Power, the Root of all Evil
¾abstract¿Claudius is a typical Shakespearean villain. Claudius is ambitious and a little too ambitious. His uncontrolled ambitions lead him down the evil road. Claudius begins with the sin of murder and ends with his own death. Claudius is power hungry just like another Shakespeare's tragic figureªMacbeth; they all have this same flaw. They are all motivated by uncontrolled ambitions for power. This character flaw evident in the villains makes them true villains. They will stoop to any level to get what they want. ¾key words¿ power Claudius Macbeth tragicClaudius is a man masked in betrayal and murder. What could be worse than killing your brother and marrying his wife right after! Claudius is the shadiest character in Act I of Hamlet. Claudius had poured the juice of a hebenon (henbane; a very poisonous plant) into his brother's, Hamlet Sr.'s ear. Hamlet Sr. died quickly but was doomed for a certain term to walk the night.± Claudius then hurriedly married Gertrude and became king. Hamlet knows none of this however, yet already holds certain contempt for his step-father/uncle. In scene 2, Claudius gives a very sly speech, side-stepping the fact that he is in the
BibliographyBattenhouse, R. Macbeth is less imaginable; he just kills everyone who represents any danger to his throne. Since he is uncertain of Hamlet's knowledge of his secret, Claudius feels that his supremacy is being threatened by Hamlet. When Claudius murdered King Hamlet he had no idea that it would result in the death and destruction of so many others. Macbeth doesn't want to commit the murder, but his wife, Lady Macbeth, encourages him by saying that he made a promise. In Hamlet± Claudius murders his brother, marries his former sister-in-law (the Queen), and ascends to the throne of Denmark. He is obviously uncomfortable with the fact that Hamlet is still mourning the death of his father and almost seems to bully him to stop: -to preserver/ In obstinate condolement is a course/ Of impious stubbornness; ctis unmanly grief;/ It shows a will most incorrect to heaven, / A heart unfortified, a mind impatient,/ An understanding simple and unschooled-± Claudius, of course, seems to say this with a face full of smiles as if politely correcting Hamlet, but it seems obvious that he is downright afraid of what Hamlet could do if he discovered the truth. Furthermore, with the words imperial jointress to this warlike state± he justifies the potentially controversial union by making it appear like a benefit to the entire kingdom. Nevertheless, the threat of Hamlet remains, and Claudius becomes extremely concerned with it. Clearly, he is not a cold-blooded and inhumane monster but a person whose conscience is making him regret his sins. At no point in the play does Claudius glorify his crime; instead, he simply tries to forget about it and move forwards. Power is the best thing that a person, with the characteristics of Macbeth, can have; but since everything that goes up has to go down, Macbeth goes down too. Nor time nor place did then adhere, and yet you would make both.
Common topics in this essay:
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