At the opening of Shakespeare's "Hamlet," the guarding sentries of the castle, Elsinore, seek assistance of the scholar Horatio to help them deal with the recent appearance of a ghost. Although Horatio think of the existence of such a "creature" as extremely irrational, he reacts with alarm and credulity when the ghost returns again. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to communicate with the ghost, Horatio in order to reap control over it orders to attack it, but fails to do any harm because it is a spirit. Claudius, however, and then his advisor Polonius believe that they can gain control over the "spirits" of their children by overruling them through orders, critique and humiliations. Claudius' awareness of Hamlet's agony over his dead father, results the king to believe that such level of depression is absurd; therefore, Hamlet's stepfather condemns his son's feelings striving for control over Hamlet's emotions. 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. Shakespeare suggest when people face irrational for them situations, some in power are ready to do anything to gain control and influence over the spirit that they failed to understand.
Before the court meeting begins in the king's castle, Claudius becomes aware about Hamlet's grief, which intense feeling of his son the king can't comprehend; therefore, 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. Unable to show any authentic sorrow for his recently dead brother, the king of Denmark opens his meeting with the lords in his castle in scene 2 with how his brother's death is "far hath discretion fought with nature" (1.2.5), after such "touching moment" the king moves on to discuss their political situation.