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Claudius has the ability to convince others to follow his commands regardless of how morally questionable they may be. Through his charisma and persuasive attitude, he gets Gertrude to marry him, invites Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet, and turns Laertes into his ally.
Claudius fears that Hamlet is onto him, and when Hamlet arranges a performance of a play whose events mirror the manner of King Hamlet’s murder, Claudius at last confesses, in a lengthy soliloquy, to his dark, dastardly deeds.
When Laertes seeks revenge for his father Polonius' death at Hamlet's hands, Claudius finally concocts a 'surefire' plan to deal with Hamlet once and for all. He arranges a fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes, but plots with Laertes to poison his foil and give Hamlet a poisoned drink.
Hamlet leaps to the conclusion that Claudius is behind the arras, or else he simply lashes out thoughtlessly. In any case, Hamlet’s moral superiority to Claudius is now thrown into question.
He asks Claudius to send Hamlet to Gertrude’s chamber after the play, where Polonius can hide again and watch unseen; he hopes to learn whether Hamlet is really mad with love. Claudius agrees, saying that “[m]adness in great ones” must be carefully watched (III.i.187).
3 paź 2024 · It is likely that after killing King Hamlet, Claudius used Hamlet's absence at school and the fact of his marriage to Gertrude to manipulate that election so that he could be king.
Act IV, Scene 7: Claudius and Laertes enter, discussing Polonius’s death. Laertes now agrees that Claudius is not at fault but wonders why he did not openly punish Hamlet. Claudius explains that ...
