Unlike the earlier antiheroes of the revenge or morality plays that were popular in elizabethan and jacobean culture, shakespearean criminals lack the simple clarity of absolute evil. He can exhibit deep distress over his dear brother's death and admiration for his wife, th'imperial jointress to this warlike state. He knows the value of a great funeral, but quickly turns mourning into celebration and moves on with mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage to whatever lies ahead.

He is a decisive man, fair in his politics and commanding mdash if gertrude 's allegiance is any indication mdash in his bedroom. Were he dark and sinister in all things, she would fear and despise him she follows him willingly even when he arranges to send her beloved son into the jaws of death. He explains his feelings for her at the end of act iv, but he has proven these feelings consistently throughout the play lives almost by his looks, and for myself, my virtue or my plague, be it either which, she's so conjunctive to my life and soul that as the star moves not but in his sphere, a character who loves is not merely a cold blooded killer. Whereas he recognizes that he his offense is rank and smells to heaven, he also admits that he will not make amends with god because he refuses to give up what his crime has bought him. He manipulates fortune and takes what is not rightfully his, but remains unapologetic for his actions he possesses enough strength to admit that he would do the same again. Hamlet, torn by conscience to smite the morally deficient claudius, causes the death of six innocent people before he accomplishes his goal. By taking full responsibility for his actions, claudius mitigates his evil nature.

The mark of a great shakespearean antagonist is how completely he mirrors the protagonist. Claudius is no more machiavellian than hamlet both ultimately believe that the end justifies the means, and both ultimately sacrifice humanity and humaneness in the acquisition of their goals. Hamlet commits his murders in the open and suffers the pangs of his own conscience. Hamlet seeks contrition and absolves himself of guilt before he dies claudius receives no absolution and seeks none. Claudius struck me as the most interesting character in the play besides hamlet.

No matter what had to be done, he wanted to achieve his goal, even if that meant killing his own brother. Along with his ability to deceive people with his charm, he is very good with his language. It seems like he could con any of the other characters into doing what he wanted to do just by the way he spoke to them.

College Application Essay Questions

He was viewed as the villain of the play and showed very little remorse for his actions. Even when hamlet walks in on claudius while praying, you could tell that he was only partially sorry because it had to be his brother but not sorry for doing it overall. He says his offense is rank and smells to heaven, and yet still will not say he is truly sorry because of all that he has gained. Which was made even more apparent when after his brother’s death, he married his brother’s widow.

Format of a Book Review Essay

During the movie we watched in class, it showed claudius and gertrude flirting even while king hamlet was still alive, so that made me believe that they were canoodling even before king hamlet’s death. Claudius’s love for gertrude may be sincere, but it seemed to me that he married her to help him win the throne away from hamlet after he killed the king. His primary role in the play is to spawn hamlet's confusion and anger, and his subsequent search for truth and life's meaning.