‘Claudius may be a bad person, but he is a great King’
In Shakespeare’s unconventional tragedy ‘Hamlet’, the morality of the archetypal
Machiavellian is a source of debate for audiences. On the whole, Claudius is typically
considered to be a bad person given Shakespeare’s depiction of his sinful actions, his
treatment of the malcontent protagonist Hamlet and his Act three soliloquy where his lack of
remorse is often interpreted. However, some audiences contest this view of Claudius and
instead argue that Hamlet is the true bad person of the play. Overall, whilst the morality of his
character is a point of contention among audiences, the large majority agree that Claudius is a
great King. This is due to his rhetorical ability when addressing Denmark and his skilful
plotting to eliminate people, notably Hamlet, who pose a threat to his crown.
Paragraph 1: Claudius is a bad person:
• Mabillard – ‘He is not a monster, he is morally weak’.
• Scofield – ‘morally empty’.
• Branagh’s Hamlet (1996) – In Act 4 when it is discovered that Ophelia has died,
Claudius shows no grief whatsoever and is more concerned with manipulating
Laertes. In doing so, Claudius mistreats Gertrude which suggests a lack of genuine
love in their relationship. Audiences likely ponder if Claudius can be loving.
• Hamlet notes Claudius’ manipulative treatment of other characters – calls Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern his ‘sponge’ and Polonius a ‘rat’ for their compliance with the King.
• Even manages to manipulative Gertrude to send Hamlet to England by framing him as
a threat ‘To you yourself, to us, to everyone’ when he knows that Hamlet only intends
to kill him.
• Some audiences may point out that Claudius’ moral ambiguity is akin to the moral
ambiguity of the Ghost. In Doran’s ‘Hamlet’, the Ghost and Claudius are played by
the same actor, this meant that Claudius intentions were shown to be questionable as
he is likened to a supernatural figure.
• Claudius’ has a sinister side which arguably revolves around jealously (or envy – one
of the seven deadly sins). This is illustrated in his speech about the death of King
Hamlet, Claudius’ reference to ‘the memory be green’ is suggestive of jealously. The
adjective ‘green’ serves to expose Claudius’ twisted morals here; whilst he means the
memory is fresh in his mind, the colour’s association with envy presents audiences
with the underlying reason he killed King Hamlet.
Paragraph 2: Claudius is not a bad person:
• There is debate among audiences as to whether Claudius can be considered a bad
person.
• Although his ‘O, my offence is rank: it smells to heaven’ ultimately concludes that his
guilt lacks sincerity as he does not regret what he gained ‘My crown, my own
ambition and my queen’, the soliloquy stills reveals a more nuanced side to Claudius.
In Shakespeare’s unconventional tragedy ‘Hamlet’, the morality of the archetypal
Machiavellian is a source of debate for audiences. On the whole, Claudius is typically
considered to be a bad person given Shakespeare’s depiction of his sinful actions, his
treatment of the malcontent protagonist Hamlet and his Act three soliloquy where his lack of
remorse is often interpreted. However, some audiences contest this view of Claudius and
instead argue that Hamlet is the true bad person of the play. Overall, whilst the morality of his
character is a point of contention among audiences, the large majority agree that Claudius is a
great King. This is due to his rhetorical ability when addressing Denmark and his skilful
plotting to eliminate people, notably Hamlet, who pose a threat to his crown.
Paragraph 1: Claudius is a bad person:
• Mabillard – ‘He is not a monster, he is morally weak’.
• Scofield – ‘morally empty’.
• Branagh’s Hamlet (1996) – In Act 4 when it is discovered that Ophelia has died,
Claudius shows no grief whatsoever and is more concerned with manipulating
Laertes. In doing so, Claudius mistreats Gertrude which suggests a lack of genuine
love in their relationship. Audiences likely ponder if Claudius can be loving.
• Hamlet notes Claudius’ manipulative treatment of other characters – calls Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern his ‘sponge’ and Polonius a ‘rat’ for their compliance with the King.
• Even manages to manipulative Gertrude to send Hamlet to England by framing him as
a threat ‘To you yourself, to us, to everyone’ when he knows that Hamlet only intends
to kill him.
• Some audiences may point out that Claudius’ moral ambiguity is akin to the moral
ambiguity of the Ghost. In Doran’s ‘Hamlet’, the Ghost and Claudius are played by
the same actor, this meant that Claudius intentions were shown to be questionable as
he is likened to a supernatural figure.
• Claudius’ has a sinister side which arguably revolves around jealously (or envy – one
of the seven deadly sins). This is illustrated in his speech about the death of King
Hamlet, Claudius’ reference to ‘the memory be green’ is suggestive of jealously. The
adjective ‘green’ serves to expose Claudius’ twisted morals here; whilst he means the
memory is fresh in his mind, the colour’s association with envy presents audiences
with the underlying reason he killed King Hamlet.
Paragraph 2: Claudius is not a bad person:
• There is debate among audiences as to whether Claudius can be considered a bad
person.
• Although his ‘O, my offence is rank: it smells to heaven’ ultimately concludes that his
guilt lacks sincerity as he does not regret what he gained ‘My crown, my own
ambition and my queen’, the soliloquy stills reveals a more nuanced side to Claudius.
