One of the best things and key components in a play are the characters, a good antagonist can make a great or almost perfect piece of literature. William Shakespeare is a master at crafting all kinds of characters especially in his tragic play Hamlet. A young prince has his life turned around by the actions of his selfish murderous uncle. The uncle goes to great unimaginable lengths to get what he desires the most. The worst “bad guy” in the play Hamlet is King Cladius, the uncle of Hamlet.
Cladius’ evil nature is shown when he kills his brother for his own gain. Cladius is so self-centered that it made him do ruthless selfish acts with absolutely no remorse. The ghost of the king informs Hamlet that his Uncle Cladius …show more content…
Cladius is so remorseless that he does not mourn his brother before his big announcement that he can not wait to make. It is announced that Cladius will become the new king and marry the widowed queen, exactly what he wanted when he murdered his brother, the former king . “Therefore our sometime sister, now our queen, The imperial jointress to this warlike state, Have we, as’twere with defeated joy, with mirth in funeral, and with dirge in marriage, in equal scale weighing delight and dole, taken to wife; nor have freely gone with this affair along.” (I.ii.8-16). Cladius is very dishonorable individual for basically having an affair with the Queen. Cladius has no emotions whatsoever taking his brother’s position and wife. In conclusion, Cladius is a cold-blooded person who only cares about …show more content…
Cladius is so despicable that he causes Hamlet emotional distress. Hamlet begins to wonder if all the suffering is worth the trouble of trying to avenge his murdered father. “To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer. The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them. To die- to sleep- no more; and by a sleep to say we end. The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks. That flesh is heir to. ‘tis a consummation. Devoutly to be wished. To die- to sleep. ” (III.i.64-72). Cladius is a villainous individual who hurts everyone around him. Cladius is a very cruel individual who enjoys causing pain. As a result, Cladius is by far the most vile and wicked person in the play Hamlet.
The great Shakespeare wants to communicate to the audience that power hungry/ greedy people will go to the greatest lengths to get what they want. Absolutely nothing will stop them from getting what they want. The audience/ readers learn that Cladius is very materialistic and will stop at nothing to get whatever he yearns for. Shakespeare made Cladius the most wicked antagonist in this tragedy based on all the pain and suffering he caused his own family and