Was Hamlet Responsible For Claudius's Downfall
In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Claudius conspires with others to carry out his various schemes. Fueled by the desire to obtain his brother’s success, Claudius’ reign of power leaves a path of destruction in its wake. Once he kills the King, his true goal shifts to murdering Hamlet. After learning of Claudius’ betrayal, Hamlet seeks retribution. Consequently, this fire Claudius sparked in Hamlet’s heart burns brighter with each waking moment, and as the flame grows, his mind continues to falter. Ultimately, King Claudius is directly and indirectly responsible for the deaths of those in the play, as well as his own demise, resulting from his attempts to quell Hamlet’s rebellious attitude coupled with Hamlet’s deteriorating psyche. The play begins with Claudius as Elsinore’s new leader, yet his acquisition of this position is a treasonous one. He poisons King Hamlet, resulting in a chain reaction with Hamlet at the forefront. He discovers the chilling truth from the ghost and pledges to seek vengeance, but characters like Polonius continue to interfere with his goal. In fact, as Polonius spies behind the tapestry, Hamlet exclaims, “How now? A rat! Dead for a ducat, dead” (Shakespeare 190). The motive behind this is based on …show more content…
One must consider how Hamlet slowly loses his sanity after learning of his father’s death. He seeks revenge, and this desire consumes him to the point where he acts irrationally. However, he is not the one who is truly responsible. Instead, Claudius’ actions, as the one who murdered King Hamlet in cold blood, serves as the true motivation for Hamlet’s behaviors and deteriorating psyche. In addition to his indirect influence, Claudius also kills several characters, including himself. From having Polonius spy on Hamlet to brainwashing Laertes to carry out his evil plans, King Claudius must take responsibility for his impact on the deaths of those in this renowned
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1517 Words | 7 PagesThis first seed of deception planted by the new king causes almost the entire chain of events that take place in the Tragedy Hamlet to happen. All in all Claudius’s deception plays a major role in the the layout and plot of Hamlet. Claudius is a deceptive power hungry foil character in this Shakespeare play who has a great influence on the of the actions and events that led to the climax and falling action of the play.
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1592 Words | 7 PagesLike many British rulers (e.g., Henry IV, Elizabeth I, Richard III), Claudius kills a family member, performing “an act of state” and following “a tradition which every English monarch had had to accept for two hundred years” (45). Once on the throne, he must begin the process of securing his position: praising the dead king, forming political alliances, marrying Gertrude, dealing with the threat of Fortinbras, conciliating ministers (e.g., Polonius), and attempting a reconciliation with his primary rival Hamlet. Because Hamlet refuses to embrace the new king, Claudius must engage in spying tactics to gain knowledge about his potential enemy and, ultimately, decide to terminate the threat. But in Shakespeare’s political tragedy (unlike the realities of British history), murderers are destined to fail. Aside from the fact that all of his supporters die (e.g., Polonius, Laertes), Claudius proves a weak leader because he “invariably prefers compromise to confrontation, placatory gestures to open defiance” (51-52).
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1358 Words | 6 PagesHowever, Hamlet’s goes through a journey of different feelings towards this motivation. Hamlet is initially ardent to kill Claudius, driven by his anger and hate towards him. For example, Hamlet describes his hate for Claudius when he exclaims, “O villain, villain, smiling, damnèd villain!... At least I’m sure it may be so in Denmark (1.5.107–110). His description of Claudius as the villain shows that Hamlet seeks to commit justice for the corruption that Claudius has brought about.
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932 Words | 4 PagesThe story of Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a story of betrayal, revenge, and intrigue. Hamlet, the title character discovers that his uncle killed his father and married his mother effectively stealing the throne. Hamlet decides he must kill his uncle Claudius as revenge for what he had done. However, as the new king, Hamlet isn't sure how to get to him, so he decides to fake madness, but his plan backfires as Claudius doesn't trust him and makes sure he is always watched. In his fumbled plan for revenge, Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius, forces Polonius's son Laertes to seek revenge against him, and drives Ophelia crazy causing her to kill herself.
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801 Words | 4 PagesThe next night Hamlet was on lookout for the ghost. The ghost told him that Claudius killed him by putting poison in his ear. Hamlet accidentally killed Polonius thinking it was Claudius; he also killed Laertes (Polonius’s son). Did Hamlet have a reason for his actions? The treatment of Gertrude, treatment of Ophelia, delaying and killing of Claudius is yet to be determined.
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1534 Words | 7 PagesFirstly, Hamlet is a play of a man by the name of Hamlet, whose father was murdered by Claudius, his uncle. Claudius murdered the king by pouring poison in his ear to claim the throne for himself. Hamlet is then told by a ghost to murder Claudius for revenge, and he struggles within himself for the length of play whether to do it or not. When Hamlet begins to hesitate it does more damage than good and causes a chain reaction of tragic events, and makes the readers question whether Hamlet is truly sane or not. Claudius’s corruptness begins to show when he uses his authority to order those around him to rid of Hamlet.
Use Of Deception In Hamlet
842 Words | 4 PagesHe murdered the first King of Denmark in secrecy so he could usurp the throne and make the Queen his own. No one would suspect Claudius as the murderer due to his relation as the brother to the late King. Later on in the story, Claudius is suspecting Hamlet of not only being crazy, but possibly learning of the murder. With his words and power as King, he sent Hamlet to England to “get better” from his illness. Along with that he sent Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two of Hamlet’s old friends, to supervise Hamlet and confirm he would meet his doom.
Loss Of Innocence In Hamlet
731 Words | 3 PagesThis behavior caused disrespect and cruelness. While the king is sleeping like he is in heaven Claudius took that from him and sent him into purgatory. This made Hamlet feel even more angry against his uncle and wants to put him to an end. As a result,Hamlet wants to destroy Claudius for every wrong deed he did. Canales 3 Hamlet is severely motivated into killing for his actions.
Flaws In Hamlet
799 Words | 4 PagesOver Thinking and Its Effects On Society Everyone has flaws and flaws are great to have as it increases diversity, but sometimes flaws some flaws can lead to destruction. In the story of Macbeth the tragic flaw of unchecked ambition that created a monstrous Macbeth and multiple murders of innocent people, leading to Macbeth’s unruly power and greed. While in the story of Hamlet the tragic flaw of overthinking and Hamlet’s procrastination resulted in a domino effect of unnecessary deaths because he was unable to think quickly and follow through with his plan. The flaw of over thinking and inaction results in a world where no one can accomplish what needs to be done and our world can no longer progress at a faster rate.
Why Is Hamlet A Villain
1467 Words | 6 PagesWe first encounter the character of Hamlet in Act 1 Scene 2 when he enters the court along with Claudius, Gertrude, Polonius, Laertes and Ophelia. He is dressed all in black. He is described as being gloomy, morose and still grieving the death of his father, who had died two months before. In Hamlet the casual viewer will identify Claudius as the villain and while it is true that he is a villainous character, Hamlet himself is the villain.
How Is Hamlet Intelligent
575 Words | 3 PagesWhen he learns Claudius is responsible for the death of his father, he intends to reveal this newfound information to not only Gertrude, but the rest of the characters. He is smart enough to know that she will not believe him based solely on his encounter with the ghost, and must create a trap where Claudius will reveal his guilt on his own. When the players arrive at the castle, he alters their script to mimic the king’s murder and “catch the conscience of the king” (II.ii.567). During the performance, Claudius shows signs of guilt and worry, making Hamlet’s plan a success and proving his
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1313 Words | 6 PagesHowever, Hamlet soon discovers that Claudius has been lying to him, and Claudius’ real motive is to kill Hamlet in order to exterminate all possible threats to his reign. Claudius’ role play affects the entire country of Denmark, and he convinces the people that he is the rightful king, when he is not, and has murdered his brother for the throne. Gertrude, too, takes on a role; throughout the play, she seems oblivious to her wrongdoings. She claims that she loves Claudius, and did not just marry him for political reasons.
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