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,
Judith PSYART; Gainesville). It is obvious that this character portrays a villainous, power hungry, and psychologically disturbed individual who will stop at nothing to get back at those who chose his brother over him. Disney’s “The Lion King” puts a spin on the original William
Shakespeare play, but shares the same basic plot. The character of the murderous brother is depicted as the villain, and perfectly represents the character of Claudius. “Both Hamlet and Simba are victims of circumstances and seem incapable of taking action against their evil uncles. Hamlet, wanting to do the moral and just thing, cannot commit cold-blooded murder. Simba feels guilty and responsible for the death of his father and so leaves his homeland. Younger brothers, Claudius and Scar, are jealous enough of their older brothers to kill them and take over their thrones. Finally, a life-or-death showdown occurs between the rightful kings, Hamlet and Simba, and the usurpers, Claudius and Scar”(Gavin,
Rosemarie English Journal, High school edition; Urbana).
Cook 6
Although the play was made to be a G-rated movie, Hamlet is not fit for child viewers based on the violent and gruesome deaths caused by the acts of revenge. In fact, all the deaths that occur throughout the play were effects of the Denmark royal family’s revenge schedule. For example, Gertrude died because of Claudius’s failed attempt at getting revenge on Hamlet “If
Gertrude were an adulteress, she would have been almost certainly been involved in Claudius' plot of murder, and therefore she would be the play's villainess and not its child-like victim.”
(Mailboard, Amanda Introduction to Gertrude).
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
they choose to handle them is what separates good and evil.
“The struggle with revenge is centuries old. Shakespeare said, "If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong
Cook 7 us shall we not revenge?" Shakespeare clearly thought revenge was as normal and predictable as the sun rising.
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
history.
Overall, William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is teeming with the leeches known as human weakness, and is evidence proving it to be impossible to overcome age old human faults “The fault, dear
Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” (Shakespeare, Julius Caesar 1:2)