YO. CHECK IT.
I am really excited to do my character analysis of Claudius. I find him fascinating. He's the antagonist, but he's not a static character. He's not devoid of emotions, and he knows that what he's done is bad. He even attempts to atone for his sins but obviously that fails. What I want to focus on, though, is his interaction with people in public, in private, and then his soliloquy.
In Act I Scene 2, Claudius's speech is the first time he speaks in the play. The word "though" connotes that something that could have happened, didn't end up happening. What do you guys think that was? Why does the speech end with the word "duty?" I think it reminds us that Claudius isn't an all-evil character; he is multi-faceted. He's dutiful and responsible as a king. There's also some irony in the fact that he assumes this responsibility, considering that he obtained that through very sketchy methods.
What about the use of the royal "we?" Do you think that it argues anything? I am not sure how I can use that as evidence. It does suggest the prideful side of him, and maybe that he isn't really sorry for what he did. This is contradicted in his soliloquy, though.
What do you guys think of Claudius as actually a good character in this play?
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