Le'Chelle's Hamlet Blog Response

Shakespeare seems to want the reader to like King Claudius because he speaks fondly of his late brother, Hamlet. King Claudius seems very grief stricken by the lost of Hamlet and he address that sorrow to the kingdom “To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom,”( Act 1, Sc.2, Line 3). He expresses great grief over the loss of his brother but he is the one that killed him. It seems that he hated his brother when he was living and he wanted what his brother had, which is why he took his place and king and then married his wife after a month of his death. It seems King Claudius is just putting on an act just to be perceived as a better king than Hamlet. I think it is successful how King Claudius is like a walking contradictory because he is grieving over the loss of his brother but he killed him, and took over the life he used to have. This can relate to the modern reader because this can happen to anybody. A parent dies and another family member or friend of the dead parent tries to come in and take the spot of the deceased parent.