First Half of 3rd Paragraph

An important contrast to Hamlet, Claudius speaks with a power and conviction one can only derive from an absolute lie. The King’s words and phrases seem rehearsed, as if when he comforts Hamlet, he knows exactly how to permeate Hamlet’s thoughts through sheer confidence. Claudius’ strong sense of sureness is portrayed through repetition as well as an overbearing tone. When the King speaks of his own sadness over the death of his brother, he repeats his words to try and convince his peers of his immense sadness. He duplicates words first when he states, “To bear our hearts in grief and our whole kingdom, to be contracted in one brow of woe” (1.2.3-4), then again a couple lines later, “With an auspicious and a dropping eye, with mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage…” (1.2.11-12)...