Shakespeares Hamlet - Claudius Essay - 2442 Words

Claudius of Shakespeares Hamlet’s G. Wilson Knight in The Embassy of Death interprets the character of Claudius in Shakespeare’s Hamlet: Claudius, as he appears in the play, is not a criminal. He is - strange as it may seem - a good and gentle king, enmeshed by the chain of causality linking him with his crime. And this chain he might, perhaps, have broken except for Hamlet, and all would have been well. But, granted the presence of Hamlet - which Claudius at first genuinely desired, persuading him not to return to Wittenberg as he wished - and granted the fact of his original crime which cannot now be altered, Claudius cannot now be blamed for his later actions. They are forced on him. As King, he could scarcely be expected†¦show more content†¦pag.). Hamlet has also learned of the disturbing news of the new king’s â€Å"o’erhasty marriage† to Hamlet I’s wife less than two month’s after the funeral of Hamlet’s father (Gordon 128). The protagonist stands alone, with just about everyone allied with Claudius in his viewpoint on the rightness of the situation: G. Wilson Knight says, â€Å"Instinctively the creatures of earth—Laertes, Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, league themselves with Claudius: they are of his kind. They sever themselves from Hamlet.† It would seem initially that Gertrude, â€Å"kindly, slow witted† (Pitt 47), rather than Claudius, is to blame for the protagonist’s â€Å"violent emotions† (Smith 80); thus in his first soliloquy Hamlet cries out, â€Å"Frailty, thy name is woman!† Claudius’ first appearance is at a court gathering where he very dishonestly laments the death of his brother: Though yet of Hamlet our dear brothers death The memory be green, and that it us befitted To bear our hearts in grief and our whole kingdom To be contracted in one brow of woe,Show MoreRelatedEssay on Claudius of Shakespeares Hamlet1872 Words   |  8 PagesClaudius of Hamlet  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   A close second in nobility to the protagonist in Shakespeare’s Hamlet is the incredible King Claudius. His superior qualities render him a worthy antagonist capable of a plummeting downfall at the climax.    G. 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Within the story, there are many characters who appear to be very â€Å"off†. Hamlet seemingly goes insane, The King is on a power trip, Ophelia goes insane and potentially kills herself, and the Queen remarries almost immediately. These are not behaviors normal humans show, and so I will be diagnosing King Claudius with Narc issistic Personality Disorder. King Claudius could have potentially been diagnosed with