Claudius Sticking Up For Himself
... This person, King Claudius, has murdered his brother, the former king, married the queen, and is trying to murder his nephew, the rightful heir to the throne. ... The first malicious action Claudius takes is killing his own brother, the King of Denmark. Yet this murder is only the outermost layer of Claudius’s being. To see his motive, or more appropriately his motivation, for killing his brother, the reader must examine the likely attitude and feelings of Claudius. ... Nobody likes to be second, yet this is what Claudius has been all of his life. Claudius wants something more than that; Claudius wants to be King. ... Unlike many people who wish to be first, however, Claudius has the determination to act upon this dream. ... Yet while this murder may seem like a crime only able to be committed by a “slimy beast,” one must first examine the relationship between Claudius and Hamlet before the murder. One may speculate that Hamlet was a noble king who treated all his subjects, including Claudius, well. However, it may also be that Hamlet had, since the day of Claudius’s birth, been mean and spiteful to him.