DJR # 4 Acts IV and V

The acts IV and V both seem like they came out of a recent movie. I guess that drama and revenge have not changed much through time. Hamlet stands out obviously in these two last scenes since the story mainly revolves around him and his actions. He is sort of the star of the show. Sort of like a modern day action movie. I think that Shakespeare did a great job of incorporating drama and action into one. King Claudius stood out to me for several different reasons in both acts. First he is guilty of murder and does everything in his power to control the situation and make sure that no one finds out. He does so far as try to poison Hamlet by offering him a drink with a poison coated pearl dropped into it. It seems the king is so afraid of getting caught that he does not stop Gertrude from taking a drink from the poisoned cup prepared for Hamlet. On the other hand Claudius is revealed as a coward and willing to have those close to him die as long as he himself is saved. This flaw is only partially shown at first as he employs Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to watch over Hamlet. Here Claudius is the antagonist and directly in confrontation with Hamlet even though Hamlet does not fully realize it. I think that the poison was symbolic of a “double edged sword”, the same method used to get Claudius in power ends up being the driving force to kill all those around him and including himself. Along with the women he desired to have. In a way it is also ironic. I wonder if the physical law of “motion” applies to this play. The law states that each action has an opposite and equal reaction. It seems to me that is exactly what happens. Claudius murders the king, and gets murdered himself. Hamlet is out for blood and he gets it, but in return loses his own life. Gertrude wants to keep her son safe and in the process ends up dead. It seems like a correlation to me. What do you think? Is there any logic in this?