http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/hamlet/claudiuscharacter.html
-His primary role in the play is to spawn Hamlet's confusion and anger, and his subsequent search for truth and life's meaning
-Claudius has assumed the role of the chief mourner, and the people can unite behind a collective suffering.
-But Claudius, in private, is a very different person. The Ghost refers to him as "that incestuous, that adulterate beast" (1.5.42), and we soon realize that his crime is what is "rotten in the state of Denmark."
-However, Claudius is not a total sociopath, devoid of moments of guilt and regret. His deeds, on occasion, weigh heavy on his heart:
-He tries to ask God's forgiveness in a moving soliloquy but he realizes that he still reaps all the benefits of his crimes and cannot give them up:
I find Claudius interesting because he is a character with many dimensions. It is difficult to pin point his true temperament. Furthermore, his true character can be perceived in many ways.
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