Dynamic Characters In Hamlet
In Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Claudius, the new King of Denmark, is portrayed as a conniving and manipulative antagonist who will stop at nothing to maintain his unrighteous stature. In the events of solving the death of King Hamlet, Claudius does his part in keeping the murderer from being revealed and in many attempts tries his hardest to keep young Hamlet from discovering the truth. Although their relationship, for the most part, is static, both Claudius and Hamlet are dynamic characters. Claudius’ increasing fear of Hamlet ultimately leads to the death of Hamlet and himself.
In the beginning of the play, it's evident that young Hamlet is the only one still grieving over the death of his father, the former king of Denmark. Claudius’
first attempt to control a situation occurs when he suggests that Hamlet's mourning displays, "-unmanly grief (Shakespeare, page 11).” As an uprising king, he has to appease his country along with Hamlet to keep suspicion awry. Hamlet already has his suspicions of how quick Gertrude, his mother, remarried. Later they're put to the test when a phantom who appears to take the form of his father suggests that Claudius killed him.
In act III, Claudius' actions are on alert when Hamlet arranges for the production of "The Mousetrap" to administer. In the scene where the fratricide takes place, claudius’ reactions will either confirm or deny Hamlet’s suspicion. Claudius battles with the feeling of guilt over his brothers death, but at the same time he knows that what's done is done and for that he has no regrets. If Claudius hadn’t killed King Hamlet, he would've never obtained his status as king now.
Claudius is very successful at his decption for the most part. He’s managed to get Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, to always side with him and never second guess him. As succesful as he is at deception, hes managed to have a few people killed in the process, such as Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz, & Guildenstern. All deaths were indirectly linked to Claudius, yet had he not interfered with Hamlet’s life and the mentioned would’ve lived. Hamlet, being polonius’ murderer, makes him a direct target to Laertes.
In Act IV, Claudius' manipulation heightens as he steers Laertes’ anger away from him and onto Hamlet. As the new “father figure” in Hamlet’s life, it’d seem appropriate to protect your son from someone seeking revenge. In Claudius’ case however, this is the perfect opportunity to try and get rid of Hamlet. By proposing the fencing idea to Laertes, It appears as a fair way to seek revenge. This isn’t a righteous king at all in this scene.
In conclusion, Claudius’ deception caused a number of casualties that only benefited himself, but also served as a benefit for hamlet. Claudius is the complete opposite of Hamlet. He takes more action, doesn’t spend too much time on making a decision, and gets what he wants. If Claudius didn’t kill his brother, hamlet would have never reached his full Potential.
In the beginning of the play, it's evident that young Hamlet is the only one still grieving over the death of his father, the former king of Denmark. Claudius’
first attempt to control a situation occurs when he suggests that Hamlet's mourning displays, "-unmanly grief (Shakespeare, page 11).” As an uprising king, he has to appease his country along with Hamlet to keep suspicion awry. Hamlet already has his suspicions of how quick Gertrude, his mother, remarried. Later they're put to the test when a phantom who appears to take the form of his father suggests that Claudius killed him.
In act III, Claudius' actions are on alert when Hamlet arranges for the production of "The Mousetrap" to administer. In the scene where the fratricide takes place, claudius’ reactions will either confirm or deny Hamlet’s suspicion. Claudius battles with the feeling of guilt over his brothers death, but at the same time he knows that what's done is done and for that he has no regrets. If Claudius hadn’t killed King Hamlet, he would've never obtained his status as king now.
Claudius is very successful at his decption for the most part. He’s managed to get Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, to always side with him and never second guess him. As succesful as he is at deception, hes managed to have a few people killed in the process, such as Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz, & Guildenstern. All deaths were indirectly linked to Claudius, yet had he not interfered with Hamlet’s life and the mentioned would’ve lived. Hamlet, being polonius’ murderer, makes him a direct target to Laertes.
In Act IV, Claudius' manipulation heightens as he steers Laertes’ anger away from him and onto Hamlet. As the new “father figure” in Hamlet’s life, it’d seem appropriate to protect your son from someone seeking revenge. In Claudius’ case however, this is the perfect opportunity to try and get rid of Hamlet. By proposing the fencing idea to Laertes, It appears as a fair way to seek revenge. This isn’t a righteous king at all in this scene.
In conclusion, Claudius’ deception caused a number of casualties that only benefited himself, but also served as a benefit for hamlet. Claudius is the complete opposite of Hamlet. He takes more action, doesn’t spend too much time on making a decision, and gets what he wants. If Claudius didn’t kill his brother, hamlet would have never reached his full Potential.