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Universidad de Playa Anchade Ciencias de la Educación

H A M L E T

Name: Gabriela Montes

1) What kind of king is Claudius? What evidence shows the kind of monarch he is and the kindof man he is? Is this his appearance, or is it his true character?

Claudius the King in Shakespeare's Hamlet is a complex individual. In the play he murders his brother,marries his former sister in law, and ascends to the throne of Denmark. Considering this it is possibleto say that Claudius is shrewd and able, though not always ethical or moral.Claudius addresses the court after his marriage to the Queen. He begins by acknowledging their feelings of sorrow for the former King Hamlet, then transitions into expressing his thanks for their acceptance of the marriage. By receiving the court's acceptance of him as King, Claudius can proceedto comfortably reign and carry out the affairs of the state of Denmark.Claudius makes people believe that he is a legitimate and virtuous king but he is a murderer. Claudiusmanipulates people and makes them into his pawns. But verbally is not the only way Claudius makespeople eat out of his palm, but he uses his wealth as well. With promise of some extra money andsome crafty wording, Claudius is able to convince Guildenstern and Rosencrantz to betray Hamlettheir childhood friend, and bring the King information about Hamlet.Whereas most of the other important men in Hamlet

are preoccupied with ideas of justice, revenge,and moral balance, Claudius is bent upon maintaining his own power. Claudius is a corrupt politicianwhose main weapon is his ability to manipulate others through his skillful use of language. Claudius’slove for Gertrude may be sincere, but it also seems likely that he married her as a strategic move, tohelp him win the throne away from Hamlet after the death of the king.As the play progresses, Claudius’s mounting fear of Hamlet’s insanity leads him to ever greater self-preoccupation; when Gertrude tells him that Hamlet has killed Polonius, Claudius does not remark thatGertrude might have been in danger, but only that he would have been in danger had he been in theroom.Claudius is able to devise plots and plans for his own good. In Act V, scene II, rather than allowingLaertes only two methods of killing Hamlet, the sharpened sword and the poison on the blade,Claudius insists on a third, the poisoned goblet. When Gertrude inadvertently drinks the poison anddies, Hamlet is at last able to bring himself to kill Claudius, and the king is felled by his own cowardlymachination

2) What is Hamlet’s conflict over the Ghost’s existence? Why does he continue to doubt the“honesty” of the Ghost even after Claudius confesses his guilt

?The conflict is that Hamlet believes that the apparition is indeed the ghost of his father and that it hastold the truth. Yet it may be a demon in his father's shape, tempting him to kill an innocent man.The Ghost revealed that he was, in fact, the ghost of Hamlet’s father. He told Hamlet that he waspoisoned by his brother Claudius as he slept in his orchard and, if Hamlet was not already feeling thedesire, the Ghost made plain the demand: "Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder". To becertain of Claudius's guilt, Hamlet decided to reenact the murder of his father with the production of The Murder of Gonzago. If Claudius was disturbed by the play it will reveal his guilt, and this wasexactly what happened. After that Hamlet had an opportunity to kill the unattended Claudius in his chamber when he wasconfessing his guilt, but, after soliloquizing on the matter, he decides not to take action becauseClaudius is praying. Killing Claudius in prayer would not really be revenge because he would go to

heaven. Then the Ghost appeared again to Hamlet. He was angry because Claudius was still alive.He told Hamlet he had returned to "whet thy almost blunted purpose".Despite the fact that the ghost was right about that Claudius had murdered his father, Hamletcontinues to doubt the honesty of the Ghost. I can notice that when he is with her mother.Act III. Scene IV. Hamlet:What devil was'tThat thus hath cozen'd you at hoodman-blind?Eyes without feeling, feeling without sight,Ears without hands or eyes, smelling sans all,Or but a sickly part of one true senseCould not so mope.O shame! where is thy blush? Rebellious hell,If thou canst mutine in a matron's bones,To flaming youth let virtue be as wax,And melt in her own fire: proclaim no shameWhen the compulsive ardour gives the charge,Since frost itself as actively doth burn,And reason panders will.He thinks that maybe the ghost is a demoniac influence that has caused his mother unacceptablebehavior.But also in this dialog Hamlet says to his mother that he is afraid to make mistakes. He is not sure tofollow the advice of the ghost. In my opinion Hamlet continues to doubt the “honesty” of the ghostbecause deeper in his heart he does not want to kill his uncle. Hamlet is intellectual and rational, hewould have preferred other solution but the situation makes necessary a revenge killing Claudius.Act III. Scene IV. Hamlet:On him, on him! Look you how pale he glares!His form and cause conjoin'd, preaching to stones,Would make them capable.--Do not look upon me;Lest with this piteous action you convertMy stern effects: then what I have to doWill want true colour; tears perchance for blood.

3) Name the various foils Shakespeare has created for Hamlet. Why is each important to theplay?

In my opinion the more important foils are: Polonius, Ophelia, Horatio, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern,and the actors.

Polonius

can be considered a foil to Hamlet because he serves to reinforce the pattern of corruption,and demonstrates the social and moral decay of Denmark. His devious ways show the audience thathe is one of many characters who lack conviction and integrity. Throughout Hamlet Polonius is ahypocrite who looks out for his own interests, and betrays those he should be loyal to. These aspectsof his character are revealed in his relationships with the King, Ophelia, Laertes, and Hamlet.