Shakespeare is a well-known playwright from the 16th century who tells many classic stories still relevant in today’s society. He is known for creating many characters that are idealized and admired such as the star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet. However, the majority of the characters in Shakespeare’s plays do not portray honorable and admirable qualities because they have a major flaw including a need for revenge, impulsivity, and corruption. Flawed characters are seen in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, which tells the story of a king’s death and his son’s journey to avenge his father’s death. After he is visited by Old Hamlet’s ghost, Hamlet is now aware that his uncle Claudius, the new king of Denmark, is responsible for Old Hamlet’s murder causing Hamlet to plot his revenge. Throughout the play, Hamlet, as well as many other characters, displays unvirtuous qualities through his thoughts and actions because he wants to avenge his father’s death. In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, Polonius, Claudius, Gertrude, and Hamlet give into corrupt impulses and prove how the need to hurt their loved ones and selfishly wanting to be on top can turn honorable and respectable people corrupt and destructive.

At first glance, Polonius appears to be an honorable, reliable, and ordinary citizen living in Denmark, but he allows for his selfish wishes to tarnish his daughter’s happiness and cause his own death. People in the community believe that Polonius is an honorable man with honorable actions, but after looking deeper into his thoughts and reasoning, he is proven to not be an honorable character. He deliberately gets in the middle of Hamlet and Ophelia’s relationship, driving her, his only daughter, crazy in the process solely for his own benefit (Sacks). He is elated to tell Ophelia he does not think Hamlet loves her: “He is far gone. And truly, in my / youth, I suffered much extremity for love, very near / this” (Shakespeare 2.2.206-208). A caring father would be upset to hurt his daughter in this way, but Polonius does not show this same quality because he is overzealous to hopefully remove Hamlet from the life of his daughter (Sacks). Furthermore, Polonius indirectly causes his own death by convincing Gertrude to kill her own son. He does not value the truth because he wants Gertrude to exaggerate her son’s faults and yell at him for everyday mistakes: “Look you lay home to him. / Tell him his pranks have been too broad to bear with” (Shakespeare 3.4.2-3). As a father himself, Polonius should encourage Gertrude to help her son thrive rather than harm her own child. He does not have strong moral values because he does not see an issue with Gertrude lying to her son to only instill shame upon him. Polonius allows for his desire to have Hamlet gone lead his decision making that results in causing people harm. His plan shows not only the corruption inside of himself because of his own selfish desires but ultimately leads to his downfall. He puts himself into a position of helplessness and defenselessness from not being able to see anything (Bradley 46). Polonius’s corrupt actions stem from his dissatisfaction with Ophelia and Hamlet’s relationship and result in him intentionally hurting their relationship while plotting to kill Hamlet.

Similarly, Claudius, the king of Denmark, kills his brother, Old Hamlet, out of envy, but he does not know how to deal with his guilt because he is not sorry for his actions. After the death of Old Hamlet, Claudius wants Hamlet to move on from the tragedy: “In filial obligation for some term / To do obsequious sorrow: but to persever / In obstinate condolement is a course / Of impious stubbornness; 'tis unmanly grief” (Shakespeare 1.2.92-94). An honorable king would want to allow his new stepson to mourn the death of his dad, but Claudius does the exact opposite. For example, he marries Gertrude instead of honoring Old Hamlet. He displays a lack of sympathy and empathy towards both his nephew and his own brother (Bradley 49). Claudius is aware of how his actions are hurting other people because he expects to receive retaliation for deliberately hurting other people. He reveals his thoughts when he tells himself, “O, 'tis too true! How smart a lash that speech doth give my/conscience….Is not more ugly to the thing that helps it / Than is my deed to my most painted word. / O heavy burden!” (Shakespeare 3.1.50-55). After feeling not much of a burden from killing his brother, Claudius is hit with an unexpected wave of guilt for his actions. He has the chance to make up for his actions, but Claudius decides to do the opposite. The honorable act would be to give up the throne to the rightful heir, his nephew Hamlet. Despite experiencing the heavy burden of guilt, Claudius can not bring himself to give up the throne because he selfishly wants the power and wealth that comes from the position (Goldstein 79). Even though he repents for his sins hoping to be forgiven, Claudius does not do anything to back up his apology. Therefore, it is given no true meaning because he only wants to be forgiven to be seen as a better person in God’s eyes. Claudius shows his corruption through killing his brother, and he does not use his guilt to repent; instead, he tries to kill his nephew in hopes he will no longer feel responsible for the death of Old Hamlet.

Likewise, Gertrude does not act like a mother to Hamlet because she does not want him to grieve his father’s death, and she misuses his trust by giving a false sense of security. Gertrude seems to not be grieving Old Hamlet’s death, which is a strange reaction to the death of one’s husband. However, her actions and sympathy towards her son can. By marrying her brother-in-law and encouraging Hamlet to not grieve his father’s death, she proves to be a corrupt character (Aguirre). Gertrude tells Hamlet that he should not be thinking about his father’s death: “Do not forever with thy vailèd lids / Seek for thy noble father in the dust. / Thou know'st 'tis common; all that lives must die, / Passing through nature to eternity” (Shakespeare 1.2.70-72). No loving mother would not let her child process and come to terms with their father’s death. Additionally, she lies to Hamlet about keeping a secret between the two of them by running to tell Claudius not long after making the promise. She finally displays a loving nature to her son by promising to keep his secret: “Be thou assured, if words be made of breath / And breath of life, I have no life to breathe / What thou hast said to me” (Shakespeare 3.4.201-203). Hamlet is hoping to confide in his mother as a child should, but he is given a false sense of security from his mother’s words. Gertrude not only lies to Hamlet, but she allows him to believe she is still keeping his secret, which is unfortunately not the case. She breaks the trust of her only child and ruins the relationship she once had by acting on her selfish desires. Gertrude shows her corrupt characteristics by failing to be a nourishing and supportive mother to Hamlet because she does not provide a support system for him.

Finally, Hamlet’s impulsive and narcissistic personality exposes him as being a corrupt character because he is quick to trust his father’s ghost and changes his motives from commiting a just act to gaining power. Hamlet is visited by his father’s ghost, who explains that he must seek revenge for his death, and Hamlet is very eager to help: “Haste me to know'that I, with wings as swift / As meditation or the thoughts of love / May sweep to my revenge” (Shakespeare 1.5.35-37). Hamlet seems to be excited to avenge his father’s death, which shows his major impulsivity. Even though his actions are justifiable, he should not be this quick to agree and should not be this ready to kill someone. He allows for his impulsivity to get the best of him rather than thinking about the consequences (Gleed 171). After discovering he was next in line to inherit the throne, Hamlet begins to change his motives for listening to his father’s ghost. Despite his initial motivation for getting revenge on Claudius, Hamlet’s impulsivity and selfishness get the better of him and tarnish his initial plausible intentions. He is now focused on trying to regain the throne for himself rather than avenge his father’s death: “Of your precedent lord, a vice of kings / A cutpurse of the empire and the rule / That from a shelf the precious diadem stole / And put it in his pocket” (Shakespeare 3.4.99-102). Hamlet is trying to explain to his mother the severity of Claudius’ actions because he is outraged by this new found revelation. He uses this discovery as his motivation to claim the throne for himself, which is a selfish action focused on gaining power. Hamlet should not be using selfish reasoning to justify his actions because he is now more focused on gaining power rather than doing what is right (Gleed 171). Hamlet is showcasing his corrupt nature with his impulsivity because he makes rash decisions and changes his mind rather quickly without thinking his thoughts through first.

In summary, the main character’s in Hamlet show corrupt qualities such as making selfish decisions instead of thinking of others and harming their family members without a second thought. Polonius, Claudius, and Gertrude all turn against Hamlet leading to his downfall as well as their own. First, Polonius displays his corruption by wanting to ruin Ophelia and Hamlet’s relationship solely because he does not like Hamlet. His selfish intentions lead to his death that he is mainly responsible for. Claudius also shows corruption by selfishly killing his own brother to get ahead in life and taking the throne away from Hamlet. Once he feels guilty for this action, he only apologizes for his own good not because he feels bad for his actions. In addition, Gertrude does not give her son the motherly love everyone deserves. Hamlet has to hold in his feelings about his father’s death and feels a false sense of security because of his mother. On the other hand, Hamlet’s impulsivity and selfish actions and decisions lead to his death, and he becomes his own worst enemy. Overall, the characters in William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet are corrupt because they give into selfish desires that harm their family members as well as themselves. After reading the play, readers come to understand that personal desires come with consequences that should be considered before giving into temptations because those decisions can harm others, especially family and friends.