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Claudius is a weak king, ruled by passion and ambition. Gertrude is a…
Claudius is a weak king, ruled by passion and ambition. Gertrude is a foolish woman, insensitive to the effect of her actions. They are both to blame for the corrupt kingdom in which Hamlet finds himself
Gertrude
is insensitive
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this shows a complete insensitivity as Gertrude does not recognise Hamlet's mourning period and his grief, and the effect of her remarriage
However, English culture in the last half of the sixteenth century witnessed an intense Protestant campaign against both the expression of grief and the expression of comfort or condolence toward those in mourning, so perhaps Gertrude cannot be blamed for her reaction to hamlet's mourning
however, her 'swift dexterity' to 'incestuous sheets' would have been considered an especially short grieving period even in this time, showing how Gertrude did not consider the effects of her actions on her son
is not
however, TS Elliot believes that Gertrude is so 'insignificant' that she cannot be blamed for her actions, as she is a woman in a patriarchal society
this is represented by hamlet reminiscing on how Gertrude and Old Hamlet used to be: 'why, she would hang on him'
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alternatively, it could represent how Gertrude is unable to live independently, without men, and she requires Claudius in her life, for both mental and phsyical support
therefore, she cannot be blamed for her actions, as she has no power or agency in the society that she lives in
Claudius
is ruled by ambition
the first time we see Claudius, he says 'though yet of our dear brother's death the memory be green'
this illustrates how Claudius puts on a facade to hide his murder, as he is ruled by ambition
the use of sophisticated conjunctives with 'though yet' betrays the prepared nature of his speech, as he is desperately trying to avoid the blame and hide his guilt
the use of the royal collective with 'our' suggests that Claudius is trying to avoid his blame, and is attempting to present himself as akin to those who are in mourning
he uses natural imagery with 'green' which is ironic due to the fact that he has committed an unnatural murder that has put the time out of 'joint', because it disrupted the Great Chain of Being
this links with the theory of body politic, which dictated that the corruption and immorality of a monarch spread out into the land, causing the 'corrupt kingdom'. Claudius is immoral due to his blasphemous regicide
thus, Claudius acts as a microcosmic element, and his 'passion and ambition' has directly caused the corruption, in line with contemporary beliefs
this suggested that all people were born with their place in the world, and in line with the Divine Right of Kings, it was considered blasphemous to commit regicide, as Kings were believed to be divinely appointed
thus, Claudius is to blame
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