Table of ContentsIntroductionClaudius' Manipulation in HamletConclusionReferencesIntroductionIntroduction: In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Claudius, brother of the late King Hamlet, secretly disturbed the minds of others to get what he wanted. he wanted it when he wanted it. People saw him as a supporter of people's problems when he was the one supporting them all from the beginning. He will manipulate his wife, Queen Gertrude, who was the wife of King Hamlet, Hamlet his nephew as well as his son, and finally the family of Polonius. Throughout the play, Claudius has used his actions to confuse others in order to get what he wants in order to retain the power to be king and secure his throne of Denmark. The use of his manipulative skills throughout the play during incidents, the lives of others around him, as well as the relationships he has formed over the years, has caused drama over what is true and what is actually a lie. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The Manipulation of Claudius in Hamlet Throughout the book, many viewed Claudius as a supporter and someone to turn to in times of need. For comment: Claudius' main goal was to gain power, he used manipulation in Hamlet's life and made an effort to kill Hamlet. His greed and lust for power began with the murder of King Hamlet, his brother. By committing this crime to seize the throne of Denmark, Claudius will feel superior to everyone who faced him, but he had to eliminate Hamlet because he represented a huge threat to his throne. Evidence and Quote: Claudius will use his words to twist the minds of others, "From the beginning to him who died today", "this must be so, we beg you, cast him to the ground. This unprecedented misfortune, and think of us as of a father” (Act 1, scene 3 Thesis statement: Claudius’s manipulation is very complex and methodical, and you will see how everyone around him is constantly. manipulated into making everything happen the way he wants We can first look at one of the tactics Claudius uses to manipulate those around him, which is to tell them what to think about problems they might face. feel in every situation, without thinking too much about it, everyone will start to believe their side of the story if they become more involved in the situation, the more they become involved in the situation, the more they will become a reliable source of information, he will even appear more trustworthy Topic Sentence: Claudius consoles Hamlet with his gentle and comforting words, while deep down he really wants to get in his head. He uses remorseful and sincere tones to express to Hamlet the whole process of life and death. Topic sentence: Claudius adds that he who has lived must leave and accept the inevitability of death. Since Claudius' plan did not go the way he had planned because Hamlet's suspicions were raised on him, he decided to send Hamlet's friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, on a mission to spy on what Hamlet was planning on him. Having the opportunity to wield Denmark's power instead of Hamlet's resulted in Claudius' manipulative methods to rise higher. Unfortunately for Claudius, he discovers that Hamlet is aware of his crime and will intend to dethrone him as much as possible. Topic Sentence: Manipulating the emotions and relationships of others was skillfully used by Claudius in his scheme to gain power and authority as king.Setting Gertrude, the Queen, up for complete deception was the kind of manipulation Claudius used to get closer to his power. As a strategic move to help him seize Hamlet's throne after the king's death, he decided to marry Gertrude. Commentary: Without Gertrude knowing the crime committed by Claudius in murdering her late husband, she put all her trust in Claudius' false motive of saving the nation and agreed to marry him. In addition to this, he identifies himself as a loving and caring stepfather to Hamlet in order to gain Gertrude's love and trust. For example, Claudius shows his false love for Hamlet in front of the queen: “This mad young man but so much our love”... (Act 4, scene 1). Topic Sentence: Claudius shows his concern for Hamlet's mental illness, but in reality he has lost his patient with Hamlet and him intending to kill him. In one article, critics overall felt that Gertrude in the play was seen as a weak person, heavily dependent on Claudius and easily manipulated by Claudius (Shakespeare for students). Claudius sees Ophelia as Hamlet's weakness who will tempt him to reveal the reason for his madness. After all, Polonius is Ophelia's father, which gives him the ability to hold his daughter back from accepting Prince Hamlet's love. By doing this to Hamlet, Claudius can easily cause Hamlet to collapse and lose his sanity. Manipulate the emotions of Ophelia and Hamlet thanks to his inferior power, that of Polonius. Use this same method also applied on Laertes. Topic Sentence: Claudius does this to Laertes by convincing him that Hamlet is responsible for his father's death and that Hamlet is their common enemy. Evidence and Quote: Claudius begins by challenging Laertes' loyalty to his father, Polonius: “Laertes, was your father dear to you? Or are you like the painting of sorrow, Like a heartless face? (Act 4 scene 1). Commentary: Claudius concludes that if Laertes were loyal to his father, he would defend his honor through action. Evidence and Citation: As a result, Laertes exposes his passion and plan of revenge against Hamlet, "to cut his throat in the church" (Act 4, scene 2). Commentary: This shows that Claudius was able to take advantage of Laertes' anger and hatred of Hamlet by helping himself achieve the goal of killing Hamlet. According to the review of Claudius in Hamlet Outline, it is said that "Claudius is clearly a clever politician and manipulator of people and he skillfully turns Laertes' grief and anger to his own ends" (SparkNotes). Having control of his power, Claudius takes full advantage of the people's loyalty by taking control of the event of the play. Polonius dutifully serves King Claudius and is willing to use his own daughter to spy on Hamlet. Later, Polonius voluntarily devoted himself to listening to the conversation between Hamlet and the queen. However, he only puts himself in danger and is ultimately killed by Hamlet. Polonius' death leads to Ophelia's madness, then grief-induced drowning, and Laertes' alliance with King Claudius to kill Hamlet and avenge his father's death. Overall, Claudius not only took advantage of Polonius' loyalty and tricked him into sacrificing his own daughter to achieve Claudius' goal, but also used Laertes as a tool to help him kill Hamlet. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are courtiers of King Claudius, both growing up with Hamlet. Evidence and Quote: When Claudius asks them to send Hamlet to England, neither man has a problem trading their friendship to betray Hamlet and chooses to obey the king's order. “The holiest and most religious fear is to keep these many, many bodies safe. Who live and feed.