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Plays › The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark › King Claudius

King Claudius

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark · 102 speeches across 11 scenes

Hamlet's uncle and stepfather, now King of Denmark. He is a calculating usurper and murderer whose guilt and political maneuvering drive the play's central conflict.

Who they are

Claudius has seized the throne by murdering his brother, King Hamlet, and marrying Queen Gertrude. His arc is one of mounting anxiety and failed attempts to control Hamlet, whom he sees as both a personal and political threat. His key relationships are defined by manipulation: he is a husband to Gertrude, a stepfather/uncle to Hamlet, and a political ally turned conspirator with Laertes. His public persona as a capable ruler is constantly undermined by his private guilt.

Playing them

Play with a sharp duality: a smooth, statesmanlike charm in public that fractures into tense, calculating desperation in private. Use a rich, authoritative vocal quality that can turn thin and strained. His physicality should shift from open and kingly to closed and guarded. The emotional range spans from political confidence to paralyzing guilt, especially during his aborted prayer.

Appearance

Typically regally dressed, but his costume might subtly contrast with the late King Hamlet's armor. His visual presence should command the court but feel subtly illegitimate or uneasy compared to the Ghost's described majesty.

Worth knowing

The character is Shakespeare's invention for the Hamlet story. In the earlier sources (like Saxo Grammaticus), the usurping uncle is named Feng and his guilt is public knowledge, not a secret as in Shakespeare's version.

Where they appear

Play King Claudius

Take the part and Yorick reads every other role aloud, following you line by line as you speak.

Rehearse Hamlet on your phone: App Store · Google Play

Shakespeare the way it was meant to be had — out loud

These plays were written to be performed, not silently read. Yorick is a rehearsal app that lets you perform them: you take a part in any of Shakespeare’s 38 plays, and Yorick reads every other role aloud, listens while you speak your lines, keeps your place, and prompts you the moment you dry.

It is built for the person who has to be off book by tech week — school and college productions, community theatre, festivals, drama students and classical auditions — and for anyone who wants to hear a scene rather than skim it. Alongside the performance you get a plain-English translation of every speech, scene context, performance notes, and the ability to ask about any line and get an answer that already knows the play, the scene and who is speaking.

The text is the public-domain Cambridge/Globe edition. Translations and notes are AI-generated rehearsal aids for actors and students, not a scholarly apparatus. Yorick runs in a browser with nothing to install, and on iPhone and Android.