You've got questions? I *may* have an answer...

This question was posted by Cory (http://coryscshamlet.blogspot.com/)

#1- What is king Claudius's true reason for wanting Hamlet to leave.... is it about his maddness or about the murder?

My reply? yes.
I think that Claudius is sending Hamlet to England for both reasons, first of all, because he is becoming a royal pain in the tailbone with his "oh look at me, I've gone completely balmy" routine, and second of all, because he is, or at least seems to be, growing very close to revealing that Claudius killed Hamlet's father and now occupies it illegitimately. He thinks that sending Hamlet off to England will distract him long enough to make him forget about his madness and focus on something more productive. He also would need time to plan a way to keep Hamlet's suspicions from becoming known, especially after the debacle with the modified play. The trip to England would give Claudius a chance to plot a scheme of his own to protect his royal status without being too obvious.