At the wedding of Claudius and Gertrude, Hamlet considers himself unworthy of living, and hopes that suicide is a forgivable sin. “O, that this too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew.” (1.2.129). Here, Hamlet is very upset at the fact that his mother remarried so quickly and without proper grieving. This is the first sign of his mental state, which gets progressively worse as the play goes on.

He is told that Claudius killed his father by the ghost shortly after this in act 1. Hamlet feels the sudden urge to take revenge and kill Claudius on his own. This is shown by the quote “haste me to know’t, that I, with wings as swift/ as meditation or the thoughts of love/ may sweep to my revenge.” (1.5.29-31). He then decides to act like a madman, saying “ How strange or odd soe’er I bear myself/ (As I perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on)”.(1.5.171-173). Hamlet’s behaviour makes the audience question whether his state of madness is real at this point. 

His suicidal thoughts worsen when he becomes full of self-doubt in his second soliloquy. As well as calling himself a coward, Hamlet shows the audience that he is a very indecisive person. He is unsure of what is true, and seeks proof before committing murder. “The spirit I have seen May be the devil. And the devil hath power T’assume a pleasing shape.Yea, and perhaps out of my weakness and me melancholy, as he is very potent with such spirits, abuses me to damn me.” (2.2.579-581). Because he’s so emotionally distraught, he’s questioning whether or not he actually saw the ghost, and whether or not the encounter with it actually happened. At this time, Hamlet knows he is depressed, and his sanity is questionable.

Hamlet’s third soliloquy is again a question of suicide and existence, starting with “To be or not to be? That is the question” (3.2.57). Hamlet questions life, and his uncertainty shows in a more serious manner. He decides that he wants to live because the afterlife might be even scarier.  

Hamlet’s hesitation gets in the way again when he doesn’t kill Claudius and instead chooses to wait. “To take him in the purging of his soul when he is fit and seasoned for his passage? No. up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent.” (3.2.86-89). Hamlet is uncertain and doubtful once again, blowing a very easy opportunity to avenge his father. He hates himself for being indecisive, and in an attempt to be more proactive, kills Polonius. This causes Ophelia to lose her mind, and eventually commit suicide. Hamlet descends further into misery and depression after her funeral, and eventually takes his own life even after being fatally stabbed.

After the wedding in act 1, Claudius tells Hamlet that he must stop mourning his father. “We pray you, throw to earth/ This unprevailing woe, and think of us/ As of a father.” (1.2.106). Claudius starts as somewhat of a redeemable character. He seems to show actual concern towards Hamlet, and tries to help him by telling him to remain in Denmark. At this point in the play, nobody knows exactly how King Hamlet died, so they still see Claudius as a great person. When Hamlet starts suspecting Claudius of his father’s murder, he begins to show his true nature and becomes more aggressive.

After the reenactment of the murder, Claudius is seen repenting his crimes. “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below. Word without thoughts never to heaven go.” (3.3.98). Here, we can see that Claudius does have a bit of sense in him, praying for forgiveness and making the audience think of him as a regretful man. However, Claudius himself does not believe to be worthy of forgiveness.

Through all the sins he’s committed, Claudius knows that his end is near. He says “When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions.” (4.5.76). He tells Gertrude that “like to a murdering place, in many places gives me superfluous death”. (4.5.95). This quote reveals Claudius’ feeling of guilt and fear of death. This fear is what drives him to plot against Hamlet and have him dead.

When Hamlet fights Laertes and gets a hit, Gertrude drinks the poisoned cup. Claudius yells at his wife to not drink, but forgets to mention that the cup is poisoned. “Gertrude, do not drink!” (5.2.286). This quote shows that Claudius is so focused on his plan that he does not want to risk ruining it by telling Gertrude why not to drink the cup with the pearl in it. His greed and selfishness gets Gertrude killed, and Laertes exposes Claudius’ plans after he gets stabbed.

To conclude, Claudius seems like a competent ruler, but his selfishness and carelessness towards other people get the best of him, and he is forced to pay with his life.