Claudius

Claudius has murdered his brother and married his widow

Claudius is the ultimate villain in Hamlet by William Shakespeare. He is the brother of the late Danish king and thereby Hamlet’s uncle. People believe that the king died from a snakebite. After his death, Claudius married Queen Gertrude, his brother’s widow, and thus became the new king. However, when the ghost of the late king appears to Hamlet in the first act, it is revealed that Claudius poisoned his brother while he slept in order to ascend to the Danish throne.

Claudies’ crime as bad on numerous levels. In Shakespearian drama, killing a king and usurping the throne is the worst possible crime. According to the idea of the Chain of Being, the king was chosen by God, and if one man went against the will of God, it would upset not just world order but the entire universe...