Hamlet appears to be sick and mentally unstable because of his love for Ophelia. This reminds of me of a friend that I used to know that broke up with her boyfriend and he acted very similar to this. He couldn’t function, was very depressed and felt very lost and empty without her.
Claudius is the antagonist in this story and in a way I think that he causes the conflict intentionally. Claudius is very determined to keep his authority and I believe that even though he may have strong feelings for Gertrude, she was an easy way to get to the throne. How convenient. He definitely looks out for himself and disregards the feelings of others. His attitude and actions bring out Hamlets desire for revenge and shows us the “evil” side of him.
One of the themes in act two is lies and deception. When Polonius tells his servants to spread rumors about his son Laertes he says, “Marry, sir, here's my drift; And I believe, it is a fetch of wit. You laying these slight sullies on my son, as 'twere a thing a little soil'd i' the working, mark you,your party in converse, him you would sound,having ever seen in the prenominate crimes the youth you breathe of guilty, be assured he closes with you in this consequence; ‘Good sir,’ or so, or ‘friend,’ or ‘gentleman,’ according to the phrase or the addition Of man and country.” (Act 2, Scene 1, Lines
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Great post, yes I think Claudius is a very selfish man, he will do anything to try and get his way. I don't think he feels anything for Gertrude it's a facade. Your right on the theme alot of deception and lies between everyone in the story.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your interpretation of Claudius. any man that is willing to kill his own brother and then take his crown and wife is definitely selfish. Your theme is also good, deception is everywhere in this act.
ReplyDeleteWell done on Claudius' personality, I agree completely on his suspicious intentions behind marrying Gertrude. True love? Not likely. Seat of power? Absolutely.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that Claudius is undoubtedly selfish and he is capable of extreme manipulation for self gratification. However, I think he is baffled and disturbed by Hamlet's unpredictable behavior so much that he can't enjoy his new position. I also concluded that this act was saturated with deception. In my opinion, Polonius ventured far beyond the role of the overprotective parent.
ReplyDeleteI think Claudius is genuinly baffled by Hamlet's behavior and I love that he is disturbed by it. He is deceitful and selfish but not very smart.
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