Hamlet and the Theme of Corruption
The tragedy “Hamlet” revolves around the murderous and violent actions of Claudius and his succession to the throne by slaying his brother and marrying the widowed Queen Gertrude. From these actions, the still grieving Prince Hamlet reveals a pool of corruption and deceit into which he and all those around him fall. One of the main themes of this play is the corrupting power of evil. Shakespeare uses several elements such as rot and decay, deceit and lies, poison and madness to explore the theme of corruption and in doing so proposes that those closest to the source are the first to be corrupted.
After the Ghost of Hamlet’s Father returns to make him swear vengeance on his brother, everything in the tragedy takes a turn for the worst as the corruption begins. Claudius’ action of kin slaying eventually leads to the death of all of the play’s main characters with the exception of Horatio. With Hamlet being so close to this corruption, sprouting from his uncle’s murderous actions, he quickly turns callous and cruel. Shakespeare shows this in the play in Act 1 Scene 2 where Hamlet says “Tis an unwedded garden that grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature”(line 135-6). The imagery in this quote highlights how from a foul doing, the killing of the King, more and even worse actions follow.
The imagery of rot and decay is one of the earliest elements presented to the reader encompassed in the theme of the corrupting power of evil. “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (Act 1 Scene 3 line 90) insinuates that decay is already present in the land before Hamlet speaks to the ghost. This image of rottenness is frequently repeated with the idea of incest between his uncle and mother, who married after his father was murdered. This, as well as many other instances, directly shows what is “rotten in the state of Denmark”. The Ghost of Hamlet makes reference to the place he died as his orchid, “tis given out that, sleeping in my orchid” (Act 1 scene 5 line 35).
After the Ghost of Hamlet’s Father returns to make him swear vengeance on his brother, everything in the tragedy takes a turn for the worst as the corruption begins. Claudius’ action of kin slaying eventually leads to the death of all of the play’s main characters with the exception of Horatio. With Hamlet being so close to this corruption, sprouting from his uncle’s murderous actions, he quickly turns callous and cruel. Shakespeare shows this in the play in Act 1 Scene 2 where Hamlet says “Tis an unwedded garden that grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature”(line 135-6). The imagery in this quote highlights how from a foul doing, the killing of the King, more and even worse actions follow.
The imagery of rot and decay is one of the earliest elements presented to the reader encompassed in the theme of the corrupting power of evil. “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (Act 1 Scene 3 line 90) insinuates that decay is already present in the land before Hamlet speaks to the ghost. This image of rottenness is frequently repeated with the idea of incest between his uncle and mother, who married after his father was murdered. This, as well as many other instances, directly shows what is “rotten in the state of Denmark”. The Ghost of Hamlet makes reference to the place he died as his orchid, “tis given out that, sleeping in my orchid” (Act 1 scene 5 line 35).