Claudius Manipulating Laertes In Hamlet

The King, Claudius, is known to be a manipulative character in Hamlet, and he manipulates multiple characters, including Polonius, Ophelia, Guildenstern, Rosencrantz, and Laertes, for his own personal gain and to keep himself safe from any threats, specifically Hamlet. In this quotation, Claudius is manipulating Laertes anger away from himself, and towards Hamlet, as Claudius sees Hamlet as a threat to himself. Claudius wants Laertes to do exactly what Claudius wants, in order for things to go his way, and Claudius asks Laertes what he would do to show his father, Polonius, whether or not he truly would do vengeance against Hamlet for him, clearly showing that Claudius is manipulating Laertes in an assertive way to get Laertes to tell him how much he is willing for vengeance. …show more content…
Claudius is a manipulative character because of his manipulation of Laertes. Laertes is no easy person to manipulate, but Claudius finds his chance when Laertes is angry and he cannot decipher what is best for him and what’s not. Claudius knows how much Laertes cares for his father and uses this knowledge to his advantage. Claudius’ manipulation is shown when he asks Laertes “what would you undertake To show yourself in deed your father’s son More than words? (Laertes): To cut his throat i’th’church.”. Claudius now knows how much Laertes is willing to kill Hamlet for his father, and Claudius can use all of Laertes’ vengeful lust to plan out what to do next and in that way, Claudius develops plot. Claudius’ manipulative character is shown from how easily Claudius gets Laertes to tell him how he plans to kill his own nephew/stepson. Claudius can now further manipulate Laertes into fighting Hamlet in a way to insure Hamlet’s death. In conclusion, Claudius is a very manipulative character in which he manipulates Laertes into telling him what he wants to