Comparison between Hamlet and Claudius Relationships are very important today and were also important in the past. Every relationship is different, some are good and some are bad. Good relationships can last a long time and sometimes forever, but bad relationships can end very quickly. In some cases, relationships determine the direction your life will take and can change everything. While love and relationships can sometimes be wonderful and happy, they can sometimes lead to things like madness, suicide, and depression. This is the case of Hamlet. A comparison between the love relationship between Ophelia and Hamlet and Gertrude and Claudius will illustrate that betrayal, selfishness and lack of love cause the downfall of these relationships. There are many examples of betrayal in the play Hamlet. In these examples, betrayal leads to the destruction of relationships. Claudius is the king of Denmark and will do anything to remain so. His wife Gertrude loves her son Hamlet and Claudius knows it. To remain king he must please Getrude, so he pretends to love Hamlet in front of Gertrude but behind her back he plots to kill Hamlet. "I will make him accomplish an undertaking, now mature in my plan, under which he will not choose but will fall. And for his death no wind of guilt will blow"1. Gertrude's trust is betrayed at that moment by Claudius because Gertrude believes that Claudius loves Hamlet, when in reality she despises him and wishes him dead. Claudius is not the only character who cheats in the play Hamlet. Hamlet makes Ophelia believe that he has loved her for a long time, until one day he says things to her that break her heart. Because Hamlet suspects that someone is listening to his conversation with Ophelia, he acts like a madman and says cruel things to Ophelia. "Virtue cannot thus inoculate our old stock but we will enjoy it. I did not love you." (III, i, 118-120) All the promises he had made to her before that day are now broken; he betrayed his trust. Hamlet and Claudius betrayed someone they should have loved. Because of this betrayal, the relationship ended in a sad tragedy. While trust is an important part of a relationship, selfishness is an even more important part of a relationship. Particularly in the case of Hamlet. Claudius and Hamlet are both very selfish men. Claudius wants to be the king of