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Ambiguity Of Claudius In Shakespeare's Hamlet

280 Words2 Pages
In Act 3, Claudius’ hypocritical appearance exemplifies itself. Contrasting the callous portrayal Hamlet crafts of Claudius, Claudius seems to be susceptible to ambiguity, and he undoubtedly fears the ramifications of his wickedness. Claudius grasps the enormousness of his murder, equating it to the “primal eldest curse” (III.iii.40) which alludes to Cain’s murdering of his brother Abel. Shakespeare utilizes this allusion to augment the cruelty of Claudius’ murder which produces the association of the murder being a deed equivalent to the first of all murders. While he struggles with internal torment and longs for atonement of his sin, Claudius’ soliloquy exposes his deceitful morality because his quest for clemency is atypical and a tussle
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