of Denmark is a complete character. When we first see Claudius, he strikes usRead MoreClaudius in William Shakespeares Hamlet Essay2023 Words   |  9 PagesClaudius in William Shakespeares Hamlet Ans. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is perhaps Shakespeares best tragedy. It was written between the years, 1600-1601. Hamlets character in the play is one of introspection and reflection. He is a person who thinks too much before he acts and also expresses a lot of his feelings before actually doing something. All of Shakespeares tragedies concerned people in high positions in a country and his fall would affect every one inRead More Shakespeares Presentation Of Claudius In Hamlet Essay1669 Words   |  7 PagesShakespeares Presentation Of Claudius In Hamlet Hamlet opens with the death of Old King Hamlet, Father of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. The new king, Claudius, brother of the previous king has married Gertrude, the dead mans widow and has taken the throne. Shakespeare presents Claudius as the plays damned smiley villain although he does allow him some redeeming features; leading an audience to view him as a complex and contradictory figure within the play. Read More The Character of Claudius in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay2062 Words   |  9 PagesThe Character of Claudius in Hamlet      Ã‚      Shakespeare presents Claudius as a character with many faces yet the audience can clearly understand his motives and ambition throughout the play. His character does however change and we clearly see how his evilness and weakness increases as his need to escape discovery and his clandestine nature in doing so, is revealed.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      It is in Act one scene two that we are first introduced to the character of Claudius. The impression madeRead MoreThe Death Penalty In William Shakespeares Hamlet And Claudius958 Words   |  4 PagesIn William Shakespeare’s, Hamlet, King Hamlet was pierced to execution, by his own brother, Claudius. Hamlet had never really thought about killing Claudius, until Claudius had murdered Hamlet’s father, just to become the new King of Denmark. Hamlet had several opportunities to kill Claudius but never did. He was immensely sane, and never wanted to kill anyone because that was not the person he was. Hamlet had many outrageous opportunities to pierce Claudius to death, but he believed that it wasRead More Shakespeares Hamlet - Hamlet’s Villain, King Claudius Essay3285 Words   |  14 PagesHamlet’s Villain, King Claudius      Ã‚  Ã‚   In the drama Hamlet Shakespeare has concocted a multi-dimensional character in the person of King Claudius. It is the intent of this essay to analyze and probe all the various aspects of this curious personality.    Ward and Trent in The Cambridge History of English and American Literature consider Shakespeare’s options in designing the character of Claudius:    There were at least two ways in which an ordinary, or rather more than ordinaryRead More The Importance of Claudius Guilt in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay example852 Words   |  4 PagesThe Importance of Claudius Guilt in Hamlet       In the first three acts of the play Hamlet, King Claudius go through a subtle, but defined change in character.   Claudius role in the play begins as the newly corrinated king of Denmark.   The former king, King Hamlet, was poisoned by his brother, Claudius, while he was asleep.   Claudius, however, made it known to everyone that the king died of a snakebite in the garden, and thus no one knew of the murder that had just taken place making his murderRead MoreKing Claudius And Narcissistic Personality Disorder In Shakespeares Hamlet1066 Words   |  5 Pages The Tragedy of Hamlet is a famous work written by Shakespeare in the late 14th century. Within the story, there are many characters who appear to be very â€Å"off†. Hamlet seemingly goes insane, The King is on a power trip, Ophelia goes insane and potentially kills herself, and the Queen remarries almost immediately. These are not behaviors normal humans show, and so I will be diagnosing King Claudius with Narc issistic Personality Disorder. King Claudius could have potentially been diagnosed with