In the actual play, Claudius is the current Duke of the Dens. He just killed his brother Hamlet the King and married the deceased’s wife, Gertrude. The late Hamlet is seeking vengeance against the duo, Claudius, and Gertrude for being immoral and hungry for power. To achieve this, the late Hamlet appears as a ghost to his son, young Hamlet (Miller, 76). Claudius has to fend off the quest for vengeance by the Hamlet. He uses many devices, including getting violent to keep his main enemy, Hamlet at bay. Claudius uses many tricks to find out what the young Hamlet is planning against including setting up spies on him. Claudius uses the power he has on Hamlet to try to calm him down in vain. Eventually, he gets violent and attacks Hamlet in the final act. Claudius succeeds in killing Hamlet in last Act of the play. Therefore, to play Claudius, I will have to possess myriad characters.

To fit in the role, the first thing I will master is emotional control and calmness. This strategy worked for Claudius throughout the original play by Shakespeare. In the opening scenes, I will play the calm Claudius, as I try to calm down the pensive Hamlet. I will also use Hamlet to bring out my traits. For example, when telling Hamlet to get over his father’s death, I will wear a frowning face to make read sincerity in me. I will use kind words on him to soothe his ego and make his mother, Gertrude join me in telling him to get over the late King Hamlet. We see this in the actual text many times, as Claudius attempts to calm down his nephew after killing the late King Hamlet (Leavenworth, 124).

Secondly, I will have to be manipulative and get other characters do my bidding. One of the strengths of Claudius is manipulating other characters to do his will. For example, I will use Laertes and Ophelia to get to Hamlet and find what wrong with him. To achieve this, I will treat my targets with courtesy to make them feel indebted to me. I will try to keep them gratitude so that when the day comes to use them, they will have no chance but to accept my request. This is the same thing that Claudius does to Laertes in the original text.

Be commanding and show confidence vocally and through expression. One of the qualities of Claudius is that he commanding and authoritative. As the Duke of the Dens, I will make my voice strong to show authority, when issuing orders, and when angered. I will also show stage presence by moving from point of the stage to another. When in bad mood, like when under attack by Hamlet, I will act signs of restlessness and twitch my eyes. This will help make Hamlet feel that he has the better of me only realize that I am not when I finally stub him to death.

Lastly, I will have to conceal my intentions and say things I do not mean. Being aware that Hamlet is baying for my blood, I will not let him understand that I already know what he holds against me. Instead, I will try to make him my friend, use people like Ophelia to get closer to him (Updike, 65). I will also be patient and wait for the right to strike my enemy, Hamlet down. Winning the fight against the young Hamlet should not make me lose my head in any way; instead, it should look effortless in the end.