Hamlet: Significance Relying upon his continuing ability to shape destiny, Claudius concocted plot after plot that slowly turned Denmark into a wheel-of-destruction. He brought upon all the conflicts in the story: the murder of Old Hamlet, the incestuous marriage to Gertrude, the Ghost of Old Hamlet, and the death of countless innocent individuals (Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz, Guildernstern, Gertrude, Gertrude and Laertes) Because all the conflicts somehow revolved around Hamlet, Claudius inadvertently drove him into a downward spiral of depression and rage. Hamlet was supposed to be Claudius’ nemesis, since Claudius was the one who disturbed the order in Denmark. However, because