Claudius, King of Denmark
The antagonist, Hamlet's uncle, who usurped the throne and married Hamlet's mother.
Core Belief
"Claudius believes in the pursuit of power and the preservation of his own interests, even at the expense of morality and justice. He views the world as a political arena where success is determined by cunning and manipulation."
Worldview
Claudius sees the world as a place where power is the ultimate currency, and where morality is a luxury that he cannot afford. He believes that his actions are justified by the need to maintain order and stability in the kingdom, even if it means sacrificing his own soul.
Personality
Claudius is ambitious, cunning, and ruthless. He is a skilled politician and manipulator, willing to commit heinous acts to maintain his power. He is also plagued by guilt over his actions, which he attempts to suppress through prayer and rationalization.
In Their Own Words
"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."
"O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven; It hath the primal eldest curse upon’t, A brother’s murder!"
"There’s matter in these sighs. These profound heaves You must translate; ’tis fit we understand them."
Discussions with Claudius, King of Denmark
Other Characters from Hamlet
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