| Claudius | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Claudius |
|
First Appearance |
Hamlet (1599–1601) |
|
Created by |
William Shakespeare |
Origin[]
King Claudius is a fictional character and the main antagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet. He is the brother to King Hamlet, second husband to Gertrude and uncle and later stepfather to Prince Hamlet. He obtained the throne of Denmark by murdering his brother with poison and then marrying the late king's widow. He is loosely based on the Jutish chieftain Feng who appears in Chronicon Lethrense and in Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum. There has never been an actual Danish king of that name.
Claudius is seen at the beginning of the play to be a capable monarch as he deals diplomatically with such issues as the military threat from Norway and Hamlet's depression. It is not until the appearance of King Hamlet's Ghost in the courtyard that the audience questions his motives. During the play's progression he takes a turn for the worse by first resorting to spying, and, when that fails, murder.
It is in Act III Scene 3, when Claudius forestalls Hamlet's revenge by confessing his sins to God in his own private chapel, that the audience can be sure of his guilt. He is shown to be discontent and unhappy with the events taking place. The young prince spies him brooding about his wrongdoings and trying to pray for forgiveness, but he knows all too well that prayer alone will not save him if he continues to benefit from his own sin. If he were to truly repent, he would have to confess his sin and give up all he achieved through it, which he chooses not to do. Despite his remorse, the king still seeks Hamlet's death in an effort to save both his throne and his life, as he believes the prince is now aware of his part in King Hamlet's death. Hamlet is ready to kill him, only to back down, feeling that to kill the king in such a way would contradict the revenge conditions given to him by his father, who commanded him specifically: "Taint not thy mind."
When Laertes seeks revenge for his father Polonius' death at Hamlet's hands, Claudius finally concocts a 'surefire' plan to deal with Hamlet once and for all. He arranges a fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes, but plots with Laertes to poison his foil and give Hamlet a poisoned drink. The king's plan fails; Queen Gertrude drinks from the poisoned chalice instead of Hamlet and dies, and Hamlet, after being struck by the poisoned foil, captures the same sword and strikes Laertes, who then finally reveals Claudius' plot. As Norway's army, led by young Prince Fortinbras, surrounds the castle, Hamlet finally exacts his revenge and slays Claudius by stabbing him with the sword and then forcing him to drink the poison that he had intended for Hamlet.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Claudius from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Theatrical Appearances[]
- Hamlet (1599–1601)
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (1891)
- Ambleto by Francesco Gasparini (1706)
- Amleto by Domenico Scarlatti (1715)
- Amleto by Gaetano Andreozzi (1792)
- Amleto by Franco Faccio (libretto by Arrigo Boito) (1865)
- Hamlet by Ambroise Thomas (1868)
Public Domain Film Appearances[]
- Le Duel d'Hamlet (France 1900)
- Hamlet (France 1907)
- Hamlet (Italy 1908)
- Hamlet (UK 1910)
- Hamlet (Denmark 1910)
- Amleto (Italy 1910)
- Hamlet (UK 1913)
- Hamlet (Italy 1917)
- Oh'Phelia (UK, 1919)
- Hamlet (Germany 1921)
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Stories by Famous Authors #8
Notes[]
- Claudius also inspired the character Miraz in C. S. Lewis' novel Prince Caspian, part of The Chronicles of Narnia series.
- In Disney's The Lion King, the villain, Scar (voiced by Jeremy Irons), was modelled after Claudius; both characters murder their brothers and dissemble to their nephews to ascend to the throne.