The closing of his speech says ‘for all, our thanks,’ I believe this is said in a way to close the subject and to stop any members of the court questioning Claudius on it. I feel Shakespeare expressed it in this way again to show Claudius’s status as the new king. It also makes him seem cowardly as he exits from the rest of the court. By making this first speech, which is the first impression of Claudius, fast moving, the audience has already seen he is a vindictive and manipulating man automatically making them more in favour of Hamlet.
Shakespeare introduces the character of the ghost; the ghost is of the old king who visits Hamlet and tells him to take revenge on Claudius. From what the ghost says about the situation and Claudius, it allows the audience to know that Claudius is the villain, ‘with all my imperfections on my head-oh horrible, oh horrible most horrible.’ This shows that Claudius murdered his brother without even letting him pray for forgiveness, so he murdered his brother out of pure evil knowing it was likely he would go to hell. Again this would be most shocking for an Elizabethan audience who were a lot more religious, he also had the ghost describing his death and how horrible the after life is; ‘lazar-like with vile and loathsome crust, all my smooth body,’ I feel Shakespeare allowed the audience to know this much detail to shock them and show what a nasty character Claudius is. I feel he did it through the ghost to make them see what he had actually done so that they have an object to sympathise with.
Hamlet after hearing this is in distress, ‘o villain, villain, smiling damned villain!’ By saying ‘damned’ Shakespeare is making the character think that Claudius deserves to go to hell, ‘one may smile and smile and be a villain.’ From what Hamlet says Shakespeare can show the audience that Claudius is a very devious, secretive character. Claudius has done everything to ingratiate himself with his courtiers and because of this Hamlet condemns him as a hypercritical villain
Shakespeare shows him to be deceitful to almost all of the characters including his wife who Claudius also says he is in love with. Here he shows how he was deceitful to Hamlet when he and Polonius spy on him ‘seeing unseen we may of their encounter frankly judge.’ You can see he is a sly character as also in act 2 scene 2 Claudius uses Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet ‘to draw him on his pleasures and gather.’ This shows he wants to know and discover if Hamlet knows more than he is letting on. I feel Shakespeare shows Claudius and the other characters all been deceitful as a moral message at the end, as everyone who is deceitful dies leaving just Horatio who was fair to everyone.
“Madness in great ones must not unwatched go.” Claudius becomes concerned that Hamlet is plotting against him, and he realises that he again is deceitful towards Laertes by using him and his anger at his father’s death to kill Hamlet.
In act 4 scene 7 Claudius flatters Laertes to save himself from death, “you must put me in your heart for friend” and uses obsequious language to persuade him to kill Hamlet; “a sword unabated, and, in a pass of practise, requite him for your father.” He uses political and persuasive language to convince Laertes to attempt to murder Hamlet. The way they plan to kill him is also deceitful as he plans on killing him with an unabated sword to make the fight unfair. Shakespeare uses emotive language in his diction to show just how manipulating Claudius can be. ‘Like a godchild and a true gentlemen.’ This shows Claudius flattering Laertes to get what he wants.
Shakespeare shows again Claudius managing to manipulate him in a different way ‘let him go Gertrude; do not fear our person’ here he expresses courage he has from the divine rights of kings.’ Here Shakespeare shows one of Claudius’s good qualities, cunning intelligence. As he refers to this in front of Laertes ‘ there’s such a divinity doth hedge a king that treason can but peed to what it would acts little of his will.’ He expresses to him that he isn’t scared because of the divine rights of kings this encourages Laetres to back off, when in fact Claudius can’t have any faith in this as killing his own brother who also happened to be the king was possible and broke the law of god.
Shakespeare emphasises the manipulating and cunning element of Claudius’s character, by showing his convincing and persuasive side. Claudius uses soft gentle language to get what he wants and to try and discover more about Hamlet and gain his trust. By using calm language, for example ‘thy loving father Hamlet’, ‘tender, and ‘dearly grieve’ he appears convincing and credible.
Shakespeare also creates a theme of corruption, which is developed through the character of Claudius. I feel he does this to show the audience just how destructive Claudius is and how he symbolises the corruption in the play. As Claudius’s state of mind becomes more and more corrupt so does the state of Denmark. He resembles the corruption, if the leader becomes corrupt so does the rest of the nation; through his dishonesty to keep him on the throne he ends up corrupting the state of Denmark. The audience can see the rest of the state deteriorating through out the play as Claudius does.
At the very beginning in 1.2.3 Claudius refers to the whole kingdom as been one ‘bear our hearts in grief and our whole kingdom’ the health of Denmark is also mentioned as a whole ‘the health of Denmark drinks today.’ For the fact that Claudius actually says these things makes him the centre and the main part of Denmark where as when things go wrong he is the centre of corruption. I feel Shakespeare did this intentionally so the audience could see how the mental health of the characters gradually deteriorates.
3.3.49
‘Compound mass with trustful visage’ again he metaphorically talks of the whole of Denmark having the same sad expression on its face which relates to what is said previously 3.4.43 ‘from the fair forehead of an innocent love sets a blister there’ this is the perfect example of how the state of Denmark as a whole all has the same cancerous blister and suffers the same corruption.
Corruption is next referred to in 3.4.147 ‘it will but skin and film the ulcerous place’ Hamlet tells Gertrude that she can not hide from the corruption and cover it over as it will still be there this is referring to the sex that Claudius and Gertrude are having, he Hamlet says this to try and admit what Claudius has done and show she is guilty I feel Shakespeare has put this scene in to show the audience that Gertrude is fairly innocent. This also relates Claudius to the centre of corruption. Shakespeare now portrays Claudius as only an evil man but so evil he is diseased and corrupt.
Despite Claudius been very political and manipulating in his speech with his grand words and metaphorical language as the letter from hamlet arrives he looses his soft calm way of speaking and his voice becomes panicked we can see this from the way it is structured; the pentameter is broken.
4.7.38
‘From hamlet who brought them?’ I feel Shakespeare made this sudden change to make the audience see the panic that Claudius feels and how he is losing his power, and symbolically as the king loses power so will the rest of Denmark.
The iambic pentameter is usually perfect but here the diction becomes short and sharp and the pentameter is broken, I feel Shakespeare did this to really emphasize that Claudius is afraid of Hamlet and show that despite the evil he has within him he does have his weaknesses’. I feel Shakespeare did this to convey to the audience that Claudius can be a cowardly character; this is also shown when it is discovered he murdered his brother whilst he was sleeping, and that he wanted to banish and kill Hamlet through fear.
Shakespeare also shows the audience another side to Claudius, the guilty side ‘my offence is rank it smells to high heaven.’ This shows that Shakespeare wants the audience to see that his character knows what he has done and realises how wrong it truly is. ‘My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent.’ Again Shakespeare wants to show the audience the character although it is weakened, does still have a conscience.
This scene also creates dramatic irony, as he tries to pray but cannot because of the guilt he feels, Hamlet thinks he is praying so doesn’t kill him Shakespeare chose to have this build up and this soliloquy to show the dramatic irony and another more guilty more humane side to Claudius.
Shakespeare shows the character of Claudius as been a villain, yet he shows other sides to him which have feeling of guilt showing that the character is not entirely bad. Claudius is shown as an ambitious and ruthless king but also as the main source and theme of evil throughout the play.
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