Rhetorical Analysis of William Shakespeare's Hamlet

King Claudius makes it seem he is very willing to listen to the advice he received from others and pretends to accept only accept because it is what is best for his country and its people. He exhibits use of logical appeal, “Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s death/ The memory be green, and that it us befitted” (act I. scene ii 1-2). Shakespeare successfully uses Rhetoric throughout this soliloquy to bring the audience to term with the buildup of its plot. Perhaps his reason for despair is due to the possible fact that he indeed lost someone that he honestly considered a brother.

His speech is saturated with suggestions how his current choice of marriage is a right decision and he further indicates that it would reduce the sorrow that was in the air for the loss they had surfed thereby Successfully creating the emotion of distaste among the audience. As the monologue unfolds hamlets view of the world creates the atmosphere of what is ravaging through his mind. It serves the role of further informing the audience of possible reasons for Hamlet’s intense negative feelings toward his mother’s remarriage and highlighting the inner turmoil those feelings create within him. Claudius says he has chosen to balance Denmark’s mourning with the delight of his marriage.

He seems the fact that the fact that he has lost a brother for only a moment then turn away from it and proposes to have a solution for the grieving. “Therefore, our sometime sister, now our queen/Th’ imperial jointress to this warlike state,” (act I. scene ii8-9). He further mentions that he is also thinking about his well-being.

King Claudia’s further implicates that it is with mixed feeling that he accepts this marriage proposal. It is clear rhetoric where he is attempting to guide other peoples trail of thought into taking what he says as the reason for his action to be true. He further mentions how others too have given their support to give weight to this idea also. “Your better wisdom, which has freely gone/With this affair along” (act I. scene ii 15-16). Profound sympathy. The audience cannot help but sympathize with Hamlet. His desire to vanish from the earth no carries with it some weight as he seems to have been the only one uncomfortable with the marriage.

Claudius feels his enemy Young Fortinbras have significantly underestimated his strength. “Now follows that you know. Young Fortinbras, holding a weak supposal of our worth” (act I. scene ii 17/18) we learn that they never stop pestering him with demands that he surrenders the territory his father lost to the elder Hamlet, his dead brother-in-law. Here the king is trying to appeal for sympathy and backing from the rest implementing pathetic appeal.

In this scene, Claudius depicts himself as the rightful hire of the land and asserts that he had a legitimate claim to it which he solidifies with his marriage to the queen. He, therefore, exhibits ethical appeal as he tries to assert his claim. He is most aware of talks that challenge this and opts it best to meet them straight on. He claims that Fortinbras is trying to take advantage of their mourning and believes it is when they are weakest “Or thinking by our late dear brother’s death/Our state to be disjoint and out of frame, Colleaguèd with the dream of his advantage” (act I. scene ii 19,20,21).

King Claudius is consistent in his attempt to us rhetorical appeal to convince other of the intentions gathered from the nature of his actions.