No Such Thing as a Perfect King

It is in Act one scene two that we are first introduced to the character of Claudius. The impression made by him is that of a powerful and controlled man who is respected by most. His mannerisms of speech are graceful and are nothing less than the words of a king, 'to bear our heats with grief, and our whole kingdom.' Claudius is presented to us by

Hamlet proves himself a temperamental, twisted character in William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. The Prince of Denmark conveys his facetious demeanor with his behavior and sharp tongue, especially in scenes with Ophelia and Gertrude. Although Hamlet’s situation is difficult and easily sympathized by viewers, his aggression should ultimately be focused on his murderous uncle.

Born on 1 August 10 BC in Gaul, Claudius had a reign that would always represent a turning point. Claudius Nero Germanicus had been the third emperor for the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Claudius stuck out from other Roman Emperors because of the things that he'd decided to do during his reign. Claudius had promoted administrators who he knew did not deserve senatorial classes. For a man with such high powers, Claudius did not seem to mind the fact that his relationships with his wives and children were not he best. It was very simple to tell how many difficulties Claudius had faced during his reign. Although, Claudius had faced mant hardships his reign had been mixed with success and failure which had lead into the end of the Julo-Claudian line.

The section is from Book Five, which is split into forty-six parts; this critical commentary looks at Part Ten, which is about Claudius’s accession to power. Part of the background behind this text is that Suetonius tries to portray Claudius as a hopeless and fearful man pushed into a position he was not suited for. The way in which Claudius became emperor as well as the Senates quick acceptance of him are vital for the history of the Principate. These acts show the true nature of the Augustan Principate; having these events unfold as they did demonstrates how the Principate robbed Rome of the possibility of being a Republic again (Fagan, 1998). The notion that Claudius might be proclaimed emperor—as he was, by the Praetorians—was very unsettling. Claudius was never considered to be future emperor material—not even by his own mother, ‘Claudius’s mother often called him ‘a monster: a man whom Mother Nature had begun to work upon but then flung aside’’ (Jones, 1981:17). He suffered from physical and quite possibly mental disabilities, including a limp and a speech impediment, which is now today diagnosed as dystonia (Osgood, 2011:9). Although that may be the case, it is rightly argued that Claudius had intellectual ability. Before he became emperor he was often ridiculed by others, he was not considered capable of a public or private career. He was excluded from public office

Claudius is unusual in that he is a two-sided character. He seems throughout Hamlet to be an effective king, dealing with all political and military

For the most part, the emperor Claudius is portrayed by historians of his day as a bumbling, dribbling fool incapable of administering an empire yet capable of significant cruelty. However, this depiction does not match the actual contributions of Claudius as princeps that, on the face of it at least, had a hugely beneficial impact on Rome and its empire. This contradiction seems to be a consequence of the inability of historians of the time to rid themselves of crude bias and deliver an impersonal and objective account of Claudius’ reign. Rather than look at Claudius the emperor, ancient writers, such as Suetonius and Tacitus, have preoccupied themselves with Claudius the man, who was apparently unattractive and suffered from medical conditions that stuttered his speech and created an impression of stupidity.

Claudius is the other major example of ambition in the story, as shown through his drastic measures taken to assure that no one discovers that he killed the King and used his death as an opportunity to take up the crown. It is revealed to Hamlet by his father’s ghost that Claudius killed the former ruler in his own garden by pouring poison into his ear. This is very characteristic of Shakespeare’s tragedies, characters will kill each other off for their own ambitious agendas without hesitation for morals or law and Claudius fits into this trend perfectly. To further ensure that his status as king is not compromised, he seduces the King’s wife, Gertrude, and attempts to get Hamlet to forget his father by calling his grief childish and a hindrance to his role as the prince (365). The King’s ghost informs Hamlet that Gertrude was one of the most virtuous women alive and wouldn’t have taken lightly to his sudden death, so it is apparent that Claudius took extreme measures to get Gertrude on his side. To go through all this work to ensure that he remained in power proves that Claudius was just as ambitious to achieve power as Hamlet was to remove him from it.

Hamlet never lost sight of his objective to expose the King's sin of murdering his father and obtaining revenge. Hamlet was completely sane throughout the tragedy. When Hamlet began to put the pieces of his father's murder together, he paid special attention to his uncle Claudius. "It is not very strange; for my uncle is King of Denmark, and those that would make mows at him while my father lived, give twenty, forty, fifty, a hundred ducats a-piece for his picture in little. 'Sblood, there is something in this more than natural, if philosophy could find it out. (II. ii. 366-371). Hamlet knows that his uncle is the murderer. Claudius further makes it difficult to uncover the truth by announcing that Hamlet is next in line for the throne of Denmark. Shakespeare shows the theme of appearances is deceptive by having Claudius appear to exhibit some affection towards Hamlet. Claudius appears to be a kind and loving person. "As of a father; for let the world take note, You are the most immediate to our throne; And with no less nobility of love than that which dearest father bears his son do I impart toward you" (I ii. 108-112). Appearances play a major role in the everyday life of an individual. The

being the true leader of Denmark with his sincere intentions. As a result; Young Prince Hamlet will be victorious in his kingdom and well respected among the civilians as well as other ruling states.

Hamlet would have made a good king of Denmark. There are sections throughout the play where Hamlet exhibits being a good leader, but there are many scenes where he shows that if he did become King, it would be a disaster. However, I believe that Hamlet would have been a good king. Hamlet does not always show it, but I believe his intelligent mind could overcome any of the politics of being a King, his only real issue is that he would have to learn to be a bit more warlike. "For he was likely, had he been put on,/

The royal family represents power in the play and the king represents the peak of power in Denmark. But the King was the first character in Hamlet to die. Murdered by his own brother, the King showed himself to Hamlet in ghost form. From the beginning of the play, death is already introduced as a major theme. Shakespeare purposefully introduces death into the book using the king. He uses this to link Denmark’s most elite family with death, specifically murder. To Shakespeare, royalty is filled with certain characteristics that make death imminent. Claudius killed his brother out of envy for his power. This murder is the reason Hamlet seeks vengeance upon Claudius. While Hamlet seeks vengeance, Shakespeare uses

I feel like a heavy anchor sinking helplessly in a violent and thick sea; waves of a blood-stained clarity batter and bash my fragile body mercilessly and relentlessly. First, I see my mad son slay my husband’s dearest advisor through the tapestry of my own bedroom, and just now my once thought mad son has confessed there had been a method to his most distasteful lunacy, that it was nothing but a mask he donned to fool a, supposedly, equally imprudent King. “A murderer and a villain, a slave that is not twentieth part the tithe of your precedent lord.” That is what my dearest son said about Claudius.

Claudius is introduced before Hamlet, but the audience is already aware that the ghost of the old king has appeared with a message for his son. Claudius is a skilful diplomat: ingratiating, self-confident, and a good orator, he has persuaded the Danish court to accept him as king. The incestuous nature of the marriage is hinted at by Claudius himself, who calls Gertrude his "sometime sister, now [his] queen." He presents himself as someone of wisdom and good judgment: a fitting replacement for his "dear brother." The speech shows him to be Hamlet's cunning and worthy adversary.

In conclusion, I’d like to reiterate my argument of Hamlet not doing well as king. Hamlet is a man who possesses many qualities, yet out of all those qualities he does not add up to be a good king, knowingly because he barely can detail his own life and emotion, so it makes it nearly impossible for him to regulate the lives of his people. Hamlet tends to make poor decisions, and an important aspect of being king is to make all decisions in the best interest of not only yourself but your people as

This can be seen in the way that Claudius was not the despicable, vulnerable king that Crawford demonstrates in his writings. He was not the tyrannical monarch many perceive him to be throughout the play. “…Claudius is not wholly evil—far from it,” G. Wilson Knight claims. “We see the government of Denmark working smoothly. Claudius shows every sign of being an excellent diplomat and king” (Knight 266). Claudius was entirely capable of settling his conflict with Norway, in contrast to Crawford’s insight, as he simply elected to be peaceful rather than brash as the elder Hamlet had been. This doesn’t make