Claudius &
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
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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.
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