Claudius the Machiavelli
Claudius the Machiavelli
There are many kinds of people in the world. Some people are kind, generous, caring, etc. But there are the kinds of people who are selfish deceiving and very cruel to those around them and only puts themselves before other people, these are characteristics of a Machiavellian character. In the story of Shakespeare, Hamlet, shows a great example of a Machiavellian character Claudius. Claudius is the type of man who is willing to go to the extremes in order to keep high position of power. He doesn’t care for the well being of others and only cares about himself. In Hamlet Claudius faces many threats to his position of power that has brought out his Machiavellian characteristics. Some of which are his willingness to kill and end the lives of other people, being very deceitful and trickery to those around him and manipulates and uses other people without thinking about the negative consequences it might have on the people he is using, all for his high position of power.
One of the characteristics that make Claudius a Machiavellian character is his willingness to end other people’s life for his own gain whether it is directly or indirectly. In the beginning of the play the previous king hamlet is bit by a snake and dies, as the people were told. The truth is Claudius, the previous king Hamlet’s brother murdered him married his wife and gained the title of the new king. Claudius admits to his murder in the play in a form of a soliloquy, “Thanks, my dear lord/ O my offence is rank, smells to heaven./ It hath the primal eldest curse upon it,/ a brother’s murder. Pray can i not./...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/ May one be pardoned and retain the offence?/... Be soft as sinews of the newborn babe!/ all may be well.” (Shakespeare III. III 38-75). In this scene Claudius admits to the audience through a soliloquy that he had murdered the previous
There are many kinds of people in the world. Some people are kind, generous, caring, etc. But there are the kinds of people who are selfish deceiving and very cruel to those around them and only puts themselves before other people, these are characteristics of a Machiavellian character. In the story of Shakespeare, Hamlet, shows a great example of a Machiavellian character Claudius. Claudius is the type of man who is willing to go to the extremes in order to keep high position of power. He doesn’t care for the well being of others and only cares about himself. In Hamlet Claudius faces many threats to his position of power that has brought out his Machiavellian characteristics. Some of which are his willingness to kill and end the lives of other people, being very deceitful and trickery to those around him and manipulates and uses other people without thinking about the negative consequences it might have on the people he is using, all for his high position of power.
One of the characteristics that make Claudius a Machiavellian character is his willingness to end other people’s life for his own gain whether it is directly or indirectly. In the beginning of the play the previous king hamlet is bit by a snake and dies, as the people were told. The truth is Claudius, the previous king Hamlet’s brother murdered him married his wife and gained the title of the new king. Claudius admits to his murder in the play in a form of a soliloquy, “Thanks, my dear lord/ O my offence is rank, smells to heaven./ It hath the primal eldest curse upon it,/ a brother’s murder. Pray can i not./...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/ May one be pardoned and retain the offence?/... Be soft as sinews of the newborn babe!/ all may be well.” (Shakespeare III. III 38-75). In this scene Claudius admits to the audience through a soliloquy that he had murdered the previous