English Essays

Hamlet: Claudius and Hamlet

Claudius has every bit as much impact on the outcome of the play, as Hamlet. Discuss.

Claudius has as much impact on the final outcome of the play as Hamlet does, because he is the reason and cause of Hamlet's so-called madness. Claudius is the one who Hamlet strives to kill, for justice for his father, the Ghost. Throughout the play, Claudius is at the centre of the majority of conflicts that occur, which all lead to the outcome of the play.

Hamlet's main antagonist is Claudius, a shrewd, lustful, conniving man, who is not the rightful king of Denmark. Claudius impacts the outcome of the play because of his desire to maintain his power. To remain in control, Claudius uses his intelligence to convert potential enemies into allies. He does this easily with Laertes by exploiting his desperate need to prove that he is, "His father's son indeed - more than in words," In this way, Claudius gains Laertes' trust, and furthermore, persuades him to play a part in Hamlet's murder in the final scene. Claudius' main weapon is his manipulative nature, which he uses often to affect the plot and its outcome.

Although Hamlet, as the main character, has a profound impact on the resolution of the play, his motive is influenced greatly by Claudius. Hamlet's worst fears are confirmed when the Ghost informs him about his, "Foul and most unnatural murder," Hamlet cries out, "O my prophetic soul!" and agrees with the Ghost's scheme to get revenge on Claudius. Claudius manages to escape his fate several times, and is particularly lucky when Hamlet refuses to kill him while he is praying. Hamlet would rather kill him when he is, "Drunk asleep, or in his rage," In Act III Scene III, for the first time, we have confirmation that Claudius id guilty of murdering his brother. He declares that he is unable to pray sincerely, saying, "My words fly up, my thoughts remain below," His evasion of death leads to the climax of the play, and consequently, the outcome.

Claudius influences the outcome of the play from the moment he kills his brother and marries Gertrude. Hamlet acts on Claudius' decisions. Claudius especially impacts the relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude. He lures Gertrude into marriage with the, "Witchcraft of his wit," and, "Gifts," Their hasty marriage provokes Hamlet, who claims that, "A beast that wants discourse of reason would have mourned longer," Claudius is a barrier between the two, and turns Hamlet against his own mother, causing him to act angrily towards her in Act III Scene IV. Claudius' love for Gertrude may be sincere, but it also seems likely that he married her as a strategic move, to help him secure the throne from Hamlet after the death of the king.

Claudius uses his power for personal gain, which shapes the final scenes of the play. He uses people such as, Laertes, Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern to get what he wants. Each of these characters are devoted to Claudius, but they receive nothing in return. Claudius summons Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to Elsinore, so that under the guise of friendship, they can investigate Hamlet's madness, which is merely an, "Antic disposition," The two, "Both obey," and, "Lay our services freely at your feet, to be commanded," Their loyalty to Claudius breaks their trust with Hamlet. They interrogate Hamlet and report back to Claudius, even though they are caught out by Hamlet. Claudius spends so much time trying to find the cause of Hamlet's madness that he also manipulates Polonius to spy on Hamlet, while using his daughter, Ophelia, as bait. Moreover, Polonius listens to the conversation between Gertrude and Hamlet, for Claudius' benefit. Claudius leads these characters to their deaths by manipulating them.

As the play progresses, Claudius' mounting fear of Hamlet's insanity leads him to an even greater self-preoccupation. He becomes paranoid, which causes him to take swift action to kill Hamlet, in the final scenes of the play. When Gertrude tells Claudius that Hamlet had killed Polonius, he does not lament for his most faithful advisor, but is only concerned that, "It had been so with us had we been there," Polonius' death makes Claudius take extra caution when plotting Hamlet's death, insisting on three methods of killing him, the sharpened sword, the poisoned blade, and the poisoned chalice. When Gertrude inadvertently drinks the poison and dies, the last moments of the play unravel, as Hamlet is finally able to bring himself to kill Claudius, who is felled by his own cowardly machination.

Claudius is a well-spoken, corrupt, and persuasive character, who impacts the final outcome of the play just as much as Hamlet. He manipulates multiple characters to help him in his plot to ultimately kill Hamlet. However, his continuous exploitation of others resulted in his own death.