Blair Smith

1.2 90-121
Why would a father (King Claudius) ask his son (Hamlet) to forget his grief calling him “unmanly”, but then ask him to remain uneducated in the location from which the memories he grieves are located.

The responses center mainly on King Claudius’s spiritless mockery and his political reasons for retaining Hamlet at the palace. Claudius derides Hamlet’s lengthy morning to suggest Hamlets instability as a ruler and as a person. Weakening the political competency of Hamlet also empowers King Claudius’s credibility and keeps Hamlet in a powerless state. Retaining his throne was Claudius chief reason for keeping Hamlet away from school. Claudius understands that Hamlet would benefit from the independence and possibly rise against him. By keeping Hamlet close Claudius projects a family image and is able to keep watch over the legitimacy of his title.