Hamlet Group

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drewberry
drewberry
Student
High School - 12th Grade

In Shakespeare's "Hamlet," what are three words to describe Claudius?

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Posted by drewberry on Monday June 8, 2009 at 8:25 PM and tagged with character analysis, claudius, hamlet, shakespeare.

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  1. mrs-campbell Teacher
    High School - 11th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    1.  Conniving.  He constantly manipulates characters around him to serve his own means.  He pulls off a sneaky murder of Hamlet's dad, manages to woo and win the queen, convinces Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who were buddies with Hamlet, to spy on Hamlet and then try to murder him, and then convinces Laertes, through some pretty tricky manipulation, to challenge Hamlet to a fencing duel that has the added dash of excitement by throwing poison into the mix.

    2.  Ambitious.  Most likely to gain control and power in the kingdom by being king, he murders the king and marries the queen.  And, he is willing to protect the fact of his murder at all costs, even if it means dispensing of his stepson.  His ambition and drive to be king outweighs even his sometimes troublesome conscience.

    3.  Thorough.  He goes to great lengths to watch Hamlet.  He is very cautious and wary about Hamlet's behavior.  He is worried Hamlet might know, and so goes to lengths to figure out if Hamlet truly is mad, or if he really knows what happened.  He is very thorough in having Hamlet analyzed; he is in on the whole Ophelia set-up, enlists Hamlet's buddies to help him out, and makes sure that Hamlet is dispatched quickly when troubles arise.  He covers all of his bases, and leaves no stone unturned in making sure his secret is hidden.

    I hope that those words help to get you thinking; good luck!

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/hamlet/character-analysis
    http://www.enotes.com/hamlet/critical-commentary

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    Posted by mrs-campbell on Monday June 8, 2009 at 8:57 PM

  2. mwestwood
    mwestwood Teacher
    Community / Jr. College

    eNotes Editor

    In Shakespeare's "Hamlet," because Claudius is treacherous and shrewd and unethical, Hamlet refers to their battle of intelligence and will as that of "mighty opposites":

    'Tis dangerous when the baser nature comes/Between the pass and fell incensed points/Of mighty opposites. (V, ii, 60-62)

    Although Claudius is able to handle competently and shrewdly the threats to Denmark by Fortinbras of Norway, and send Hamlet off for a while, when troubles brew; clearly, Claudius is the "something [that] is rotten in Denmark."  He pits Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet's friends, against Hamlet.  He causes Hamlet's mother to fall from favor with her son, he manipulates Laertes into dueling with Hamlet.  In his "confession" scene, although Claudius admits that his "offence is rank, it smells to high heaven" (III,iii,36), he continues his hypocrisy:

    O wretched state! O bosom black as death!/O limed soul, that struggling to be free/Art more engaged! (III,iii,67-69)

    More "engaged" in the final act, Claudius is forced by Hamlet to drink the poison from the cup intended for the prince so that he may treacherously remove any competition for his crown.

     

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/hamlet-text

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    Posted by mwestwood on Monday June 8, 2009 at 8:59 PM