In Act I, scene ii, of the play, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Claudius, Gertrude, and Hamlet each have different reactions to the recent events in the royal court of Denmark, more specifically, the death of King Hamlet. In their reactions, each character portrays their attitude through the language of the play, as well as what these attitudes reveal about the characters and their relationships in the play.
             After the death of King Hamlet, his brother, Claudius's, reaction is to assume the thrown. In Act I, scene ii, Claudius addresses the people, telling them that although his brother's death is "green" (1.2.2) or fresh in their minds, it is time for them to celebrate his royal marriage to Queen Gertrude, the late King Hamlet's former wife. By referring to his brother's death as "green", Claudius notes that his brothers death is recent in the minds of the people, but he does not fail to push that they should move on, as he states "With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage, In equal scale weighing delight and dole"(l.2.12-13). Here he attempts to put forth the concept that the death of King Hamlet and the marriage between Gertrude and himself are equally important. He is also subtly hinting that the death of King Hamlet is in the past and the marriage between Gertrude and himself is what is more important now. His actions reveal that Claudius is a manipulative man and is willing to deviously influence the ideas of others throughout the play.
             In addition to his statements to the people, Claudius turns to Hamlet, his nephew, and states "how is it that the clouds still hang on you?" (1.2.68). Here, while in the presence of Gertrude, Claudius is asking Hamlet why he is still in mourning for his father's death, hinting that Hamlet might only be pretending to be grief-stricken. Again, Claudius is trying to influence the views of others. He clearly does not want Hamlet to pursue o...