#claudius can't tell him the truth

[wolframpant]

I, Claudius ♦ Favourite scenes

[theofficialpresidentofmars]

my Roman Empire is how in Hamlet, we are presented with four characters who were each at one point the person/people Hamlet held most dear, and one of them watches as Hamlet's actions lead the other three to suffer, lose their minds, and/or die.

Horatio is Hamlet's closest friend over the course of the play, the one he comes to again and again, refers to as being in his 'heart of hearts', and who keeps him stable and alive for at least the most part. We follow these two the most explicitly throughout the text.

Ophelia is Hamlet's lover, and their relationship can be read many ways, ranging from never-really-loved-the-other to they-did-it-numerous-times-and-in-fact-she-was-pregnant-(possibly)-(also)-(aborted) but for the sake of this post I'm going to go the middle ground and say they had a wholesome and happy relationship before Hamlet's dad died and he got all sad. Doubt the stars are fire, but never doubt I love.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Hamlet's childhood friends, and Gertrude remembers them as being so loved by him that 'two men there are not living to whom he more adheres'. It's clear that these three were very close during some stage of his life, likely his childhood and potentially teens. The point is, they meant the most to him at some point in his life.

But again, by the time the acts of Hamlet come to pass, Hamlet has chosen Horatio to be his sole compatriot. Whether or not this is prior to his actual arrival in Elsinore is largely irrelevant- Hamlet makes sure he spends a lot of the first half of the play flustered in the face of a prince who won't stop finding nice things to say about him. Hamlet butters him up with honeyed words, and tells him the truth about everything, or what he thinks, anyway.

Horatio is touched but one specific line does stick out to him a bit- when Hamlet assured him it was not an attempt at flattery, and went on to clarify that he feels free to love Horatio as Horatio doesn't want anything from him, and doesn't have anything to hide. If what the ghost said about Claudius were true, it makes sense for Hamlet to be paranoid and hold others at a distance, but Horatio can't help but think about the underlying implication that if Hamlet had any reason to be suspicious of Horatio, he'd be just as cold to him as everyone else. Which, again, makes sense, but something about it rubs him a strange way.

Horatio tries to relate his experiences with the others he knows were close to Hamlet. He doesn't know much about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, but Hamlet has mentioned suspicion of them, but despite that, seems to have been cordial enough. As for Ophelia... She seems to have seen the worst of his feigned madness, so he doesn't really know about her. He also heard something about an argument, but he doesn't know to what extent.

After the play, and an odd interaction with R&G, Hamlet heads upstairs to speak to his mother and Horatio thinks about it some more.

He words the question properly to himself: would Hamlet still love me if I were in their position? And he doubts for a moment, but then he remembers what Hamlet told him, the look in his eyes as he proclaimed his sincerity, and even the rare laughter he'd indulged in after the play, in only his presence, and Hamlet has convinced him.

Up until he hears the news of Polonius's murder. And until he hears the recount of Claudius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's intervention with the seemingly mad prince, and he begins to doubt him.

And when he's left to take care of Ophelia, driven mad by the death of her father and the wrath of her lover, and in her delirium she tells him things, tells him everything, and there's a strange sense of familiarity in her words. She shows him her letters, throwing them at him and laughing, tears running from her eyes, and Horatio recognises the poetic style, the sweet wording that always seems to know how to strike your heart closest, and he realises that she had once been where he had, received Hamlet's love in the same way. And it's strange, in a way he's not sure what to do with.

His fear is alleviated slightly when Hamlet sends him a letter, and he seems back to his usual sense of self, the one Horatio knows. Horatio is glad for the normalcy, and it does a part to clear his worry that he had been deceived in any nature, after his time with Ophelia.

Even further when he finally returns to Denmark, and while the two talk, they stumble upon Ophelia's funeral, and Hamlet takes no time to jump into her grave and proclaim his grief loudly. Horatio feels a bit sick at feeling any sort of relief at this, but the proof that Hamlet may have truly loved her and hadn't intended for this to happen does something to quell the fear again.

That is, until Hamlet recounts his journey.

And with a strange sort of expression that looks sort of like... pride, recounts how he sent Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths.

Horatio is a little shocked by this, as he can't recall the two having done anything particularly wrong, and this was clearly not accidental. Hamlet brushes him off by saying the two knew what they were getting into, showing strangely little remorse.

Horatio thinks, about how they were his childhood friends, and then again about Ophelia, and then again about his earlier question.

would Hamlet still love me if I were in their position?

And he realises, in a way that makes him nauseous, that the answer is no. And not only that, but for all Hamlet's laughter and flattering words, it wouldn't have saved him.

But still, he doesn't leave his side. Hamlet loves him now, and he's the lucky one. Nothing can be done anymore, and he feels they draw close to the end.

And he does still love him. And Hamlet loves him back.

Horatio reaches for the poisoned cup as Hamlet dies. It feels right that it should end this way, and he doesn't really want to go on.

But Hamlet wrestles the cup out of his hand with an intensity that catches him off guard, begging him to stay alive, to tell his story

and so he does, cradling the prince as he slips into a deeper dream.

Sometime after, Horatio will again think about it all. The four of them. Three dead by his hand, one alive by it.

He wonders.

Did Hamlet ever think about it too? About how his actions hurt the ones closest to him, and in his final moments, chose to break the pattern and save the only life he could?

Or did Hamlet only save him because he still loved him? Not out of guilt, or reflection on his previous actions necessarily, but because Horatio still hadn't done him wrong?

[johnradams]

u ever think about how before the play Hamlet Sr. defeated Fortinbras in a battle and stripped Fortinbras of his land and shit. And when he's gone there's this. sense in Hamlet to protect his father's work. It's such a betrayal that Gertrude hands the throne to Claudius because Claudius is a lesser man - a lesser leader and a lesser father.

Hamlet himself isn't up to the task either. He's not ready, but he KNOWS it can't be Claudius and he KNOWS he MUST be ready to avenge his father. But that doesn't change the tragedy that he isn't. That even when he spends so much time and energy scheming and destroys himself in the pursuit of continuing his father's legacy it means NOTHING.

He dies for his cause but Fortinbras still comes for Denmark, and it is handed to him on a silver platter.

The “I cannot live to hear the news from England” is pitiful. “But I do prophecy th’election lights On Fortinbras: he has my dying voice” Fortinbras takes Hamlet’s power and all that is left of his efforts is his story. It’s not a good story. Hamlet is no hero, he has failed. But he begs that Horatio tells it. And maybe, if Horatio is kind and portrays Hamlet as he thought himself to be, those who listen will think Hamlet’s cause was perhaps noble. Even though it was doomed from the start, Hamlet refused any other choice than to try to avenge his father. He assigns himself to be the main character of a Grecian tragedy, trapped by prophecy and truth handed down by the gods… but those aren’t his given circumstances in reality. In reality hamlet has not been tied by fate to die for his father. HE engineered his own demise with his own free will, in the throes of terrible grief.

And yet all grief is terrible.

[incaensio]

Katniss: [Claudius] It's now day seven of the arena. At nine tributes, this could end very quickly or stretch out. Last year was more on the long side. Hazelle had one of the lowest scores of those who remain. What are your concerns for her?

every minute that goes by she's more regretful for not being more insistent in canceling this; talking about hazelle is difficult any other day, and worse when she has already been warned that her efforts are fruitless. if she was to be in any way sincere, she'd respond that she is only concerned on how many times they'll broadcast hazelle's death, and how that will traumatize the hawthornes even further. pursing her lips, she picks at the golden line of one of the petals of her dress, tracing the almost imperceptible thread as if she could hold onto it to mold the desired response. "i've only got concerns for her. she's my aunt, after all." the girl on fire lifts her face, offering something that is barely a smile, a good combination with her untruthful words. "we've seen she can hold her own well enough, so i think the arena itself may be one of her biggest opponents, claudius." 

Katniss: [Pre-MJ] [Claudius] I hope you don't mind I stray from Flickerman's theatrics. My viewers just want facts and truth. I understand Peeta Mellark is being interviewed by him. I think they matched better. Hazelle is in quite the alliance. Amara got separated from her and Devyn earlier. What was the district 12 team's rational sending Hazelle that last gift? We all have theories, but getting information from the source is always cleaning.

she raises her eyebrows at the way he frames it. everyone can tell well that claudius is fed up with his co-worker — she can't exactly blame him — but the urge to come in peeta's defense is primal in her body, and she gives him a roll of the eyes, playful enough that it earns her a few giggles from his serious audience when she speaks next. "you sayin' my husband is a liar who likes to tell stories, claudius?" she sustains a glare in his direction for only a moment or two, almost wishing she'd gotten caesar. at least she knew how to tell a story enough to put him off the scent of anything real, and she wouldn't have to speak at all. if she asked caesar about those theories, she could tell he would go off topic for some ten minutes, and she could just turn her brain off and agree with whatever was the last thing he's said. there's no such choice with claudius, and she brings a hand to her face, brushing a strand of hair away from it, wanting nothing but to be away from the cameras so she could pull at herself (but effie said it's unbecoming for her to be so fidgety in front of the cameras, and she should be mindful of that!). "all alliances end at some point. the game is getting narrower, and although we have made friends in the mentor's lounge this year, our focus is on hazelle, and only one can win, ain't it?"

Katniss: [Pre-MJ] [Claudius] What course of action would you tell Hazelle to take when finally leaving the alliance she's formed?

"i'd try to put some distance between myself and them. losing someone in an alliance is..." her voice trails between them; everyone is certainly thinking of little rue, or, well, katniss is. it is enough for her to curl her fingers around the fabric of her dress, loathing the thing all the more. "maybe stay at the beach. the jungle's no good." would it be better if hazelle died by someone else's hands than the mutts? the guy from two killed chandler quick enough. is that any better? is any of this?