All Bark, No Bite: King Claudius

Shakespeares Hamlet, set in Denmark, tells the story of Prince Hamlet journey to revenge against the newly appointed King, Uncle Claudius, after Claudius has killed his brother and Hamlets father, King Hamlet.  Even before it has been proven that Claudius has killed King Hamlet,  the reader is given clues, through speech patterns and the choice of words Claudius uses, that there is something eating away at him. Claudius even though he puts off a strong and forceful attitude, if really payed attention to, is a manipulative, but insecure-worried man.  Right from the moment we meet Claudius, his casual demeanor, lack of affection and sensitivity towards his brothers death, and quick change of topics from his brother to his new wife, his brothers old wife Gertrude, during his address to the court, proves something fishy.  A deep insite is given to the reader from Claudius speech patterns, showing his true thoughts and feelings, rather than simple text that could be a lie to show underneath Claudius's forceful exterior lies a murder and a false King that does not have the real power and true confidence to rule.