Claudius Villain Quotes

“One may smile and smile and be a villain; at least I am sure it may be so in Denmark” (Shakespeare I. v. 115-16). Throughout Hamlet, Claudius is always portrayed through Hamlet’s viewpoint and this quote shows that although Claudius is Hamlet’s stepfather, he is a “villain” (I. v. 115). Hamlet often finds that his enemies such as Claudius are often right beside him but he does not perceive this evil. Claudius constantly covers his wicked motives behind a curtain of trickery. He pretends to care for Hamlet and even pretends to Gertrude that he wants the best for Hamlet. Claudius pretends that the reason for sending Hamlet to England was that it would be best for Hamlet, but Claudius’ was concealing his egocentric tendencies. He intended for Hamlet to be killed in England so that his worries could go away. Another example of Claudius looking out for himself and only himself is during Polonius’ murder, instead of being concerned with Gertrude’s health and safety which Hamlet almost took away, he was solely concerned about his stability of power in Denmark. He realized that Hamlet would need to be killed for his own sanity, but also so that he could maintain being King.
Claudius hid behind this curtain in which the outside reflected …show more content…
v. 115-16) can also be used to illustrate how hard it is for Hamlet to trust others by his side, such as Gertrude and his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet has a hard time trusting his mother. In Hamlet’s eyes, Gertrude has committed a sin of incest and has lost Hamlet’s respect by forgetting King Hamlet so quickly. Hamlet’s friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are essentially spies for the King. Hamlet discovers this and calls them “sponge[s]” (IV. ii. 12) that soak up Claudius’ authority, and betrays their friendship. Throughout the play, Hamlet had few to turn to, the only person that remained loyal to him throughout was Horatio, and ironically Horatio was the only one close to Hamlet whose life was