Claudius As A Victim Of Hamlet

The character that everyone who has read this play loves to hate has to be Claudius. His vendetta was with the world. He felt so cheated by his brother’s success as the king of Denmark that he was inclined to take the most desperate of measures, and commit murder and treason. I suppose he wanted to prove to the world that he was not to be seen in his brother’s shadow any longer. “Although there are no unequivocal referents supporting this proposal - a feature that is quite typical of the psychopath who is often described socially as a "complex" character - all of the filmed interpretations of Claudius have portrayed him as cold, controlled, calculating, controlling and forceful, as not vulnerable in the way that the other characters are.”(Hamilton,
Laertes’ death was also a result of a failed attempt to get back at Hamlet. Polonius died because of Hamlet’s vendetta plot against Claudius,
Ophelia’s tragic end was an effect of Polonius’s death (thanks to Hamlet) “ "Pretty Ophelia," as
Claudius calls her, is the most innocent victim of Hamlet's revenge in Shakespeare's play
Hamlet”(Innocence of Ophelia and Gertrude, Studymode Research). Last, but not least, the death of Hamlet’s father, and previous king of Denmark was caused by Claudius, the new king of
Denmark, and Hamlet’s uncle/stepfather’s, revenge on his brother for being the favorite. Without revenge there would be no innocent deaths in this story.
Revenge is the main theme in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It is clear that every action made by every character in the play is either a cause or effect of revenge. William Shakespeare wrote this tragedy in order to portray the message that, although defending one’s honor and family by plotting a vendetta against offenders may seem like the right thing to do, it can end very badly if carried out. These emotions do not make someone a bad person, however, how
Maybe, but what about the idea that revenge is self-destructive? Confucius said , "Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves." Gandhi seemed to agree with him when he said, "An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind."”(Dr. Hall,
Karyn Pieces of Mind).
Those who do not refrain from “getting even,” sometimes cause a vicious circle of wrong-doings. In Hamlet’s case, he did just that. It started with Claudius, then the Ghost, then
Hamlet, and Laertes, and so forth.In all good stories, there is some sort of lesson to be learned, and Hamlet passed that test. Although William Shakespeare might not have known at the time, his play turned out to be a warning story about revenge, and what not to do when presented with it. William Shakespeare was a very creative author, and taken into account his humanly flaws, he always seems to create pieces that continue to be relevant to today’s societal and human issues.
Hamlet is a great representation of the human phenomenon of constant bad decision making, and failure to learn from mistakes. The fact that this piece is still relevant today proves that human beings as a species can be too impulsive for their own good, and never stop repeating