Maddie Hunt
Humes (8)
AP English 11
29 March 2016
Claudius’ Manipulation of the People through the Use of Literary Devices Shakespeare’s Hamlet is an original play set in the ancient kingdom of Denmark and is known today as a backbone to American literature. The play is centered around Hamlet, a young, handsome prince, seeking revenge on his newly found stepfather, who also happens to be his uncle. Hamlet’s real father, King Hamlet, dies unexpectedly, leaving his son grief stricken. Days after his father’s death, Hamlet encounters a ghost which claims to be his father’s soul. This ghost tells Hamlet that his uncle Claudius-who recently married his mother, Gertrude, and is given the crown to rule over the kingdom of Denmark-is responsible …show more content…
Before Hamlet’s plan proves that Claudius is a murderer, however, the reader can get a sense of Claudius’ deceitfulness by dissecting his opening speech. Claudius uses specific literary strategies to convince the people of Denmark that he will be a capable ruler of their country and a loving husband to Gertrude. Knowing that the people loved King Hamlet, and also knowing that he murdered this beloved hero, Claudius uses his inaugural speech to begin his political reign of lies and manipulation. Although on the surface the speech seems to address the country’s grief over the loss of its king and the impending war the country faces, any reader of Hamlet can identify the various …show more content…
After killing his brother, King Hamlet, and marrying his sister-in-law, Claudius uses the aforementioned political speech to address the court, and, more specifically, Prince Hamlet, who is more vulnerable than ever due to his overwhelming amount of grief. Besides wanting to bring closure to the people of Denmark after King Hamlet’s death and wanting to reassure the country that it is safe despite the nation’s impending battle against Fortinbras and his men, Claudius mainly tries to establish a sense of mutual trust between him and his citizens. To do this, Claudius personifies Elsinore in saying “our whole kingdom/To be contracted in one brow of woe” to emphasize the shared, and almost communal, blanket of sadness overlying the city (1.2.3-4). Carefully and skillfully appealing to his audience’s sense of pathos, Claudius is able to put up an empathetic facade by giving his people permission-through the use of this literary device-to mourn their previous king’s death alongside the royal
Humes (8)
AP English 11
29 March 2016
Claudius’ Manipulation of the People through the Use of Literary Devices Shakespeare’s Hamlet is an original play set in the ancient kingdom of Denmark and is known today as a backbone to American literature. The play is centered around Hamlet, a young, handsome prince, seeking revenge on his newly found stepfather, who also happens to be his uncle. Hamlet’s real father, King Hamlet, dies unexpectedly, leaving his son grief stricken. Days after his father’s death, Hamlet encounters a ghost which claims to be his father’s soul. This ghost tells Hamlet that his uncle Claudius-who recently married his mother, Gertrude, and is given the crown to rule over the kingdom of Denmark-is responsible …show more content…
Before Hamlet’s plan proves that Claudius is a murderer, however, the reader can get a sense of Claudius’ deceitfulness by dissecting his opening speech. Claudius uses specific literary strategies to convince the people of Denmark that he will be a capable ruler of their country and a loving husband to Gertrude. Knowing that the people loved King Hamlet, and also knowing that he murdered this beloved hero, Claudius uses his inaugural speech to begin his political reign of lies and manipulation. Although on the surface the speech seems to address the country’s grief over the loss of its king and the impending war the country faces, any reader of Hamlet can identify the various …show more content…
After killing his brother, King Hamlet, and marrying his sister-in-law, Claudius uses the aforementioned political speech to address the court, and, more specifically, Prince Hamlet, who is more vulnerable than ever due to his overwhelming amount of grief. Besides wanting to bring closure to the people of Denmark after King Hamlet’s death and wanting to reassure the country that it is safe despite the nation’s impending battle against Fortinbras and his men, Claudius mainly tries to establish a sense of mutual trust between him and his citizens. To do this, Claudius personifies Elsinore in saying “our whole kingdom/To be contracted in one brow of woe” to emphasize the shared, and almost communal, blanket of sadness overlying the city (1.2.3-4). Carefully and skillfully appealing to his audience’s sense of pathos, Claudius is able to put up an empathetic facade by giving his people permission-through the use of this literary device-to mourn their previous king’s death alongside the royal