In Shakespeare's dramatic play Hamlet, Claudius and Hamlet intertwine their ambitions and emotions into the structure of the royal language in which they speak. As the newly, recently crowned King of Denmark, Claudius attempts to develop his image as the new dominant monarch of the kingdom and father of the royal family. He heavily inflates his dominant, superior image through his elongated speeches, which demonstrate that underneath the thick layer of royal, reverential language, the new king is concealing his true ambitions and emotions. On the other hand, the mournful Hamlet reveals a much more complex pattern of speech, in public and in private. When surrounded by other people, his entire speeches consists of little words that hint at his emotions at the moment;yet in soliloquies, his phrases are short with multiple interruptions, often demonstrating his bewildered and contrary thoughts and emotions at the moment. Hence, though Hamlet and Claudius conceal their ambitions and emotions in reverential, complex royal language, Hamlet's short phrases reveal his emotional bursts of bewildering thoughts whereas Claudius' lengthy speeches develop Claudius' facade as a dominant king and father.

While Hamlet reveals his fractured, bewildered state of mind in his fractured soliloquy, the King calmly enforces his image as the new authoritative figure and father through his excessively respectful and royal language. In his first opportunity to be alone onstage, Hamlet demonstrates to the audience his bewildered and roused thoughts and emotions mourning his father's death. As revealed through his exclamatory and abrupt phrases, Hamlet's speech portrays his uncontrollable emotions, "Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd/ His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! God!"(1.2.131-132). Exaggerating his likeness towards suicide, Hamlet demonstrates the torturous pain that his father's death is causing him. His short exclamations for the Lord correspond with the grievous loss of his father and the quick marriage of his mother to his uncle. While Hamlet grieves in private, the King attempts to develop his false image as the new, exemplary authoritative figure and father. Much to the chagrin of Hamlet, King Claudius emphasizes the paternal qualities he demonstrates for Hamlet as his son, "And with no less nobility of love/ Than that which dearest father bears his son,/ Do I impart toward you"(1.2.110-112). Despite the fact that Hamlet is his nephew, he ignores the parental relationship Hamlet's father had with Hamlet and embraces Hamlet as his son. Through his royal, reverential language, King Claudius portrays his relationship to Hamlet as an exemplary, loving. paternal relationship.