I am having trouble defining where and when Hemlet and Claudius's adversarial relationship begins. I am suposed to use examples of mentality based on their positions on life and consider the events that forceeach man to see the other in a new light. I have talked alot about how Claudius calling Ham 'son' is a power play used to show strength towards hamlet yet let anyone listening in think he is a really caring man. However, I am only writing up to act 4.

-- sara kaniper (pelirroja777@yahoo.com), January 30, 2005

Answers

I think it is always there. It just gets worse when Hamlet finds out that Claudius murdered his father King Hamlet. And then it gets worse again when Claudius decides from the end of III.i on that Hamlet probably isn't mad, and is probably actually opposed to him.

-- catherine england (catherine.england@arts.usyd.edu.au), February 01, 2005.