(51-55) In public, Claudius appears to be an extraordinary king, one who uses foresight and intuition to rule his new kingdom. But Claudio, in private, is a very different person. The Ghost refers to him in Act I, Scene V, as "that incestuous and adulterated beast" (42), and we soon realize that his crime is what is "...rotten in the state of Denmark"( 90) which is described by Marcellus in Act I, Scene V. Claudius and his corrupt court represent the worst of human nature: lust, greed, corruption and excess. Claudio can also be sensitive and kind. He is sincerely sorry for Polonius' death and truly loves Gertrude. He must kill Hamlet, but he refuses to do so with his own hands for Gertrude's sake. He also genuinely likes Ophelia and treats her with the kindness she should receive from her great love, Hamlet. But even those who Claudio holds dear cannot come before his ambitions and desires. He will use the grieving Laertes for whatever purpose necessary, and denies Rosencrantz and Guildenstern knowledge of the contents of the letter to England – knowledge that would have saved their lives, or at least made them proceed with caution. And Claudius does not prevent Gertrude from drinking the poison contained in the cup during the duel between Hamlet and Laertes because this would involve him in the