Claudius explains that he acted as he did, burying Polonius secretly and not punishing Hamlet for the murder, because both the common people and the queen love Hamlet very much. As a king and as a husband, he did not wish to upset either of them.
Claudius gives two reasons: first, he loves Gertrude, and as Hamlet's mother she dotes on him. Second, Hamlet is well-liked by the people, so punishing him might have caused a revolt.
Hamlet delays killing Claudius because Claudius represents Hamlet's innermost desires to sleep with his mother Gertrude. And by killing Claudius, Hamlet would be killing a part of himself.
What reasons does Claudius give for not acting to prevent Hamlet's violence? Two main reasons : The queen is devoted to Hamlet and would not forgive Claudius. And because the public loves Hamlet, therefore they overlook all his faults, and whatever Claudius said against him would end up hurting him, not Hamlet.
Claudius begins his speech saying, “'Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet, To give these mourning duties to your father“, but that he “must know your father lost a father, That father lost, lost his.”(1.2. 87-89) But he insults Hamlet, adding “'Tis unmanly grief.”(1.2.
Claudius' Confession
Claudius kneels before his private alter and confesses to God that he murdered his brother. He admits that this act is unforgivable but he is unwilling to relinquish his new found power and position. Instead he asks for some divine intervention to soften him so that he can seek forgiveness.
Left alone, Claudius reveals his remorse for killing his brother, and he tries to pray.
-The king fears that Hamlet will harm his people and cause him political troubles. -Claudius is afraid to lose his power because he'll be blamed by the citizens for neglecting to punish Hamlet.
Why must the King be careful in his treatment of Hamlet? Because the Danish State loves Hamlet, and Hamlet is a reflection of the King. Hurting Hamlet would reflect badly on Claudius. An extreme problem has to be dealt with extremely.
Claudius is a morally weak villain who values power and material things more than he values others. He differs from other men in the play because he is cunning, lacks morals, and is manipulative. Other men in Hamlet seek justice and have strong morals that dictate their decisions.
In act 3 Hamlet has the chance to kill Claudius while he is alone in his chamber, but decides not to because he thinks he is praying. In his soliloquy, Hamlet expresses his reasons not to kill him right then, stating that he'd actually be doing him a favor.
When he does at last kill Claudius in the dying moments of Act 5, he does so suddenly, without forethought, poisoning the King in revenge for conniving to poison him and for accidentally poisoning Gertrude.
In Act 4, Scene 7 of Hamlet, Claudius receives a letter informing him that Hamlet has returned to Denmark. He and Laertes then plot to have Laertes kill Hamlet in a fencing match with a poisoned sword (Claudius says he will also offer Hamlet a poisoned drink to ensure his death).
Why is it ironic that Claudius encourages Hamlet's participation with the players in Act 3, Scene 1? Because he does not care for the theatre himself but applauds Hamlet's engagement in some distracting activity. Because he thinks Hamlet is an excessively dramatic person and perfect for involvement in the theatre.
He has no qualms about manipulating people, and he is unapologetically selfish. Hypocrisy barely bothers Claudius: he pretends to be a loving stepfather to Hamlet even while sending him off to be killed. Claudius doesn't let his conscience get in the way of the job that needs to be done.
He tells him it is weak and unmanly to wallow in this grief. He tells Hamlet to think of him as being a new father to him. Like Gertrude, Claudius seems to be very uncomfortable with the grief Hamlet displays. He tells Hamlet there is something wrong with him for not having gotten over his grief yet.
Claudius is able to see through Hamlet's charades of madness and sees that Hamlet is a potential threat. This demonstrates that fear can create a downward spiral for a character, as he goes from very stable to unstable, thinking about spying and murder as time goes on, until his eventual death at the end.
In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Claudius is the main antagonist. He murders his brother, who was the former King of Denmark; then, he marries his brother's widow and assumes the Danish throne. Claudius's nephew Hamlet must avenge his father's murder, but Hamlet struggles with this.
Claudius intends to send Hamlet to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Claudius confesses to murdering his brother while praying. Hamlet chooses not to kill Claudius while he is praying in case his uncle goes to Heaven.
Remember that Claudius killed King Hamlet by pouring poison into his ear. Shakespeare continually illustrates that words can function as poison in the ear as well. As the ghost says in Act I, scene v, Claudius has poisoned “the whole ear of Denmark” with his words (I.v.36).
Towards the end of Act 1, the ghost of Hamlet's father appears to him and tells him that Claudius murdered him. Hamlet is shocked and angry. His disgust towards his uncle remains constant throughout the play and drives him to seek revenge by killing him in the final scene.
Little did Hamlet know, however, Claudius was not repentant, but rather he was was admitting to himself that there was a chance he wasn't remorseful. This is ironic, since Hamlet ends up regretting not killing Claudius now, because he would've saved himself and those he loved so much pain.
Hamlet in the previous scene said he wanted to catch the conscience of the king; he would not be able to if Claudius was a true Machiavellian, but here Shakespeare shows us that Claudius does have a conscience, and in fact, it has been pricked already by of all people Polonius.
Hamlet confides in Horatio about the upcoming play, which includes a scene he wrote that mirrors his father's murder. He asks Horatio to observe Claudius during that scene to assess his guilt. If Claudius appears innocent, the ghost might be a demon; if guilty, action is clearly required.
He resolves to devise a trap for Claudius, forcing the king to watch a play whose plot closely resembles the murder of Hamlet's father; if the king is guilty, he thinks, he will surely show some visible sign of guilt when he sees his sin reenacted on stage.