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Claudius Claudius is the present King of Denmark, Hamlet's paternal uncle, and Gertrude's new husband. By nature, he is coarse and vulgar, a man who enjoys drinking and debauchery. The stark contrast between his vulgarity and his dead brother's goodness is emphasized repeatedly throughout the play. Portrayed as a completely corrupt and power-hungry villain, he murdered the king, his own brother, then took his wife and his crown as his own. Threatened by Hamlet's presence …

…critics judge him as the bard's best character, an imperfect, but perfectly drawn, "melancholy Dane;" his great weaknesses are that he simply does not know how to do the thing he must do and, therefore, procrastinates about it until it is too late. In the end, his humanity destroys him and everyone he loves; but most members of the audience identify with this tragic hero and see at least a little of themselves in Hamlet.