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Explore Shakespeare's presentation of Claudius. Does he have any redeeming qualities, or is he merely a "damned, smiling villain"?
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Explore Shakespeare's presentation of Claudius. Does he have any redeeming qualities, or is he merely a "damned, smiling villain"? Claudius is not presented as a typical villain. As always, Shakespeare's characters are complex with many facets to their personality. Claudius is not a conventional villain as he has redeeming qualities, which make it impossible to categorise him as merely a "damned, smiling villain". However, he certainly has been condemned to hell according to a Jacobean audience as he has potentially broken three of the Ten Commandments: "thou shalt not covet", "thou shalt not kill" and "thou shalt not commit adultery". By breaking the divine law, he is definitely "damned" and corrupt from the start, as he has killed his own brother for his crown and wife. It is shocking he committed such deeds, as the threat of hell and eternal damnation was more sharply felt in the Jacobean era, than it...
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