Is Hamlet Good Or Evil

In almost every story we have a hero who is a valiant good doer with a heart of gold. Each good hero needs an even better villain; for them to be interesting and a worthy enemy of the hero, they must have a believable motive, real emotions, and a conscience. One must believe that this villain is not evil for the sake of being evil. Without these complexities of character, the villain comes across as insignificant; only existing to be defeated by the hero. Emotional conflicts provide human aspects to unrealistic characters, making them both complex and relatable. By observing Claudius’ emotions and mental state throughout Hamlet, one can see that he qualifies as a complex, multi-dimensional villain. He faces overwhelming greed, suffocating worry,
Concern is a natural emotion for anyone to deal with, but often the villains appear to be completely confident in their schemes. Claudius fears a great many things throughout the play which adds to his already complex character. The first moment in which on can see his worry is when he asks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet. He is so fearful that Hamlet’s madness would interfere with his rein that he enlists Hamlet's friends “to gather/ So much as from occasion you may glean/ Whether aught to us unknown afflictions him thus/ That, opened, lies within our remedy” (2.2.15-8). In this scene, Claudius is looking for a way to eliminate any threat that Hamlet might pose, this highlights his complexness as a character because he shows that he has genuine fears but can think clearly and plan his action. The second time we see genuine worry from Claudius is when he speaks to Polonius about Hamlet's condition. He delivers the line “Madness in great ones must not unwatched go” suggesting that he is worried about his nephew while he is really worried about what Hamlet's madness means to him (3.2.92). Claudius feels threated by Hamlets who eludes to knowing the truth about his character, which if discovered by the court could ruin everything for him. Claudius presented as a very charismatic person who “takes his rouse” and parties every night, no one expects him to be a
While there is a time where on can clearly see Claudius expressing guilt, however, there are even more times where Claudius has no sense of remorse any all. The first and most clear example of when Claudius if faced with guilt is during his soliloquy when he says “Is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens/ To wash it white as snow” (3.3.45-6). In this quotation, we can see that Claudius is feeling guilty, he wants to wash away his sins because he feels like he will never be good again. This guilt adds another dimension to his character, showing how he still thinks of his crime and possess a conscience that does not let him do as he pleases. A second example of Claudius guilt or rather his lack of guilt is after his soliloquy as he gets on his knees to pray. He had decided to ask for forgiveness but when he stand again he says “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below. / Words without thoughts never to heaven go” showing how he can not get himself to truly feel guilty about his crime and thus his prayers won't reach heaven (3.3.97-8). This contradiction in his thinking, adds dimension to his character by showing a truly villainous mindset. The final example of when Claudius has been met with a sense of guilt is when he decides to kill Hamlet who is family and his new son. Even though Claudius does show some regret for killing his brother, he shows no remorse