Claudius' character was dwelved into more deeply in this act. Hamlet devised a plan using a play to see if Claudius was truly his father's killer, and it turned out to be so. Claudius was then confirmed as the killer, which led Hamlet to further his plan to kill. Despite Claudius being confirmed as the killer, he is not just a simple bad man. Hatred does not fill his entire heart. The love that he has for Gertrude, although it makes Hamlet greatly unhappy, seems to be a geniune love. The complexity that this shows for the entire play is quite interesting.
Through use of Claudius' character, I think Shakespeare was able to say that the world is not made of black and white. While Claudius committed the ultimate sin, murder, his soul is not just made of black. By his love for Gertrude, it can be seen that Claudius still does care for others. His love proves to the audience that he is not pure evil, even though he is clearly the main antagonist of the play. By seeing that the darkest of men can still have some light within themselves, it can be known that even the darkest of times can hold within them some light.
I was wondering if anyone else agreed that Claudius did have a part of him that was soft and gentle, or if he was the ultimate, purely bad villian.
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI also feel bad for Hamlet. I agree that the play is complex. There seem to be several literary elements going on at the same time. I.E. character, irony, imagery, etc. I appreciate the style of writing. I have never read Shakespeare before. I finally understand what the commotion is all about.
I do agree with you that Claudis does have a more of a soft and gentle side. I think that what he did was horrible and in no way showed any love towards anybody. But I also think that just because someone commits an act, even an evil one like that, does not mean that they are an evil person. I think that there can be a softer side to any person no matter what they have done in their past. I do not think that they should automatically be blown off becuase of one action.
ReplyDeleteThere is absolutely another side to Claudius. When he goes off on his speech about feeling bad for killing his brother and asking if there is anything he can do to ever be forgiven, it shows a different side of him. One much softer and gentler. I think you made a good
ReplyDeletepoint the Shakespeare was saying that even in the darkest of times there is always some light. Great post