Playing the King in HamletShakespeare's tragedy Hamlet presents in the character of King Claudius an intelligent, cunning and seemingly altruistic ruler. This essay will present a detailed and critically supported consideration of the very capable and cunning King Claudius. Throughout the drama, a mental struggle of life and death ensues between Claudius and the protagonist. John Masefield speaks of this mental battle in "Hamlet, Prince of Denmark": The king probes Hamlet's mind with crude human probes, to discover if he is mad. Hamlet probes the king's mind with the finest intellectual probes, to discover if he is guilty. The probe he uses, the fragment of a room within a room, is the work of a man who knows the impotence of the intellect: "Our wills and our destinies are so opposite that our designs are always overthrown” – and a faith in the omnipotence of the intellect: “Our thoughts are ours, their ends do not belong to us. » (n. pag.)Salvador de Madariaga in "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern" discusses Claude's relations with the two emissaries and former friends of Hamlet, who escorted the prince until his execution in England: The two young men receive king a commission which, whatever the secret intentions of the king, is honorable. Hamlet, the king in fact tells them, is no longer what he was. The cause of change "I can't dream of it." . p.). Like everyone else...... middle of paper ...... Embassy of Death. "The Wheel of Fire. London: Methuen and Co., Ltd., 1954. p. 38-39. . http://server1.hypermart.net/hamlet/wheefire.html N. pag.Mack, Maynard « The world of Hamlet. & Co., Ltd., 1964. p.14-16. http://www.freehomepages.com/hamlet/other/essayson.htm#demag-ess N. pag.Masefield, John. Denmark." N. p.: np, 1911. http://www.mwsc.edu/~eng368/summer97/public/7.24.97-16.23.59.html N. Pag. Shakespeare, William. Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html No line number..