Hamlet Appearance Vs Reality Research Paper

Hamlet really wanted the revenge on Claudius but was really on the fence of what to actually do to follow through with then plan. Claudius was brave to feel so free, as Hamlet had opportunities to take advantage of him and had plenty of hate towards him for more than one reason. The action Hamlet may want and outcome of it, may be completely different as to what his father would do or like him to do.

Beyond Claudius’ need for admiration, he also tends to disregard the feelings of people around him. This is shown in a similar way as his need for admiration, being that he kills his brother to gain power. Such a selfish action will obviously impact those around King Hamlet, but Claudius disregard that and simply does it for his own gain. He doesn’t think about how Hamlet’s death will affect Gertrude, young Hamlet, Polonius, or anyone else close to him. In the aftermath of this, instead of helping Hamlet through the hard time following his fathers sudden death, he tells Hamlet he’s not a man for mourning for such a long time. Staying on the topic of the death of a father, Claudius uses Polonius’ death to get Laertes to want to avenge his

It is discovered in the play that Claudius is responsible for his brother’s death with poison to become the new king. When the play first introduces Claudius,he appears to show the qualities of an intelligent and effective ruler. He gives a speech on many topics such as addressing his brother's death and the potential conflict with Norway. Claudius knows that a change in government could bring a disagreement and he is afraid of possible enemies and rebellion. His speech juxtaposes the people's loss with the new beginning they will have under his care, and he uses the death of Hamlet's father to create a sense of unity. I belive the the real reason was because of Claudius’ overpowering greed.In the play Claudius goes on to say “My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen.”Claudius killed Hamlet for his crown to become the new crowned

In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, various characters manipulate others in order to gain power and fulfill their personal desires. The character who portrays the most immense manipulation is King Claudius, the brother of the late King Hamlet. Thus far, Claudius advertises himself as a sensible, honorable man who lives to serve the greater good, yet his manipulation exposes his dubious intentions, leaving him with an unfortunate fate.

An act as appalling as this would never cross the mind of a person with a healthy sense of sanity. Although he committed this dreadful crime, Claudius was good at keeping secrets; nobody ever knew of his sins. “Claudius is socially adept, and his charm is genuine. 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” (Claudius). This narcissistic king only cared to bring attention to himself when his kingdom chose to mourn the death of Hamlet. Claudius mourns his brother’s death in public but he only pretends to grieve so that his crime will not seem conspicuous. “Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s death the memory be green, and that it us befitted to bear our hearts in grief , and our whole kingdom to be contracted in one brow of woe, yet so far hath discretion fought with nature that we with wisest sorrow think on him together with remembrance of ourselves” (Shakespeare 10,11). Claudius explains that although it is necessary to mourn, life still goes on. He points out the importance of realizing the health and prosperity of himself as the new king, only to take the attention off of the abhorrent tragedy he caused to the kingdom for the sake of gaining power and a

Claudius also seems like a respectable king because he mourns the death of King Hamlet and tells “[the] whole kingdom to be contracted in one brow of woe” (21). Although Claudius seems to be a good king who is deeply saddened by the death of the late King Hamlet, he is actually a horrible man who murdered King Hamlet in a way “most foul,...strange and unnatural” (57). He took his crown and acted as if his death was an accident. Claudius makes it difficult for Hamlet to uncover the truth behind his actions because he constantly acts like nothing is ever wrong. After many different plots against Claudius, Hamlet prevails and the real Claudius is exposed. Claudius played an important role in the play because he reinforced the motif Seems Versus Is and showed the reader that although people can come across as honest and respectable, deep down they can have an evil side.

He shows in the soliloquy that he has done wrong and he feels now after that the guilt that he is witnessing is stronger than the reason for killing his brother. He feels terrible about the death of his brother but he must continue with his plan to obtain the power instead of allowing Hamlet to have it. He manipulates Laertes, who Claudius has turned against Hamlet, to help in Hamlets murder. He coaxes Laertes to have a duel with Hamlet so that Hamlet will be killed, Laertes asks “to cut his throat i’th’ the church” (4.7.123).

The full presentation of Claudius in the play Hamlet makes us react more sympathetically, especially to the actions of other characters, than we otherwise may because if it wasn't for Claudius’ initial action of killing his brother, each character would not have gone on their own downward spiral. Claudius can be seens as poison that is slowly harming each character. The first character that the reader sympathises is Hamlet. Dressed in all black, Hamlet is mourning the loss of his beloved father. Not only is he mourning this, he is also mourning the loss of his trust in women. As soon as His father dies, his mother remarries his uncle and then his love interest begins to ignore his letters, and this all trickles back to Claudius. He even calls

The antagonist in the play, Claudius, is an example of someone who is obsessed with obtaining power and manipulating people by portraying someone he is not. Claudius appears to be a caring person about his brother’s death at the beginning of the play: “Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s death/ The memory be green, and that it us befitted/ To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom/ To be contracted in one brow of woe” (Shakespeare 1.2.1-4). The caring person that he presents himself as is only present because he desires the respect of the kingdom to keep his power. Claudius wants to ensure that Denmark views him as a great man, so that any suspicion on King Hamlet’s death does not fall on him. When Claudius sends Hamlet to England, “Hamlet, this deed, for thine especial safety-/ which we do tender, as we dearly grieve/ for that which thou hast done- must send thee hense” (Shakespeare 4.3.40-43), he makes it seem as if he is doing it for Hamlet’s own good, when really he is protecting himself and sending Hamlet to his death. By placing Hamlet out of Denmark, Claudius is able to protect his high

So what is sanity? What is it insanity? There are many definitions of sanity and insanity. In general, sanity is known as having a control over the mind that secrets rational thoughts. On the other hand, insanity is when the mind begins to come up with strange things that make no sense. In the play, Hamlet is seen as a sane person, because he plans his “act” of insanity, other characters believe that he is sane, and he has a logical conscience/thinking.

Avenging his father becomes his life goal throughout the play which encourages his insanity further more. In Hamlet’s defense, he’s able to control his madness to use it against his enemies or anyone acquainted with his enemies. For example, Hamlet strikes at Ophelia, Gertrude and Polonius (in which whom they all are affiliated with Claudius). In a way, these 3 characters are affiliated with Claudius so by harming them, Hamlet is harming Claudius in an indirect relation. This is Hamlet’s life goal that his father has encouraged him to pursue, to seek revenge against Claudius and anyone affiliated with him. This causes fury and anxiety within Claudius which forces him to spy on Hamlet. Claudius describes it, “Was not like madness. There’s something in his soul.” (Shakespeare 3.1.167). As the play

Nevertheless, Claudius’s plot is revenge against Hamlet which is being spread by him like a disease and shows how thirsty he is for taking Hamlet’s life since he sees him as a threat to the

     Appearance versus reality is one of the central themes of Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. The characters in the play assume roles for the purpose of concealment - Claudius, in reality a murderer and usurper, plays the roles of grieving brother and rightful king; the adulterous Gertrude plays the role of a 'most seeming-virtuous queen' when she is, in her son's view, a 'most pernicious woman'. Even Hamlet himself assumes the role of a madman in his attempt to establish the reality of his uncle's guilt.

Sometimes it can be difficult to separate what is being said or done from what is real. People can say what they mean or they can speak in riddles, leaving everyone else skeptical of what they are trying to convey. Some hide the truth under a veil of pretty lies. Everyone, since the beginning of time, has wished that people see them as the best version of themselves, and it seems that some will do almost anything to hide their reality. This ongoing theme in time is also a prominent theme seen throughout Hamlet.

Claudius is only acting out what Hamlet secretly wants to do, take his father’s place as his mother’s lover. This would explain why Hamlet puts off the revenge instead of carrying it out immediately after seeing his father’s ghost. It would also provide a reason for Hamlet’s later insanity.