Something is rotten in Denmark……….

                When you think of the character of Claudius, King of Denmark, you are filled with thoughts of a deceitful man, power hungry and cunning. His distrustful nature is predominate throughout the entire play, whether he is assassinating the true king, having Hamlet spied on, or just talking to the lords and ladies of the court. To consider him as a flawed human you must first be able to see him as anything other than a monster.

In the beginning of the play when he is addressing the court he seems to be justifying his actions, marring his dead brother’s wife, by stating how it benefits the country of Denmark. His remarks in act I scene ii    in line 19 when he says, “Or thinking by our late brother’s death our state to be disjointed and out of frame,” which is his way of justifying why he has taken his late brother’s wife. To me this entire speech was thought out and prepared, sort of premeditated.

We see this to be the case in Act I scene v when the ghost of Hamlet sr. is describing his murder to young Hamlet. In line 45 the ghost tells Hamlet, “So to seduce; won to his shameless lust the will of my most seeming-virtuous queen;” describing the fact that Claudius had every intent to take the queen for his own, and his plans to murder the king had been put into play long before the actual act of murder. Then in line 61 when he describes the actual murder to Hamlet by stating, “Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole with juice of hebona in a vial,” demonstrating that the murder took special planning. First he had to get the extract from the henbane, and then he had to watch the King’s habits, maybe even for weeks, to find the best time to strike.

Later in the play Claudius sends Polonius to spy on Hamlet, and then he even employs Hamlets own friends to spy. None of these actions say that Claudius is anything but a self-serving monster. In act IV scene vii Claudius conspires to get Laertes to kill Hamlet for him when he tells Laertes that Hamlet has killed his father. Feeding into the grief with anger and hatred the king tells him in line 122 when he asks, “Hamlet comes back, what would you undertake to show yourself in deed your father’s son more than in words?” egging Laertes on in his grief to prove his love for his father as to kill Hamlet.

All through the play we see King Claudius plotting and planning to murder, undermined, and deceive all of Denmark. 

A look at Hamlet, the prince of Denmark

                As one of Shakespeare’s great tragedy we expect to see dark depressed characters, and we do with the main character of Hamlet. After returning home to find his father dead and his uncle on the throne the reader finds Hamlet to be such character.

                In scene two we find a great example of these characteristics while his uncle, mother, Laertes, Polonius, and Hamlet are sitting in a room in the castle having a conversation. In line 66 the king leads in when he asks Hamlet, “How is it that the clouds still hang on you?” referring to the depression apparent in the expression of Hamlet. This is further brought to the reader’s attention when the Queen, Hamlet’s mother, tells him in line 68, “Good Hamlet cast thy knighted colour off,” talking about his clothing he is wearing, that is the color of morning, black. Hamlet goes on to fully reassure the reader of this in lines 77-79 when he tells his mother, “    ’Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother,

                                                                Nor customary suits of solemn black,

                                                                Nor windy suspiration of forced breath,”

To me he is clearly talking about paying respect for his father and how the pains of his lose has caused him great laborious pains to breathe.

                Hamlet is reluctant to do what the ghost has asked of him because he wants proof, proof the ghost is honest and proof that his uncle is guilty. In act III scene ii he gets his proof when a small troop of actors are visiting the castle. Hamlet instructed the actor to perform the play, "The Murder of Gonzago" which mirrors the way his father was murdered. The king however seems to be unmoved then leaves rather ubruptly.