Hamlet Quickwrite

Period 3 Act 4 Detail Quickwrite “Now, Hamlet, where’s Polonius? At supper. At supper where? Not where he eats, but where he is eaten. A certain convocation of politic worms are e’en at him. Your worm is your only emperor for diet. We fat all creatures else to fat us and we fat ourselves for maggots. Your fat king and your lean beggar is but variable service-two dishes but to one table. That’s the end. Alas,Alas! A man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a king, and eat of the fish that hath fed of that worm. What dost you mean by this? Nothing but to show you how a king may go a progress through the guts of a beggar. Where is Polonius? In heaven. Send hither to see. If your messenger find him not there, seek him I’th’other place yourself.”(4.3)

In Act 4 Scene 3 of Hamlet, a particular detail that drew my attention was the instance in which Claudius questions where Polonius is and therefore Hamlet answers by describing that once dead, the beggar and the king are the same and that Polonius is feeding a swarm of worms. Hamlet addresses the issue of the cycle of nature and life by reminding Claudius that they cause livestock to gain weight in order to eat and likewise they are simultaneously fattening themselves up for the worms once they are dead. From such insight, is where he mentions that worms are thus emperors. In the end, effectively both the “fat king and you lean beggar” are merely two plates for the worms and there is no distinction of either. Also, he explains that a dead king will do the same and through the processes of nature perhaps end up in the “guts of a beggar”. Here Hamlet is not only giving the literal explanation that Polonius is dead and rotting, but it also foreshadows Claudius’s prompt death who could end up in deplorable conditions such as the stomach of a poor person. Hamlet’s mockery and word play begin to focus on the theme of poison, corruption, and death. He describes how life devours itself in order to live and explicitly links such an idea to the image of worms devouring a king. Then, Hamlet extends his response and mentions that a king can move through the bowels of a beggar due to the fact that a man can go fishing with that same worm that ate a king and then consume of that fish “that hath fed that worm”. By doing so Hamlet isn’t only illustrating the importance of honor and revenge but directly threatening Claudius. His threat towards Claudius not only consists of depicting an unruly and shameful burial for him, but he also hints at it by saying Claudius could send someone to check for Polonius in heaven or go down to hell to check for himself. By employing such strong contrasts in diction, Hamlet now reveals his intentions and opinion of Claudius directly towards him, as he’s indicating that he belongs in hell due to the murder of Old Hamlet. By revealing what he plans to inflict upon Claudius, he clearly is aware that by informing him of such a plot he’s establishing a suspenseful tone and foreboding mood and warning him of his upcoming fate. Furthermore, Hamlet implies that Claudius will not die rapidly and in an honorable form but rather in a humiliating form. Also, it implies that Hamlet will focus more on gaining revenge and complying more with the desire of his father’s ghost. In conclusion through Hamlet’s skillful utilization of diction and tone he is accurately able to portray the demise of King Claudius.