How is Claudius Presented in Act 1

Different Interpretations

There are different interpretations of Claudius in the different versions of the play we watched. In the David Tennant (2009) version, Claudius’ first speech (Act 1, Scene 2, lines 1-39) on his brother’s death seems over-dramatic and fake, as when he talks of his ‘dear brother’s death’ and says that the memory being ‘green’, he does a seemingly fake cough, as if he is trying to hold back his ‘sorrow’ for his brother’s death. The king walks around as he speaks as if putting on a show for the people around him. This presents Claudius’ supposed sadness at his brother’s death as merely a front. The people he is speaking to frequently nod in agreement with the king, presenting him as having a strong set of followers. People even laugh when Claudius says ‘as ‘twere with defeated joy’ and carry on laughing during the next few lines. This presents Claudius as possibly being genial with his close friends but also not empathic or kind towards Hamlet in the face of his father’s death.

In the King’s next speech (Act 1 ,Scene 2, lines 87-117)  he accuses and mocks Hamlet for being weak, ‘tis unmanly grief’. He doesn’t seem to show any sympathy at all and tells him to ‘think of us as of a father’, he wants, just as he’s apparently managed to replace King Hamlet in his widow’s affections, taking her as his wife, he seems to presume he can very easily to replace Hamlet’s real father in Hamlet’s affections and chides him for apparently not responding to this. He says he has genuine fatherly feelings towards Hamlet. The Kenneth Branagh (1996) version depicts the King in this speech as being unfeeling, denying Hamlet’s grief by seeming arrogant and presumptuous, ‘think of us as of a father’.  The King talks to and looks at Hamlet with pity, shaking his head at him and raising his eyebrows, seeming very condescending. He often says things in quite a high pitch, making the speech seem unserious up until ‘let the world take note, you are the most immediate to the throne’. At this point he presents Hamlet to the audience and projects his voice so he is speaking to everyone. It is as if the matter of who is to be the new king is of more importance than Hamlet’s father’s death.  This presents the King as not really caring about Hamlet and putting more importance on the future of Denmark, including himself as the King.

How do I think Claudius should be presented?

In Claudius’ first speech (Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 1-38) he starts off with an excuse for his behaviour, ‘though’ and says ‘it is us befitted to bear our hearts in grief’, showing he is doing the right thing, not necessarily what he wants to do. These lines show early signs that Claudius is an unfeeling character and that he should be watched with caution. Due to this, I feel these lines should be said with fake sadness, over-dramatically, much like the David Tennant version. Claudius soon goes on to say ‘together with remembrance of ourselves’, showing he is selfish and doesn’t really want to mourn the king. He would rather think about his future as the King of Denmark. These lines should be said with more enthusiasm and as if it is more important than the last, with the King turning to the crowd as he says it. The line ‘Our sometime sister, now our Queen’ tells us that Claudius has married his brother’s wife, explaining why he started off with the excuse. These next lines should be said light-heartedly, as if he doesn’t see him taking his brothers place as a big deal.

Claudius then goes on to talk about Denmark and how he has ‘writ to Norway’. Here Claudius should be presented as powerful as his words are powerful and he is getting other people to do things for him, showing he controls his kingdom. From his speech, we can see that the king is a good orator. We know from classical tragedies that villains tend to be good at using words to manipulate people. This should lead us to be suspicious of the king already and perhaps he should have a villain-like presence.

The king becomes increasingly patronising in his next speech to Hamlet (act one, scene two, lines 87-117), ‘you must know your father lost a father’. Here, Claudius should be presented as almost making a mockery out of Hamlet’s sadness, ‘tis unmanly grief’. He could even be literally looking down on Hamlet as he says these lines. ‘Incorrect to heaven’ should be said with emphasis as we know from later on in the play that Hamlet believes strongly in God. Claudius emphasising this point would show him to be even more cruel than we first imagined.

Claudius should be presented as seeing the whole situation of his brother’s death as subordinate to his new situation; becoming king and, ultimately, aiming to act ‘as of a father’ to Hamlet. He seems to think this will cure Hamlet of missing his father and probably help him to go along with Claudius’ plans to rule Denmark.