King Claudius is perhaps the one who puts on the biggest act out of all these characters. Claudius’s personality is completely false, especially when it comes to his pretended love for Hamlet and the supposed grief he has for his dead brother. When the audience first sees Claudius,it seems that he is sincere in his grief for his brother. He describes to the court his mixed emotions concerning his brother’s death and his hasty marriage: Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s 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, Yet so far hath discretion fought with nature That we with wisest sorrow think on him Together with remembrance of ourselves (1.2.1-7).
Claudius is careful to appear to be grieving and anxious to show that his recent marriage does not mean disrespect to his brother. In the same scene he also presents himself as a good king, sending ambassadors to deal with the problem of Fortinbras and granting permission to Laertes to return to France, and he demonstrates the ability to handle issues at court. However, when the Ghost reveals to Hamlet that he was murdered by Claudius, the audience realizes that the reality of Claudius’ inner character is very different from the appearance he presents. Claudius’s motive for creating a false appearance is to cover up the reality of his crime. Claudius hides his crime even from his wife, Gertrude. She clearly hasn’t been an accomplice because the Ghost specifically instructs Hamlet, “Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive/Against thy Mother aught” (1.5.92-93). Even his wife, Gertrude, doesn’t know who Claudius really is. If the audience has any question about old Hamlet being murdered by his brother, that doubt is removed when Claudius’s false appearance is stripped away as he unsuccessfully attempts to pray:
But, O, what form of prayer Can serve my turn? ‘Forgive me my foul murder’? That cannot be, since I am still possessed Of those effects for which I did the murder: My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen.(3.3.55-59)
Once alone, Claudius reveals the truth. When Claudius realizes that Hamlet is onto him, he goes to great lengths to try to get rid of Hamlet so that he can maintain his false appearance of innocence. When the plot to send Hamlet to his death in England fails, Claudius, like Polonius and Hamlet, sets up a false scene in an attempt to have Hamlet killed. The sword fight at the end of the play is meant to appear as a friendly sport, but in reality, it is all just Claudius’s plan for murder by poisoned wine or poisoned sword tips. Claudius’s actions are arguably the most corrupt of all, although at times, Polonius’s deeds throughout the play are almost as unjust as Claudius’s (CHANGE SENTENCE AROUND?) Even though Polonius’s reasons for his false appearance aren’t to cover up a murder, his motives are still less than admirable. Polonius sets up his multiple fake appearances by creating scenes to be enacted, just as the director in a play would. For example, Polonius first portrays himself as a wise father saying goodbye to his son, but once Laertes has arrived in France, Polonius sends a spy, Reynaldo, after him, proving he is not the trusting, all-knowing father he claims to be. In Polonius’s elaborate instructions for Reynaldo, he orders Reynaldo to come close to slandering Laertes so he can find out the truth of Laertes’s behavior: “Your bait of falsehood take this carp of truth”(2.1.70). In a slightly different way, Polonius sets up another spy scene, this time, to get information about Hamlet. He betrays his daughter by using her as bait to gain information about Hamlet, just as he betrayed Laertes by having him spied upon. Although Polonius does find out that Hamlet’s appearance of insanity is not out of love for Ophelia, he causes his daughter great anguish in the process. Polonius’s final subterfuge occurs when he insists on his secret presence at the confrontation between Hamlet and Gertrude. Ultimately, Polonius’s deceitfulness brings him to his death. Although Hamlet is like Polonius in the sense that he uses false appearances in order to ascertain the truth, his motifs in doing so are much more morally sound.
Hamlet adopts what he calls an “antic disposition,” so that he only appears to be insane. He creates this false appearance so that he has the freedom to gather information from people without being suspected of anything unusual, therefore using false appearance to find the reality of the truth. Hamlet’s first act of craziness occurs when he is talking to Ophelia “ungartered and down-gyved to his ankle” (2.1.90). and she reports his strange condition to her father. Hamlet persists in this false behavior throughout most of the play. Besides trying to find the truth, Hamlet uses his supposed condition to make fun of Polonius and belittle him slanders, sir; for the satirical rogue says here that old men have gray beards, that their faces are wrinkled, their eyes purging think amber and plum-tree gum, and thst they have a plentiful laxk of wit, together with most weak hams; all which,sir, though I most powerfully and potently believe, yet I hold it not honesty to have it thus set down”(2.2.215-220). (SOME SORT OF EXPLANATION OF IMPORTANCE OR SOME SENTENCE EXPLAINING THIS?)
Hamlet sets up a clever scene to rid himself of other enemies: he turns the tables on Rosencrantz and Guilderstern, who are supposed to be Hamlet’s childhood friends, by reversing the Claudius’s orders for Hamlet’s death so that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are killed. But Hamlet’s greatest achievement through the creation of a false appearance is his production of “The Mousetrap,” the play within a play. By using drama, Hamlet creates a fictional device--an illusion--to find the reality of the truth, by observing Claudius’s reaction to the play. Hamlet is certain he has exposed Claudius’s guilt when he stops the play and cries out, “Give me some light. Away!”(3.2.295). This scene is very important in the development of Hamlet’s revenge because it ultimately gives him the confidence he needs to execute the murder. All three characters create false appearances, but all for different reasons. Claudius creates a false appearance to mask his crime while both Polonius and Hamlet use appearances to deviously find information. However, Polonius exhibits no concern for morality in his actions, which is where he differs from Hamlet. Hamlet is driven to create a false appearance because of his loyalty towards his father. Even though the idea of revenge itself may be questionable, his love for his father and his desire to right the wrong that has been done to him are more honorable than the motives of the other characters.
Quotes for Claudius
Acts like he is sad about his brother dying
“whose whisper o’er the world’s diameter, as levels as the cannon to his blank transports his poisoned shot, may miss our name and hit the woundless air. oh come away! My soul is full of discord and dismay!”- Claudius, act 4 scene 1, lines 42-46.
Acts like he cares about hamlet
"and that it us befitted/To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom/To be contracted in one brow of woe" (Shakespeare I
2
2-4)"our late dear brother's death" (Shakespeare
I
2 "O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven./It hath the primal eldest curse upon't/A brother's murder"
"It is most retrograde to our desire/And we do beseech you, bend you to remain/Here in the cheer and comfort of our eye" (Shakespeare I
2
114-117). "And he [Hamlet] to England shall along with you [R & G]"
(Shakespeare III
3
4). Claudius also refers to himself as "Thy loving father,
Hamlet" (Shakespeare IV
3
50) "Our sovereign process, which imports at full/By letters congruing to that effect/The present death of Hamlet"
Quotes for Polonius
Sends person to spy on laertes
|POLONIUS |
|This above all: to thine ownself be true, |
|And it must follow, as the night the day, |
|Thou canst not then be false to any man. |
|(1.3.1) |
Such meaningful words are almost not meaningful at all because polonius is the one that is saying them. He always wants to give advice but he shouldn't been the one doing it, especially when it comes to the truth
3. Polonius (Act II, Scene 2, lines 210-211)
Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t. Will you walk out of the air, my lord?
Quotes for Guildenstern and Rosencrantz
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
Claudius is unusual in that he is a two-sided character. He seems throughout Hamlet to be an effective king, dealing with all political and military problems that arise with a quick and effective hand. Claudius is able to show emotion and actually feel it. He loves Gertrude and she loves him, so much so that she defends her husband even to her son Hamlet. She could not possibly love a dark and threatening man. Claudius is not merely a cold-blooded murdererhis conflicting views are very troubling to him.…
- 795 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Appearance vs. reality in Shakespeare’s, Hamlet, is a jaded yet common theme. This play is teeming with characters that play their roles behind a veil of duplicity. They often appear to be one way when they really are something entirely different. Things within the play appear to be true and honest but in reality are polluted with evil. Many of the characters within the play hide behind a mask of dishonesty. Four of the main characters that hid behind this mask are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Polonius, and King Claudius. From behind this mask they give the impression of a person who is sincere and true, in reality they are overwhelmed with lies and evil.…
- 960 Words
- 4 Pages
Better Essays -
Claudius is deceiving everybody in his life. He deceives all the people around him regarding his brother's death: " Oh 'tis true too true! How smart a lash that speech doth give my conscience! The harlots's cheek, beautified with plastering art. Is not more ugly to the thing that helps its than is my deed to my most painted word. O heavy burden!" (3.1 50-55) Claudius is feeling guilty that he killed King Hamlet which was his brother. He used deception for his own personal gain because now Claudius is king as a result of King Hamlet being killed. Secondly, Claudius tells Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to decide Hamlet by going and spending time with him, but they were actually sent by Claudius to spy on Hamlet. " To visit you my lord, my lord, no other occasion." (2.2) Again Claudius is using deception for his own personal gain and he is also trying to gather evidence on Hamlet by sending Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to watch Hamlet very closely. Also Claudius deceived Rosecrantz and Guildenstern by telling them Hamlet is being shipped to England beacasue he has gone mad and he has to calm down, but really he is sending him to be killed: " Our soverign process, whic imports at full, by letters congruing to that effect, the present death of Hamlet, Do it, England." (4.3 64-66) Claudius is lying to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern becasause he wants Hamlet to be killed and that is one of his goals. Claudius uses deception to allow Hamlet to be killed which is a personal gain…
- 717 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
|Claudius|I feel antipathy |He lied to everyone about the death of king Hamlet to take over the throne. He is an assassin.|Claudius is the responsible of killing the old King of Denmark ,and he lied to everyone in the kingdom , so he could take over the throne and take the widow of king hamlet as his queen. He would do anything to keep his secret from being discovered, to the point, he tried to kill Hamlet.|…
- 481 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Detail 1: To begin with, Prince Hamlet in “Hamlet” is considered to be a scholar, a thinker, and the kind of person who would not act without thoroughly analysing the circumstances. Hamlet’s flaws as a central character become evident when the intrigue begins to take shape. The intrigue in “Hamlet” shows Hamlet’s father coming to him, as a ghost, and pleads revenge for his death. Hamlet becomes aware that his uncle, Claudius,…
- 1618 Words
- 7 Pages
Good Essays -
The character Macbeth in the story of Shakespeare 's Macbeth faces decisions that affect his morals. He begins as an innocent soul, dedicated to serve his kingdom and its king, Duncan. As time passes and opportunities present themselves combined with the deception of the evil witches, Macbeth begins his descent into madness. Macbeth 's innocence and loyalty are completely corrupted due to his over confidence, guilty conscience, and the inevitability of human nature. Macbeth looses sight of what is morally right to do in life because his logical choices are changed by these factors.…
- 893 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Appearance vs Reality provides the most logical answer to the question of the central theme in Hamlet as it shows in nearly every aspect of the story. Hamlet, classified a problem play filled with uncertainty in unanswered questions, leaves the reader to question if all is as it appears to be at any given moment. In brief, the yeses, noes, and maybes throughout the play make up a theme of Appearance vs Reality and leaves many questions open to interpretation of the reader allowing for varying views and…
- 1216 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Throughout history there has been a general understanding that appearances can be deceiving. A person may go through life without anyone understanding the true reality of there character. William Shakespeare, one of the greatest writers of all time, understood the relationship between appearance and reality and often gave characters two sides to their personality. In Shakespeare's tragic play, Hamlet, a young prince is left to reveal the truth of his father's death. Hamlet discovers that his father was murdered by his uncle Claudius, who recently was crowned king and married his mother. The theme that remains throughout the play is that of duality and appearance versus reality. Hamlet discovers that characters may appear to be honest and true are in reality distorted and evil. Many of the characters within the play have duality and are not the characters that they seem to be. Four of the main characters that hide behind an illusion are Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Polonius, and Claudius. In many occasions they appear to be true and sincere but in reality they are full of lies.…
- 1186 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
People who long for power are those who do not have power, not even the ability to control and manage themselves, but they all have one belief and one goal: the goal to become greater than others. They believe that becoming powerful will give them control not only over their own lives but of others below them, and along with such power, happiness will result. Absolute control is absolute power which no one in the world can succeed. The more demand for control and power, the further one will be from happiness and true power. Claudius, William Shakespeare’s antagonist in “Hamlet (the play)”, clearly models the person whose power-hungry mind act unreasonably to gain control and power, thinking happiness will come along, but in the end only disappointment and tragedy results.…
- 1499 Words
- 6 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Throughout the Shakespeare's play "Hamlet", the deceitfulness of some main characters is portrayed. The most significant one of these is Claudius,…
- 1601 Words
- 5 Pages
Powerful Essays -
King Claudius deceives all those around him with his mourning and celebrating demeanor, and his strange celebration and waking. He seems to grieve for the brother that he slew, and works to console all others that may or may not grieve for his brother's death, such as his nephew and step-son Hamlet. His pretense is great, and forces Hamlet to investigate the truth of the ghost's tale, unraveling the mystery of his father's death and others' involvement.…
- 459 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
<br>The structure of the scene is an important feature used to display the characters ' ambiguity, especially with the characters of Hamlet and Claudius. Only Hamlet is alone on the stage at any one time, and is therefore the only character who can express his true feelings. Claudius, however, is only on stage when in the company of his court, and cannot be as free with his thoughts and language. The scene can be divided roughly into four sections; the assembly of the court and the King 's speeches, Hamlet 's soliloquy, the discussion about the ghost, and Hamlet 's second shorter soliloquy. However the extract in question only concerns the first two sections.…
- 1651 Words
- 7 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
‘Hamlet’ is a revenge tragedy and therefore has a traditional tragic hero and tragic villain. Hamlet follows the typical features of a tragic hero as he is a revenger with a tragic flaw leading to his death. However, it can be seen that Claudius is not a typical villain, as he does appear to have some redeeming features. Literary critic F.C. Hunt stated that ‘Claudius is painted by Shakespeare as bold, keen-sighted and resourceful’. Although all of these features are redeeming and there are many examples of these characteristics are presented throughout the play, this does not necessarily mean that Claudius is a wholly innocent character.…
- 1677 Words
- 7 Pages
Better Essays -
As with all the supporting characters in ‘Hamlet’, Claudius is not developed to his full potential. His primary role in the play is to spawn Hamlet's confusion and anger, and his subsequent search for truth and life's meaning. However, Claudius is not a straight forward character. While his qualities are not as thoroughly explored as Hamlet's, Shakespeare crafts a whole human being out of the treacherous…
- 676 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
life/Now wears his crown” (1,V,39-40). The first speech by Claudius is well organized and is…
- 817 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays