Claudius The Hidden Villain The character of Claudius the King in Shakespeares Hamlet is a complex individual In the play he murders his brother marries his former sister in law the Queen and ascends to the throne of Denmark These three deeds were performed by a shrewd and self serving man The King will do almost anything to protect the throne in spite of knowing that he did not rightfully earn it He resorts to underhanded tactics such as spying manipulation and deceit in order to overcome what