Blog Six A Man of Pure Evil

Claudius comes off as an evil person in the story. He has an inner struggle between good and evil, and it seems that evil always wins. Claudius is in constant need to gain more power and doesn’t care about what morals he loses along the way. Claudius attempts to portray himself as a good man, yet he constantly contradicts himself. When his brother The King dies, Claudius delivers a speech in which he describes the pain and sadness he feels over the death of his brother. His need for power overrides any loyalty to his brother. Not even a month has passed since his brother’s death, and he has already remarried his wife. He attempts to portray himself as a man who fears confrontation, but in fact his actions are one of a coward. In the beginning of the story Claudius has such a great fear about going to battle with his brother The King, and instead takes action by poisoning him in his sleep. He attempts to show empathy towards Hamlet by comforting him, but instead his actions come off as ignorant and controlling. Hamlet is distraught by the death of his father and by his mother’s incestuous marriage to his uncle. Claudius shows no restraint when showing affection towards Gertrude. He rubs it in Hamlet’s face and doesn’t care about the negative feelings Hamlet has towards their marriage. He speaks to Hamlet as though he were a child. He tells Hamlet that he needs to get over his father’s death, that it is a part of life. In short, Claudius tells Hamlet to stop being a child and grow up. Claudius lacks the capability to show any empathy for Hamlet and the tragedy that he feels over losing his father. Claudius also used the people around him to get what he wants. He will stop at nothing and will sacrifice everything to gain more power. Claudius uses Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet.  He once again uses Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to accompany Hamlet to England, where he has already planned to have him murdered. Lastly Claudius is also at fault for the death of his wife Gertrude. In Act 5Scene II Line 273 “The Queen carouses to thy fortune.”  The Queen accidentally drinks the poison that was actually intended for Hamlet. Not even at this moment does Claudius make any effort to save the life of his wife. Throughout the story Claudius shows his true colors, he is a conniving and deceitful man who will stop at nothing to be powerful.