Shadows of Betrayal in Denmark

The scene opens with Claudius, the recently appointed king of Denmark, making his inaugural

speech. From this speech, Claudius reveals that he is Hamlet's uncle and brother

to the now dead former king. It's discovered in scene one that King Hamlet died,

so Claudius has taken over the throne as king of Denmark, and he did this by marrying his

late brother's wife and former sister-in-law. This is largely unacceptable and illegal in the 17th

Century English culture, whom Shakespeare was writing for. Claudius says that

while it's respectful to grieve the death of the former king, it's also wise to move on.

There are pressing matters at hand. The young Fortinbras keeps demanding Claudius to give