Claudius and Laertes

In Act IV Scene VI, though Laertes appears infuriated and vengeful for the recent death of his father Polonius, Claudius subtly directs his words to appeal to Laertes' emotions to manipulate him and encourage him to kill Hamlet. At first, Claudius convinces Laertes that he holds no blame for the death of Polonius, despite the fact that he at first witholds the information that Hamlet killed Laertes' father. Claudius attempts to charm Laertes with benevolence and have Laertes trust him in these serious circumstances, claiming that he should "put me in your heart for friend". He attempts to appeal to the emotions of Claudius, even questioning Laertes if his father was dear to him, or if he was "like the painting of a sorrow" and not actually having remorse or grief over his father's death. By appealing to Laertes' emotions and persuading him to follow Claudius' desires with his love of his father as his motivation, Claudius clearly manipulates Laertes and directs his anger away from himself and towards Hamlet.