Of all the characters in Shakespeare’s Hamlet I find the role of Claudius to
be the most intriguing and crucial role in this tragedy. 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-human beings. They make mistakes, just as Claudius does, but it goes
to show that they are only human. Claudius, the father is very recognizable in
Scene 2 of Act 1. He states to Hamlet starting at Line 109 "…think of us
as of a father: for let the world take note, you are the most immediate to our
throne, and with no less nobility of love that that which dearest father bears
his son do I impart toward you." Hamlet is "Our chiefest courtier,
cousin and our son." (Line 119) Here Claudius is speaking to Hamlet and
saying that he is loved and accepted even since he is not Claudius' natural son.
Claudius seems to have no trouble speaking to his son Hamlet in front of a
crowd. But when the two men are alone, Claudius is at a loss for words and
cannot figure out what to say, or when to say it. It could be that the King
feels so guilty about murdering King Hamlet that he is unable to speak to Hamlet
in private, for fear of his true self emerging. Along the same lines, Claudius
is also a great and sovereign leader. When young Fortinbras came to demand the
surrender of those lands lost by his father to King Hamlet, Claudius handled the
matter with such ease and grace. He informed Fortinbras that a letter was going
to be sent to the King of Norway telling him "…to suppress his (Fortinbras)
further gait herein." (1. 2. 30.) Claudius realized that a war at the
beginning of his rule would not look good, especially since there had been the
thought of "incest" going around. He did not want to be blamed for
tainting the Queen’s bed and for destroying the mighty kingdom. Another
interesting thing about Claudius is that in his formal speeches he uses the
plural form of "we" implying that the crown also has a say in official
matters. Claudius, the husband is a little less easy to recognize, but still
just as important. The Queen is identified as "…our sometime sister, now
our queen, th’ imperial jointress…" by Claudius (1. 2. 8.) The personal
life of the King and Queen is kept just that; not much is known of them outside
of what Hamlet says. Yet even that can not be taken seriously, for we do not
know the truth behind the matter. Beside what we do not know about the husband
in Claudius, we can be sure that he did treat Gertrude with respect and dignity
or she would not have stayed with him, or even married him in the first place.
The King is also a villain, a murderer, a conspirator and a liar. Claudius,
during Act 3, Scene 3, reveals to the readers that he did murder King Hamlet.
During Claudius’ first few lines in Act 1 Scene 2 he says, "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…" and this is a bit ironic that he is
speaking of grief, especially since he is not grieving and he was the cause of
all the grief. During all that is going on in the play, we the readers realize
that Claudius is a mortal, human being. He has emotions, he makes mistakes and
he goes through trials. Claudius possesses a conscience, one which hardly makes
him cowardly but rather makes him an erring human being, not an inhumane
monster. Claudius states in Act 111 Scene 3 Lines 70-72 "O wretched state!
O bosom black as death; O limed soul, that struggling to be free art more
engag’d." This quote shows how Claudius' heart has changed due to his
actions and the reactions of others. His heart is heavy and black from all the
sin he has committed. He is not able to find a way for his actions to be
justified so he is somber and dismal. As compared to other characters Claudius
does not go through any drastic changes during the play. Yes it is true that the
"mouse trap" reveals the hidden side of Claudius, a side that should
not have been shown. He only becomes a little upset and then eventually gets
over it. Claudius in fact remains a strong and solid character throughout the
play, who's presence can be felt in every action that Hamlet makes. Claudius
also has a very significant role in this play. He killed King Hamlet and
therefore is the reason for the "conflict." Claudius was involved in
the "rising action" of the play which included the "mouse
trap" and in the "falling action" of the play which included the
plot for the murder of Hamlet. The "climax" also revolves around the
character of Claudius; if he had not been on his knees asking God for
forgiveness, he would have been murdered. Claudius also caused the murder of
Gertrude and the slaying of Hamlet and of himself; which led to the end of the
play. Claudius, despite being the alleged "bad guy", has many similar
qualities in which "tragic hero" or Hamlet possesses. These two men
are murderers, conspirators and liars, but they also are passionate men. They
both possesses a quality to love and cherish Gertrude in a unique and special
way. These men are both strong and influential characters. Hamlet gets what he
wants in avenging his father's "cruel and unnatural murder." Claudius
also carries out his plans for murder, but both plots turn out differently than
one would expect. The enemy emerged in this play and we the readers had no
choice but to dislike Claudius. He killed the King, stole the King's wife and
took the throne all in a matter of three weeks. Claudius was not born a villain,
but due to his actions and the kingdom's reactions, he became a murderous brute.
Claudius was very dexterous and clever. He concealed his true feelings very
well. The only breakdown he made was during the "mouse trap" which
eventually led to the downfall of his kingdom and the deaths of innocent people.
This man was evil and he was good. Due to all the extenuating circumstances that
Claudius faced, he emerged with a desire, a desire and a passion for revenge.
Claudius had the need to always be in control, but he could not control Hamlet.
This control obsession led to the deaths of two Kings, two sons, two fathers,
two husbands, a step-father, a wife, a mother, a daughter and two ambassadors,
nine in total. This tragedy's whole plot revolved around resolving one incident.
King Hamlet's murder by Claudius preceded the play, and Claudius' actions to
murder Hamlet conclude the play. This character, in my opinion, is one of the
greatest good turned-bad turned-even worse characters of all time. His strength
to get through all of the circumstances in this play is tremendous. In the end,
Claudius was the cause of nine deaths, including himself. Claudius' obsession
for control and power ruined one of the greatest kingdoms in history.