Title-Explore how the audiences perception of Claudius alters throughout the play, with particular reference to the prayer scene. Needs more textual evidence. Word Count 2062. Includes Bibliography.

Claudius is one of the most important characters in Hamlet. He is the current king of Denmark, murdering his own brother, and marrying his stepsister to claim the ultimate achievement, the throne. Hamlet finds out early in the play when the Ghost of his father tells him "The serpent that did sting thy father's life / Now wears his crown." As the play develops, Claudius becomes quite disturbed by Hamlet's madness, fanatically spying on him and devising various plots to ascertain his motivations, at one point asking Hamlet's old friends to spy on him, "so by your companies... gather / So muc…