what does this mean: His [Claudius'] primary role in the play is to spawn Hamlet's confusion and anger, and his subsequent search for truth and life's meaning.

What do they mean by spawn? isnt dat fish eggs?

"dat" -- You're asking a question of an English teacher and you use "dat"??

"spawn" has several meanings.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/spawn
See #7.

Claudius makes Hamlet more and more confused about the events before and after his [Hamlet's] return home. If you think about it, it's not hard to see why H. was confused:
Hamlet was away at university in Germany where he learned that his father had died. He rushed back to Denmark, but was too late for his father's funeral ... AND he learns that not only has his Uncle Claudius (Hamlet Sr's brother) taken control of the throne, but Claudius also has married Hamlet's mother (the late king's widow) -- in less than a month.

Who wouldn't be confused and angry? How is Hamlet to make sense of all this? Isn't the son supposed to inherit his father's throne? Isn't a widow supposed to wait a decent amount of time before marrying someone else, much less her husband's brother?

ups sorry about that misspelling. Tkanks :)

ok it was meant to say thanks. i need to work on my spellings sorry....

You're very welcome!!

Enjoy Hamlet -- it's a confusing, touching, sometimes amusing play.

In this context, the word "spawn" is being used metaphorically, not literally. While it is true that "spawn" typically refers to the eggs of fish or amphibians, it can also be used to describe the action of creating or giving rise to something. In the sentence you provided, it means that Claudius serves as the catalyst for Hamlet's confusion and anger. His actions and deceitful behavior cause Hamlet to question the truth and search for the meaning of life. This metaphorical usage highlights Claudius' role in triggering Hamlet's emotional journey throughout the play.