Claudius is the brother of the late King Hamlet who he has killed and then married his widowed wife, Gertrude. ... Claudius does indeed appear at first as an ideal Machiavellian leader. ... Claudius further establishes himself as a leader by taking swift and decisive action. ... Claudius knows that in order to have a happy after life he must be truly repentant for his sins. However, he is unwilling to give up either the crown or Gertrude, both of which he loves very much, and he reigns himself to a hopeless fate....

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The role of Claudius is known to be the most intriguing and crucial character in this tragedy. Claudius is the most controversial, the most mysterious and the most talked about character in this play. ... Claudius speaks well of the spent king by showing a general love for him by all his subjects. Claudius shows respect for the old sovereign by speaking kind words of him. ... Claudius was a murderer, conspirator and a liar, but also a passionate man. ...

• Word Count: 692
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The most potent example of this occurs in act 1 scene 2 when Claudius first speaks. ... Throughout the play the audience sees things for things which they did not appear to be, in this case the appearance of Claudius's love towards his "dear brother" in reality is false. ... Through Claudius perception of death Shakespeare reveals Claudius's true character. ... Claudius's skill with words is essential to his character. ... What this reveals about Claudius's character can be interpreted in two ways. ...

• Word Count: 1997
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

Hamlet thinks his father was an excellent king, who loved his mother so much that he may might not beteem the winds of heaven/ Visit her face to roughly (I, ii, 140-141). ... Hamlet originally professes his love for Ophelia during his visitations to her closet, and through the love letter which he writes to her. ... He viciously insults the women whom he said he loved, and this greatly disturbs her. ... When Laertes proclaims his love for Ophelia and his sorrow for her death, Hamlet rushes from his concealment and jumps into the grave after Laertes. Hamlet insults Laertes when he states, Forty...

• Word Count: 2834
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: High School

After all, if the love between them were weakened, the impact of that kind of love rejection followed by her support of Claudius would be lessened. ... After all, in killing Claudius, Hamlet would not be killing the man his beloved mother loves. Gertrude would also not condemn Hamlet for killing or attempting to kill Claudius if she did not love Claudius. ... Also, he needs his mother's love much more than he needs Ophelia's love. ... (The evidence for this arbitrary reliance on his mother's love comes from his father and Claudius both professing of their powerful need for Gertr...

• Word Count: 2027
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Hamlet then begins to make plots to kill Claudius. ... " The determination that Claudius had to become king, made the dead king comes back seeking revenge on Claudius. ... I did love you once. (Act 3:1 111-115) Ophelia believes that Hamlet once loved her, but Ophelia does not know that Hamlet still loves her. ... Ophelia knowing the man she use to love has murdered her own father lose total trust in Hamlet. ...

• Word Count: 1278
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• Grade Level: High School

Similarly, Hamlet's love for Ophelia, seems irrational to her father, thus Polonius expresses contempt for his daughter to influence Ophelia's thoughts on authenticity of Hamlet's affection. ... The reader meets Claudius as a very unemotional and political personality. ... As Claudius chastises Hamlet, the king seeks for control over Hamlet's unrealistic spirits of grief. ... Polonius' knowledge about Hamlet's love to his daughter, Ophelia, seems as a very absurd thought to him; therefore, Polonius humbles Ophelia in order to obtain control over her thoughts. ... ...

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These include Claudius betraying the king, Hamlet leaving Ophelia, and Claudius attempting to kill Hamlet. ... From me, whose love was of that dignity that it went hand in hand even with the vow I made to her in marriage, and to decline upon a wretch whose natural gifts were poor to those of mine! ... By denying his love for Ophelia, he leaves her confused and broken hearted. She didn't understand why the man she loved was now acting as though he was disgusted by her and as if he never cared for her at all. ... Hamlet truly loves Ophelia, but she will never know because of his deceptive p...

• Word Count: 750
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Similarly, Hamlet's love for Ophelia, seems irrational to her father, thus Polonius expresses contempt for his daughter to influence Ophelia's thoughts on authenticity of Hamlet's affection. ... Claudius demeans Hamlet's emotions to obtain his control over Hamlet's spirit of agony. The reader meets Claudius as a very unemotional and political personality. ... Polonius' knowledge about Hamlet's love to his daughter, Ophelia, seems as a very absurd thought to him; therefore, Polonius humbles Ophelia in order to obtain control over her thoughts. ... As Claudius ...

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In addition, Hamlet now knows that his love of his mother is corrupted since she is affectionate towards his emasculating enemy. ... Estrangement from countrymen: It is true that Hamlet has both the capacity to organize a mob of supporters to overthrow Claudius and is loved by most of his countrymen (to the point where, as Claudius admits, Claudius cannot openly think, feel or act in a hostile manner towards Hamlet). ... For this reason, Hamlet feels inhibited from deliberately destroying the man his beloved mother loves. ... In this case, Hamlet would feel the double sting of his mother, w...

• Word Count: 4590
• Approx Pages: 18
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Hamlet's true love, Ophelia, worries constantly about Hamlet. ... I loved you not." (III, I, 117-119) His offensive statement destroys Ophelia's belief in his love and she begins to give up on Hamlet. What she didn't know is that Hamlet was truly in love with her. ... The farther Hamlet is from Claudius, the more danger Claudius could be in. ...

• Word Count: 1415
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

I hate the Moor The main difference between Claudius and Iago, which makes Iago far more evil than Claudius, is simply Claudius's guilt. ... Similarly hypocritical is Claudius. ... By using the trust of those who loved them, whether it is as a husband or a friend, Iago and Claudius are able to mold opinions to their benefit. Implanting the suspicion of Desdemona's infidelity into Othello's mind is especially easy, considering the fact that Othello and Desdemona were newlyweds and Othello had already begun to have doubts as to how she could love an uncultured Moor as himsel...

• Word Count: 1814
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

After all, if the love between them were weakened, the impact of that kind of love rejection followed by her support of Claudius would be lessened. ... After all, in killing Claudius, Hamlet would not be killing the man his beloved mother loves. Gertrude would also not condemn Hamlet for killing or attempting to kill Claudius if she did not love Claudius. ... Also, he needs his mother's love much more than he needs Ophelia's love. ... (The evidence for this arbitrary reliance on his mother's love comes from his father and Claudius both professing of their powerful need for Gertr...

• Word Count: 3498
• Approx Pages: 14
• Grade Level: High School

The love of Hamlet, Ophelia is weak-minded, she cannot come to grips with her fathers death. ... Gertrude is greedy in that she marries her dead husbands' brother so she can become queen not because she loves him. ... Claudius becomes aware of Hamlets' intentions and tries to have him killed. ... Unfortunately for Claudius Hamlet does not drink the poison and he kills Claudius by stabbing him and forcing him to drink from the cup. ... Here Hamlet tries to get Claudius to confess his guilt at the play so he can avoid dealing with Claudius himself. ...

• Word Count: 1038
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Claudius deceives Gertrude and uses her as a mean to gain power. ... Without knowing that it is Claudius responsible for the death of the king, Gertrude trusts Claudius for being the right heir to the thrown and marries him. Claudius also tricks everybody by showing that he is a loving, caring and responsible stepfather to Hamlet in order to gain the trust and love of Gertrude. For instance, Claudius shows his fictitious love for Hamlet in front of the Queen when he states, "This mad young man. But so much was our love"(4.1.19). ...

• Word Count: 837
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Laertes was poised by the ideas of Claudius and midway during the fight he says to himself, "And yet it is almost against my conscience" (V:ii, 273). This realization shows how the obsessions of Claudius took over Laertes, and his own revenge quest prevented him from seeing Claudius" deceit. ... Gertrude is poisoned by Claudius greedy obsession for power. ... In addition, it is Hamlets obsession with taking revenge on Claudius that leads to his downfall. ... Her ideals of true love are shattered when Hamlet yells, "Get thee to a nunnery, farewell" (III:i, 134). ...

• Word Count: 482
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• Grade Level: High School

In contrast to the ghost's opinion of the crime, King Claudius feels mixed remourse and self serving ambition. In lines 36-39, Claudius compares his crime to the crime of Cain in the Bible. ... These lines clearly show that while Claudius did plot his brother's demise, he did not slay without remourse. ... He also expresses his love for the queen, his dignity, and confusion in lines 46-49, "The will of my most seeming-virtuous queen...From me, whose love was of that dignity..." ... In true political manner, Claudius' words flow smoothly but the his meaning runs converse to his w...

• Word Count: 852
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• Grade Level: High School

Claudius was also a great leader. ... Claudius has a very significant role in the play. ... Both love Gertrude in a unique way and both are very influential. ... Claudius hid his true feelings however very well. ... When Claudius tried to kill Hamlet by poisoning him and Gertrude accidentally drank it Hamlet then confronts Claudius. ...

• Word Count: 871
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• Grade Level: High School

Claudius is presented as a multi-faced character. ... Claudius seem to have a large, booming voice in the film. ... Claudius is dressed with a nicely contemporary look. ... In the text, it is never clear if Hamlet ever truly loved Ophelia, and we are left to decide this for ourselves. ... Ophelia could not handle the loss of Hamlet's love, her brother's absence, and her father's death. ...

• Word Count: 1422
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

Hamlet is a play of love and love lost. ... Gertrude betrays that love by marrying her brother-in-law, Claudius, and Ophelia betrays his love by refusing him on her father's advice. ... Gertrude too, experiences love lost when she loses her husband, so she turns to Claudius to replace it (just like Hamlet turned to her and Ophelia to replace his). Similarly, her second love betrays her, but by the time she discovers this, she is already dying (after Claudius accidentally poisoned her). ... You could almost call Claudius his second love, since the King wooed Laertes into joining hi...

• Word Count: 390
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• Grade Level: High School

He produces a poetic love letter from Hamlet to Ophelia as evidence. ... King Claudius suspects that some deep-rooted distress is the cause of Hamlet's mad behavior not love. ... If Claudius appears uncomfortable Hamlet and Horatio will both know that Claudius is guilty? During the play Claudius interrupts the performance and departs Hamlet is now convinced of Claudius' guilt. ... Seizing it Hamlet slashes and kills King Claudius. ...

• Word Count: 1033
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

At this point Hamlet is certain that Claudius is responsible for his father's murder. ... After Hamlet realizes that Claudius is guilty, he comes across him in the chapel. He is given the perfect opportunity to finally kill Claudius, but turns it down because he does not want to kill Claudius while he is praying. ... Hamlet treated his mother in a rude fashion, because he loved and trusted her, but she married Claudius less than a few months after his father's death. ... However, Ophelia's love for Hamlet caused her to mistake Hamlet's original intention for his distrust an...

• Word Count: 1089
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• Grade Level: High School

Claudius is at prayer, and Hamlet surely doesn't want to send Claudius to heaven after he is absolved by prayer. ... Both women that are important to him, Ophelia and Gertrude, have turned away his love or betrayed him. ... Claudius brings so much sin into Hamlet's world that Hamlet refuses to allow Claudius to be forgiven for it. ... He is disgusted with Claudius" behaviour. ... He must, and will kill Claudius, the man who murdered his father and who stole the crown and his mother's love. ...

• Word Count: 1261
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School