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In the play Hamlet, King Hamlet (the father of Prince Hamlet) and Claudius are brothers. If that is so, then why are there so few examples of how...

King Hamlet, the father of Prince Hamlet, only appears briefly in Shakespeare's play, in the form of a ghost urging his son to take revenge on Claudius for his murder. The reason that there are not many examples of the differences between the two brothers is that King Hamlet has been murdered before the play starts and therefore is not a central character. We don't receive much characterization to attribute to Kind Hamlet.


Prince Hamlet, in certain ways, idealized his father and Shakespeare may have intended to suggest that King Hamlet was an ideal ruler and Claudius a bad one. First, Claudius poisoned his brother, which is a morally wrong act. The marriage to Gertrude, despite Hamlet's protestations, may actually have been a moral act, a way of taking care of his brother's widow. Although it may have been intended to suggest adultery before King Hamlet's death. Hamlet points out the difference between her current and former husband to Gertrude in the following lines:



See what a grace was seated on [King Hamlet's] brow;


... Look you now, what follows;


Here is your husband [Claudius]; like a mildew'd ear ...



King Hamlet appears to have been widely respected and loved both by his subjects and by foreign kings. Claudius' dealings tend to be more duplicitous and he may be perceived as a less powerful warrior, as is seen in Fortinbras' attempt to reclaim lands from Denmark after the death of King Hamlet. 

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