The Character of Claudius

Claudius is the king of Denmark and the uncle of Hamlet in Shakespeare’s masterpiece
tragedy. He is a cunning and wicked man who murders his own brother by poisoning
his ears. He marries Gertrude not only for love but also for the kingdom of Denmark.
His words are full of malice (evil) like the poison he poured in his brother’s ears.

When Polonius is killed, Claudius becomes alert. He fears threat to his life and
therefore, thinks of ways of killing Hamlet. In fact, he doesn’t want to leave out any
possibility. That is why he has the sword sharpened, the blade poisoned and also the
goblet (wine cup) poisoned so that one way or the other, Hamlet will die. But, although
Hamlet does die in the end, he manages to put an end to Claudius too.

So, finally, Claudius reaps the fruits of his evil actions in the play. His death shows that
there is Providence (divine justice).