My
initial impression of Claudius is that he is very self-centered, and he puts
himself over anyone else. When he announces that he is marrying Gertrude, he
makes it seem like he is doing it for Denmark, but the truth is that he is
doing it for himself. He is not marrying her because he feels like it is the
right thing to do for the people of Denmark. He is marrying her because he
wants to marry her, and it is going to make him happier. Even though he does
not always consider other people’s feelings and opinions before his, he does
not strike me as a horrible leader. He is sending Cornelius and Voltimand to
Norway with the intention of trying to solve a problem and create safety and
protection for the people.
Claudius
is Hamlet’s uncle and father now because he has now married Hamlet’s mom,
Gertrude. In my opinion, he does not genuinely care about the well-being and
happiness of Hamlet, and he is more concerned about using Hamlet to help
himself. He tells Hamlet “For your intent/In going back to school in Wittenberg/It
is most retrograde to our desire/And we beseech you, bend you to remain/Here in
the cheer and comfort of our eye” (1.2.116-120). He is disregarding what Hamlet
wants to do because he is concerned about his opinions on what Hamlet should
do. He wants Hamlet to stay at court because he is the closest to the throne,
not because he wants Hamlet to be happy.
In addition, Claudius
wants Hamlet to, in a way, try to forget about the death of his father, move
on, and start thinking of him as his father. He is being inconsiderate of
Hamlet’s feelings and tells Hamlet “to persever/In obstinate condolement is a
course/Of impious stubbornness” (1.2.96-98). He thinks that Hamlet is being
stubborn because he is not forgetting about his father’s death, but he is
ignoring the fact that it has only been one month since his father passed away.
One month is not enough time for Hamlet to recover from his father’s death, and
Claudius is ignoring the sorrow that Hamlet feels towards his death. It has
only been one month, and he expects Hamlet to somehow move on from the pain and
sadness that he is experiencing. If Claudius genuinely cared about Hamlet, he
would give him the time that he needs to move on and try to make it easy on
him, but instead he pressures him to continue on with his life and makes it
harder on him by marrying his mom.
Sydney, I definitely agree with some of the points you touched on about King Claudius. First of all, I also believe he is self- centered, especially in his decision to marry Queen Gertrude because he is not taking into account if Hamlet or the rest of the kingdom will approve. You mentioned that he marries her to make himself happy, and to expand upon your idea, I think he is just doing it to gain the throne. You also said that he is not a horrible leader, and I think he is trying to do his best to rule so others will accept him as their new ruler. I completely agree with you that Claudius is being inconsiderate towards Hamlet's feelings. I think that he gives him bad advice to try to comfort him and he should just let him grieve for his father. Don't forget, it's been two months since the old Kings death and one month since the marriage! Otherwise, I agree with your first impression of King Claudius and I'm wondering how exactly he will turn out to be.
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