The Ghost refers to him as "that incestuous, that adulterate beast" (1.5.42), and we soon realize that his crime is what is "rotten in the state of Denmark." The King has committed fratricide and regicide and has bedded the Queen with "the witchcraft of his wit" (I.v.47). "On the whole, then, there emerges a King who is well qualified for his office.there continually appears on the stage a man who is utterly unlike the descriptions, and this in turn gives to Hamlet's words their real value." (Lokse, Outrageous Fortune, 79).īut Claudius, in private, is a very different person. He also deals skilfully with Laertes' request to leave for France. He can now concentrate on his kingly duties, and he takes immediate and decisive action by sending Cornelius and Voltimand to appease the Norwegian king. His speech juxtaposes the people's loss with the new beginning they will have under his care, and he uses the death of Hamlet's father to create a sense of national solidarity, "the whole kingdom/To be contracted in one brow of woe" (1.2.3-4).Ĭlaudius has assumed the role of the chief mourner, and the people can unite behind a collective suffering. Claudius knows that a change in government could ignite civil unrest, and he is afraid of possible unlawful allegiances and rebellion. He gives a speech to make his court and country proud, addressing his brother's death and the potential conflict with Norway. When we first see Claudius, he strikes us an intelligent and capable ruler. While his qualities are not as thoroughly explored as Hamlet's, Shakespeare crafts a whole human being out of the treacherous, usurping King of Denmark. His primary role in the play is to spawn Hamlet's confusion and anger, and his subsequent search for truth and life's meaning.
HERO OF THE KINGDOM 3 WHERE TO FIND THE KETTLE FULL
As with all the supporting characters in Hamlet, Claudius is not developed to his full potential.
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