Claudius becomes the King of Denmark following the death of King Hamlet, his brother. He marries Queen Gertrude, even though he is her brother-in-law and Hamlet’s uncle. Claudius is the villain of the play; he is manipulative, ambitious and not afraid to take action against anyone that he considers a threat to his throne, even if it means murder. According to the ghost who speaks to Hamlet, Claudius is responsible for poisoning King Hamlet for his own gain and deserves to be castigated. Throughout the play, Claudius can’t quite work out Hamlet’s motives and the reasons for his apparent insanity. Although, he immediately understands that Hamlet poses a threat to his throne, since he is the son of the now-dead King. Claudius is mostly cold and calculating, though does seem to display genuine emotion toward his new wife, Gertrude. Otherwise, most other characters in the court are disposable to him.
