Read the excerpt from Act IV of Hamlet. Claudius: He made confession of you, And gave you such a masterly report For art and exercise in your defence, And for your rapier most especially, That he cried out, 'twould be a sight indeed If one could match you; the scrimers of their nation, He swore, had neither motion, guard, nor eye, If you oppos'd them. Sir, this report of his Did Hamlet so envenom with his envy That he could nothing do but wish and beg Your sudden coming o'er, to play with him. Now, out of this,— Laertes: What out of this, my lord? Claudius: Laertes, was your father dear to you? Or are you like the painting of a sorrow, Why does Shakespeare include this plot event? to establish Claudius’s respect for Laertes to illustrate Claudius’s skills of manipulation to showcase Claudius’s wartime experience to present Claudius’s interest in competition

In this excerpt, Claudius is trying to get rid of Hamlet, and he sees a perfect opportunity by using Laertes. Claudius begis by praising Laertes' skills in fencing. He tells him everyone knows he is especially talented, and that even Hamlet is jealous of his skills. He also reminds him of how Hamlet killed his father, and asks whether Laertes loved Polonius enough to desire revenge. His plan is to convince Laertes to challenge Hamlet to a duel. This shows how skilled Claudius is at manipulating others.