While both Claudius and the ghost can be differentiated simply by their vocal patterns, the best way to see the difference between the two kings is through the other characters interaction with each of the kings. To Claudius, the people in his court simply do his bidding because he is king and see through his façade of a nice king who asks of his subject but does not demand. In their interaction with the ghost, Horatio, Marcellus and Bernardo show how Hamlet Sr. was respected during his lifetime: “we do it wrong, being so majestically, to offer it the show of violence; for it is, as the air, invulnerable, and our vain blows malicious mockery” (1.1.142-145). On the surface it seems that the three men are afraid they have offended the ghost; however, they also realize that the ghost looks like their old king and by using words like offended and majestical, they show a respect for the deceased king that does not exist in Claudius court. Further more, Marcellus is offended by the disrespect of drawing his weapon at the ghost, which exemplifies the respect for the ghost. In Claudius court however, none of the subjects of the court seem to respect Claudius words and if they do they seem to be mere pawns in his game: “both your majesties might, by the sovereign power you have of us, put your dread pleasures more into command than in entreaty” (2.2.27-30). While this may not seem to be a big deal, in reality, Rosencrantz’s is insulting the king by asking why is being humble when everyone knows him to be false and manipulative. Rosencrantz’s is essentially telling the king that he should save his words and instead simply command them because Guildenstern and Rosencrantz have no other choice then to obey the king; however, it seems as though Rosencrantz is trying to insult the king but hide it from the king himself which is opposite of how the other characters in the play interact with Hamlet Sr.
No comments:
Post a Comment