Claudius as Evil in 'Hamlet' by William Shakespeare Essay Example
In the Elizabethan era, the royal crown was viewed as divinely touched and hence any action against the crown was an action against God. Claudius dismisses God's right to control the crown by committing a "murder most foul" (I.v.27), yet he concedes that "there's such divinity doth hedge a king" (IV.v.121). Claudius admits that God influences the monarchy and yet he chooses to violate the divine monarchial progression. Hamlet recognizes Claudius' evil nature beyond simply the murder of his father; Hamlet sees that Claudius is corrupting all of Denmark. Claudius' reign is compared to "an unweeded garden/That grows to seed. Things rank and gross in nature/Possess it merely" (I.ii.135-7), his influence causing the destruction of a previously beautiful environment. Claudius' infectious evil must be eliminated, and Hamlet feels he is the only man who can do anything; he pulls out all the stops and in the end accomplishes his goal.
King Hamlet's "foul and most unnatural murder" (I.v.25) tops Claudius' list of...
Please join StudyMode to read the full document