Hamlet #6

As Hamlet's antics grow more drastic, Claudius becomes more outwardly frustrated with his "son's" actions. In an attempt to avoid embarrassment of the royal family, Claudius plans to send Hamlet back to England with Guildenstern and Rosencrantz: "I like him not, nor stand it safe with us/To let his madness range. Therefore prepare you./I you're commission will forthwith dispatch,/And he to England shall go along with you" (III.iii.1-4). Although Claudius' initial reasoning for sending Hamlet away is somewhat superficial, he can't be considered evil for his decision. As the King of Denmark, Claudius must protect the reputation of the country, his family, and himself, so his decision to remove Hamlet from Denmark appears justified. Claudius' acceptable reasoning ends when he announces the real reason he is sending Hamlet to England. Left on stage alone, Claudius addresses England and says, "If my love thou hold'st at aught–/[...] Pay homage to us–thou mayst not coldly set/Our sovereign process, which imports at full,/By letters congruing to that effect,/The present death of Hamlet" (IV.iii.60-67). Claudius does not want to deal with Hamlet's outward insanity because it is causing him severe inconvenience. Claudius' attendance to Hamlet's play causes the King to feel guilty about murdering his brother, and Claudius is finding it hard to cope with his sin. Additionally, Hamlet is causing problems that are difficult to explain to the public, like the accidental slaying of Polonius. Claudius wishes to exterminate Hamlet for convenience, because he does not appreciate a constant reminder of his sins, and he does not want to be burdened with reputation issues.

Claudius' order to kill Hamlet would not be surprising if he had not just given a lengthy speech about  wanting to be forgiven by God. After seeing Hamlet's play, Claudius confesses to murdering King Hamlet when he is left alone on stage: "Oh, my offense is rank. It smells to heaven./It hath the primal eldest curse upon't,/A brother's murder. Pray can I not./Though inclination be as sharp as will" (III.iii.37-39). Claudius knows that he will be sent to hell for his murderous actions without repentance, but he knows that he cannot justifiably repent. He is still reaping the benefits from his brother's death and does not want to give up his throne and his wife. Although Claudius is a hopeless case for heaven, he makes a desperate speech in an attempt to display that he is sorry. Claudius' action of physically getting down on his knees to ask for forgiveness from God directly contrasts his order to murder Hamlet. Obviously Claudius is not drastically affected by his guilt from the murder of his brother because he wants to kill another person standing in his way.