Claudius felt no remorse for killing King Hamlet. Throughout Hamlet it is obvious that Claudius is only concerned with his own power and safety. He thinks of no one but himself. He has no real pangs of conscience and never even considers confessing to his crime. Every word he says and every action he takes is only in the interest of protecting his "innocence".
             As early as Act I, scene ii, Claudius is deceiving others and saying things just to make it seem as though he is really saddened by King Hamlet's death. He gives a speech about the king's death in which he says, "...that it us befitted/ To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom/ To be contracted in one brow of woe..." (Shakespeare 1553) How could anyone give such an eloquent speech as this one and remain so composed if guilt were tearing at his soul? It is more likely that Claudius is concerned solely with his own image.
             After Gertrude tells Claudius of Polonius' death in Act IV, scene i, Claudius responds peculiarly. It would seem that a loving husband would first want to make sure that his wife was alright if she had just witnessed a murder. At the very least it would be appropriate for him to make a remark about the loss of Polonius' life. However, the first thing he says is "O heavy deed! It had been so with us had we been there." (Shakespeare 1611) Claudius' first reaction was to think of his own safety! This is evidence that he may have only married Gertrude for his own benefit, since he obviously does not care about her very much. The next thing Claudius does is tell Gertrude he plans to send Hamlet away to England. He now sees Hamlet as a threat to himself, and wishes to be rid of him as fast as possible. Claudius puts himself first in the situation.
             There is only one point in the play that it seems as though Claudius feels guilt. In Act III, scene i, he makes a remark under his bre...