Look closely at Claudius’ and/or Polonius’s language; explain the ways in which they use it to deceive others.
Claudius, King Hamlet’s brother, is considered to be one of Shakespeare’s most cunning villains. While characters such as Hamlet are concerned with moral justice and revenge, Claudius’ principal worry is to maintain his newly obtained throne. Describing Claudius, the ghost of King Hamlet remarks that, “That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain” (I. v. 108). He successfully manipulates others in order to obtain his personal objectives. Claudius proves to be a very skilled rhetorician. He is able to diagnose the audience, the occasion, and concerns of the situation and uses appropriate strategies to persuade either an individual or a collective group of people.
Claudius succeeded King Hamlet, instead of Hamlet, the first-born. From approximately the 1100s to 1660, including Shakespeare’s era, the Danish monarch was elected by the Thing, the governing assembly, or the parliament. Usually, the crown descended in the royal family according primogeniture rules. Claudius usurps the crown by obtaining votes with the support of his new wife and queen, Hamlet’s depressed state of mind and his public grieving of King Hamlet (Wilson 30). The kingdom, right after King Hamlet’s death, experiences a time of internal and external turmoil. There is great political instability and public unease. The old king is dead, his heir inexperienced and depressed, and the army is mustering bellic resources for the upcoming war against young Fortinbras’ army. Therefore, Claudius seizes for himself the great ambitious opportunity to become king. Hamlet actually refers to this process describing his uncle as a triple criminal:
He that hath killed my king and whored my mother,
Popped in between th’ election and my hopes,
Thrown out his angle for my proper life … (V, ii, 68-70)
He is specifically referring to Claudius’ insertion into the power gap and being elected through the parliament. His own blighted hopes of succession have been taken away by his uncle. The election was favorable to Claudius also because Hamlet had been absent from court, studying in Wittenberg (Wilson 30).
There are several matters that Claudius needs to conceal from the public in order to prevent uproar. Roland Frye argues that there are three primary issues about Claudius which would have shocked Hamlet, the people present at the Danish court, and also the real Elizabethan audience. The first concern is the marriage of a brother-in-law and sister-in-law, which was regarded as incest and treated with violent disgust in Elizabethan times. Second, the speedy remarriage of a widow would have been regarded as improper. Before a widow could remarry, several months of mourning would have to pass. The widow in consideration is the Queen herself; therefore, it is even a bigger indecency. This upsets Hamlet enormously. The third problem, which would be discovered later by Hamlet speaking with the Ghost, is the union between a widow and the assassin of her dead husband, and once again, worsened by the fact that the assassinated had been king and the widow a queen. Relating to the Shakespearean context, deaths in the Renaissance were not easily forgotten. Certain social death rituals did not last for days or weeks, but for months, if not years (Frye 77).
As the new king of Denmark, Claudius gets rid of these scandalous matters right away. He gives a very authoritative and proud opening address to the court. There are several important members of the government present listening to him such as Polonius, Laertes, Gertrude, the government councilors, and other members of the nobility. With great use of rhetoric, he distorts the public’s opinion pretending to be concerned for the kingdom’s and Hamlet’s welfare. The whole speech can be considered graceful, fluent and already planned out. It feels as if Claudius had already written it before he delivered it. The opening speech could be compared to a business meeting. There is a sense of agenda and feeling that chaos is contained. He establishes himself as the man with reason and that is operating for the Kingdom of Denmark’s best interests. He first remembers the old King, touches on the new questionable marriage, addresses the foreign issue about Fortinbras’ invasion threat in order to sway the audience’s attention abroad and finally speaks to Hamlet.
This is Claudius’ first function as king. Therefore, it is important for him to show a good first impression, and that he has the proper legitimacy and credentials to be considered monarch. Throughout the address, there is much antithesis and usage of words that distract the audience from the truth. Claudius first addresses the domestic situations. His brother’s death should be grieved together by the whole nation:
Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s death
The memory be green, and that it us befitted
To bear our hearts in grief and our whole kingdom
To be contracted in one brow of woe. (I, ii, 1-4)
Claudius within these lines is trying to portray a feeling of unity that the kingdom should have and emphasize a collective sense of grief. This portion of the speech would denote to the listeners that Claudius is saddened by his brother’s death, and that all of them should remain together, under Claudius, to render proper respect to King Hamlet. The first four lines undermine King Hamlet’s position because they are part of a subordinate clause that makes the listener want additional information to finish the thought. Claudius then concludes the sentence, using the royal “we”, by saying that it would be better to grieve for late King with the “wisest sorrow, together in remembrance of ourselves” (I, ii, 6-7), because everyone has more important matters to worry about, not just himself, quickly setting King Hamlet aside.
King Claudius then touches on the new gossip: the fact that he quickly married the queen. He confronts the issue openly, as if there would be nothing wrong or suspicious about the matter. He justifies the marriage in one simple way: marrying Gertrude is not his personal choice, but it is a matter of state. He regards the wedding as “The imperial jointress to this warlike state” (I, ii, 8-9). Gertrude is his equal partner and helpful to solve the war with Prince Fortinbras which is closing in on Denmark with his army, emphasizing on how advantageous it is for Denmark. There is a search for balance between celebrating the marriage and mourning his brother:
Have we, as ’twere with a defeated joy,–
With an auspicious and a dropping eye,
With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage,
In equal scale weighing delight and dole,–
Taken to wife: (I, ii, 10-16)
His verses are composed of a series of oxymoronic phrases which make him look wiser and in control of the situation. The audience that is mourning for the old king will hear words as defeated, funeral and dirge. Instead, the folks that are celebrating Claudius’ wedding will want to listen to joy, mirth and marriage. There is a balance between the mourning of his brother and the marriage to his sister in law (Frye 80).
The first phrase, “twere with a defeated joy” (I, ii, 10), suggests that there is a celebration that has been defeated or killed. The two words cancel each other side by side. The second phrase, “with mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage, in equal scale weighing delight and dole” (I, ii, 13-14), shows that Claudius is rejoicing for his new marriage and that he is the new King of Denmark, but at the same time Claudius is mourning for his brother’s death, King Hamlet. He has sadness in one eye and happiness in the other. His audience is seeing what they prefer to see, either happiness or sadness.
Claudius justifies the controversial union by making it seem like an advantage to the kingdom. In fact, he further strengthens his position and tries to present himself as the legitimate ruler, instead of a usurper. He thanks all of the nobles who have helped him ascend to the throne and not interfere the marriage to Gertrude:
Your better wisdoms, which have freely gone
With this affair along. For all, our thanks. (I. ii, 14-15)
By showing such humility in thanking the nobles for their wisdom, he is showing that he did not act on his own. He is emphasizing general consensus of his actions.
Claudius then addresses the other important matter that is worrying members of the court: the war with Norway. He uses this technique to steer away attention from himself and direct it towards foreign issues. Young Fortinbras is waging war to regain the lost lands by the Norwegians to King Hamlet. The enemy prince is constantly sending threats demanding the lands back. Claudius claims that young Fortinbras thinks that the state is “disjoint and out of frame” (I,ii, 20) due to the loss of King Hamlet. He dismisses the importance of the threat by saying “So much for him” (I,ii,25). Fortinbras did not realize that Claudius would be just as good as King Hamlet, if not better, in handling the situation. With his intelligent maneuvering schemes, he explains that he will negotiate with Fortinbras’ uncle, the sickly and elderly King of Norway, who is not aware of young Fortinbras’ intentions by sending him the ambassadors Cornelius and Voltimand. Therefore, the situation is solved without having to shed blood by going through the hierarchy of Fortinbras’ family (Coles 13). At all times, he is calm and has the situation under control. There is a constant reminder that someone is in control, reassuring the audience that order has been restored.
After sending the ambassadors, Claudius further reinforces the idea of order and power. He turns his attention to Laertes, which requested to leave in order to return to France. Upon Laertes’ initial hesitation to speak, Claudius tells him that one “cannot speak of reason to the Dane/and lose [his] voice” (Act I, ii, 44-45) and that no unreasonable request will go unheard in his court. He is indirectly asserting his own power instead of just exalting the value of reason. Claudius asks Laertes if he obtained his father’s permission to leave first, going through the family hierarchy, just like he does with Fortinbras. By saying this, he also takes the opportunity to flatter Polonius as he is considered one of the court’s most important councilors.
Then he finally turns to Hamlet, after having established himself as a person of reason and hope for the kingdom. The court has already noticed that Hamlet is depressed. Claudius could have ignored the unfriendly stepson, but, by speaking to him, he is calling further attention to himself. Claudius tries to give him fatherly advice and refers to him as his son. He reminds Hamlet that he is the nearest to the throne and says that, with no less noble love than that which a dear father bears his son, he designated him as his successor. Hamlet is indirectly reminded that he is second in the chain of command and is subordinate to the new king. Claudius at this point, is not sure whether Hamlet knows about his father’s murderer, and wants to keep Hamlet on good terms. This is in a certain way ironic, as Claudius is considered to be the throne usurper by Hamlet (Coles 19). He also tries to make Hamlet forget about King Hamlet. He mentions that it is great to give mourning duties. But if one should continue past the funeral rites, with stubbornness, it is considered “unmanly grief” (I, ii, 94). He continues to appeal to reason by saying that the continued grieving for King Hamlet is “to reason most absurd” (I,ii, 103). Claudius indirectly proves to the crowd that Hamlet is being unreasonable; therefore he is the better alternative to the throne after all. Claudius ends his speech by denying Hamlet the possibility to leave court, unlike Laertes. He makes it seem like Hamlet’s stay is well liked by stating, “in the cheer and comfort of our eye” (I, ii, 116). Hamlet obeys his order, or suggestion as Claudius presented it, mainly because Gertrude expressed the same wish. Claudius made it seem to the court like he was the one that convinced Hamlet to stay happily with a “gentle and unforced accord” (I, ii, 123) and celebrates the good news. With this final dialogue with Hamlet, he exits as the good reasonable king that acts in the nation’s best interests. At the end of the second scene of Act I, he is able to contain all of the threats.
Claudius proves to be a skilled rhetorician not only in a totally safe and controlled situation, but also in a dangerous circumstance where quick action is needed with an audience that is angrily on the verge of killing him. Later during the play, Claudius strategically turns a revengeful Laertes into an opportunity to kill Hamlet without having to do it personally. Polonius’ death brings Laertes home post haste from Paris, becoming very furious at his father’s funeral. With a mob hailing him as king, he breaks into the royal palace to obtain revenge. He catches Claudius off guard and threatens to kill him. As soon as the messenger informs Claudius to, “save yourself” (IV, v, 103), from young Laertes who is killing his guards, the king regains his presence of mind and is able to cope and master with Laertes’ passion. However, Claudius is not the same leader as seen in Act I, because of the sudden irruption at the palace (Champion 82). In this case, the audience can sense a feeling of initial terror and improvisation. He has less time available for preparation. He convinces periodically over several scenes Laertes to kill Hamlet.
His first goal is to avoid being killed. He prevents the open conflict with Laertes with remarkable swiftness, and is able to prove his innocence in Polonius’ murder and is “most sensibly in grief for it” (IV, v, 151). After Laertes enters the scene shouting for revenge with Gertrude holding him, Claudius quickly takes charge of the situation. He speaks about treason being harmless against the divinity of a king and asks Laertes questions as if they were orders:
Let him go, Gertrude; do not fear our person:
There’s such divinity doth hedge a king,
That treason can but peep to what it would,
Acts little of his will. Tell me, Laertes,
Why thou art thus incensed. Let him go, Gertrude.
Speak, man. (IV, v, 123-128)
Claudius pretends to be powerful, regardless of the situation. His technique is to maintain calm, and to eventually get Laertes on friendly terms. Claudius warns Laertes that he might accidentally kill both friends and foes while irrationally seeking for revenge, making it clear not to kill friends such as himself, that are in the vicinity of the culprit. He commiserates with Laertes for the death of his father and regards it as a right that cannot be denied: “Laertes, I must commune with your grief/ or you deny me right” (Act IV, v,203-204). Slowly building up to gain trust, Claudius cuts a deal with Laertes on how he could prove himself innocent. He tells Laertes to pick any friends of his to investigate about Polonius’ death. He throws in the bargain the crown, the kingdom and his life in case he is guilty. Giving Laertes all these choices and outcomes, it makes him more prone to listening to Claudius. But little does Laertes know that Claudius is actually indirectly related to Polonius’ death. He is the one that started the chain of events which led to the killing by Hamlet.
Claudius manages to obtain full trust in the following scenes from Laertes after he investigates further on Polonius’ death. With the gained trust built in the different scenes, Claudius is able to manipulate Laertes much easier. Therefore, he averts Laertes’ intended wrath and directs his anger towards Hamlet (Champion 82-83):
Time qualifies the spark and fire of it.
There lives within the very flame of love.
A kind of wick or snuff that will abate it (IV, vii, 114-116)
Claudius instructs Laertes to kill Hamlet when his feelings are still full of hate and revenge for the death of Polonius. He compares Laertes’ feelings to a candle’s wick that will burn down over time. Time reduces the intensity of his love towards his father. Therefore, it meant to obtain closure over his father’s death as soon as possible. Laertes is invited to “let the great axe fall.. where th’ offense is” (IV, v, 215). Claudius explained that if Laertes did not act, it meant that he did not love his father Polonius. This is the complete opposite of what he suggested to Hamlet in Act I of the play when King Hamlet was still being mourned. The reader can clearly tell that Claudius’ suggestions are not genuine but manipulative. Laertes is incited to avenge his father’s death, whereas Hamlet is told that mourning for his father is “unmanly grief” (I, ii, 94). The speech is based on asking questions that would later direct Laertes to action. Claudius asks Laertes, “what would you undertake/ To show yourself in deed your father’s son/ More than in words?” (IV, vii, 122-124). The answer is vengeance, which proves that Claudius’ manipulative skills have effectively worked.
From the various situations described, Claudius’ rise to power has been carefully studied and executed. He rarely needs to conceal his purposes from the subordinate he wants to influence, for the subordinate’s interests are presumably his own too. Claudius was successful at remaining in power, and killing Hamlet at the end of the play, because of his ability to manipulate events according to the situation. Depending on the occasion, audience and concerns involved, he is able to use his manipulative skills to make the best out of the situation. Whether it would be a single individual or a group of people, a hasty dangerous or a nervously tense situation, he is able to obtain the best outcome possible to go about his best interests.
Works Cited:
Champion, L. S.. “Laertes’ Return to Elsinore.” Shakespeare Quarterly 17.1 (1966): 81–83. Web. JSTOR.
Coles, Blanche. Shakespeare Studies: Hamlet. New York: R. R. Smith, 1938. 12-38. Print.
Draper, John. “King Claudius as a Diplomatist.” Neuphilologische Mitteilungen 66.3. (1965):347-354. Print.
Frye, Roland Mushat. The Renaissance Hamlet: Issues and Responses in 1600. Princeton: Princeton
UP, 1984. 76-85. Print.
Wilson, J. Dover. What Happens in Hamlet. Cambridge: Cambridge at the UP, 1935. 26-40. Print.