Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Why were Claudius' actions in Hamlet not justified?

It would be difficult to justify Claudius's decision to murder his brother.  He kills old King Hamlet even before he's had a chance to confess his sins, and so he goes to judgment with all his sins still on his head.  He is currently in purgatory as a result of his brother's callous power grab.  You could certainly discuss his decision to murder his brother in cold blood as unjustifiable.


It is also difficult to justify the really hasty marriage of Claudius to his brother's wife, Gertrude.  They get married fewer than two months after old Hamlet's death, which makes it look like they didn't really care about him all that much or else they would need more time to grieve.  You could likewise discuss this behavior as unjustifiable.


Further, Claudius plots to kill his nephew/step-son, Hamlet, because Hamlet is becoming a little inconvenient.  His madness is making him unpredictable and difficult to control, and he seems to have some knowledge of Claudius's crime.  However, it would be difficult to justify Claudius's attempts to murder Hamlet for these reasons. 

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