The new king of Denmark, Claudius allows us to analyze this theme of appearance versus reality. As many do not know the actual manner in which Hamlet died, King Claudius acts as if he seems to care deeply for his brother and mourn his death. Claudius feigns sadness at the loss of his brother when he speaks to the others, "and it became us / to bear our hearts in sorrow and all our kingdom / to be contracted in one brow of woe" (Shakespeare I.2.2-4). , but to the public, his lies are obvious. We know that Claudius killed his brother to take the throne, and he doesn't really care about or mourn his brother. His goal has been achieved, but he claims to be in mourning with his new wife and the people. Claudius views his brother's murder as heavenly because it helped him achieve his goal of becoming king: "Oh, my offense is rank, she smells of heaven/She has not the oldest curse, the murder of a brother” (Shakespeare 3.3. 36-38). He is proud of this act and he considers it a necessary act. It is clear that Claudius has a dark interior that the audience can see clearly when the other characters are not present. Claudius also fakes the love he feels for his nephew and stepson.,