King Hamlet

Hamlet Essay

Hamlet, is a tragic play that takes place in Denmark, written by William Shakespeare in the sixteenth century. Shakespeare uses his characters thoughts and actions to depict the many themes in this play. Although many themes are brought to the attention of the audience, one theme stands out above the rest. The most prevalent theme presented throughout the play is corruption. Corruption is present from the very beginning of the play, and does not disappear from Denmark until each character portraying it is deceased. Shakespeare uses the images of corruption to show how easily the contagious disease can be spread through three main characters in the play, Claudius, Ophelia, and Hamlet. Claudius, the present King of Denmark, is the contagion of corruption around the kingdom, and is the reason that corruption eventually contaminates all of Denmark. He first displays corruption when he kills his own brother solely to take over the throne, and marry Gertrude, the wife of King Hamlet. Claudius' secret is told when the ghost of his deceased brother tells Prince Hamlet the truth, “But know, thou noble youth, the serpent that did sting thy father's life now wears his crown.” (I. v. ) Not only does Claudius commit murder, but his new marriage is considered incestuous, which are both forms of corruption. In time, Claudius' power becomes corrupt, as he uses men around the kingdom to eliminate his problems so he does not have to deal with them directly. For example, he uses Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet's own friends, to spy on Hamlet throughout the entire play in order to keep a watch on his every move. Claudius also uses Laertes to try to get rid of Hamlet by engaging the two of them in a battle that Laertes was sure to win, “Or with a little shuffling, you may choose a sword unbated, and in a pass of practice requite him for your father.” (IV. vii. ) Claudius is easily threatened, and is afraid of losing all of the power he has gained. Claudius' final display of corruption is when he admits that he is not sorry for the murder he committed against his brother, as well as for the new life he has taken on as King of Denmark. During a prayer to the lord Claudius confesses, “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below. Words without thoughts never to heaven go.” (III. iii. 97-99) Claudius continues to prove to the audience that he has gone mad, which is an extreme form of mental corruption. Claudius' ongoing acts of insanity are what continue to spread corruption throughout Denmark. Another character being affected by the corruption around the kingdom is Ophelia, the daughter King Claudius' Advisor. Ophelia shows moments of corruption by allowing herself to be used repeatedly by those of higher power to her. First of all, she allows her father Polonius, and King Claudius to use her in their plot to spy on Prince Hamlet in order to find out why he has gone mad, “At such a time I'll loose my daughter to him. Be you and I behind an arras.” (II. ii. ) Polonius has Ophelia convinced that Hamlet is madly in love with her, which is why she agrees to help spy on him. Ophelia then continues to show her corrupted mind when she lies to Hamlet about her father's whereabouts when he is spying on them, “At home, my lord.” (III. i. ) Even though she has the opportunity to take Hamlet's side when everyone is working against him, she chooses to let people continue to control her corrupted mind. Ophelia's final and most prominent display of corruption is her act of committing self slaughter. Her death was announced by Gertrude, “Which time she chanted snatches of old lauds as one incapable of her own distress, or like a creature native and indued unto that element.” (IV. vii. ) In Elizabethan times, suicide was considered the biggest sin any one person could commit, therefore leaving the audience with no choice but to believe that Ophelia had been completely insane. [internet reference] One last character affected by the insanity and corruption occurring throughout the kingdom is Prince Hamlet. Hamlet does not let on to the audience that he has been corrupted quite as easily as the other characters do, even though he is affected near the very beginning of the play. He is first corrupted when he is manipulated by the ghost of his father, King Hamlet, and is convinced that it is his duty to kill Claudius, “Haste me to know't, that I, with wings as swift as mediation or the thoughts of love, may sweep to my revenge.” (I. vi. ) In Elizabethan times, people were terrified of ghosts because they believed that they could control them. [internet source] Shakespeare uses this fear of ghosts in the play by having Hamlet do exactly what the ghost tells him to do. As the play continues, the ghost that takes over Hamlet's right mind causing him to commit murder against an innocent man. Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius thinking he was Claudius, while he was hiding behind a curtain spying on Hamlet and Gertrude. Before putting the man to death, Hamlet says to his mother, “how now, a rat? Dead for a ducat, dead!” (III. iv. ) Hamlet proves to the audience that he is morally corrupt after committing this murder. Hamlet continues to display a corrupted mind when he sees and talks to the ghost of his father when nobody else can see him, “On him, on him! Look you, how pale he glares! His form and cause conjoined, preaching to stones, would make them capable.” (III. iv. ) Unfortunately, this leads to Hamlet's own mother believing that he has become completely corrupt. Even in Hamlet's final moments of life he shows corruption. After he has already been poisoned himself, Hamlet goes out of his way to be sure that Claudius' death is as brutal as it possibly can be. He repeatedly kills Claudius, even after he is noticeably dead, “Here, thou incestuous, murderous, damned Dane, drink off this potion. Is thy union here? Follow my mother.” (VI. ii. ) Hamlet's continuous thoughts and actions of rage throughout the play lead the audience to believe he was in a state of mental and moral corruption. Shakespeare uses Claudius, Ophelia, and Hamlet as examples to prove how easily and quickly corruption can be spread. As noted in this play, corruption can last up to a lifetime or until the source of it is completely eliminated. In Denmark, the corruption lasted until each character connected to it was murdered, which is why it is the most dominant theme in this play. The thoughts and actions of each character that revolve around corruption are what makes this theme stand out so vividly. In this well written tragedy of the sixteenth century, William Shakespeare depicts the negative effects of the disease that is corruption.