Claudius- Critics Flashcards
A.C. Bradley on Claudius’s Competence
“Claudius, as he appears in the play, is not a criminal… He is, as we have seen, a capable ruler; but he is morally weak.”
G. Wilson Knight on Claudius as a Villain
“Claudius can hardly be blamed for his actions. He is… a good and gentle king, enmeshed by the chain of causality linking him with his crime… His conscience, though ineffective, is far from dead.”
Harold Bloom on Claudius’s Complexity
“Claudius, as he is revealed in the prayer scene, is not a monster; he is a man of strong will and intelligence, who cannot repent, and so will never be saved.”
John Dover Wilson on Claudius’s Guilt
“Claudius… is a man who feels his guilt keenly but cannot repent because he is unwilling to give up the fruits of his crime.”
“Claudius… is a man who feels his guilt keenly but cannot repent because he is unwilling to give up the fruits of his crime.”
Maynard Mack on Claudius and Corruption
“Claudius… is the primary source of the rottenness in Denmark… his usurpation of the throne, and his personal corruption, infect the whole kingdom.”
Janet Adelman on Claudius and Gertrude
“Claudius’s love for Gertrude, however self-serving, makes him more than just the embodiment of evil; it makes him recognizably human, even vulnerable.”
