Hamlet

“No nation will run away from corruption when the devil is the kingmaker” (Onyejnduakg, E.O.). Pastor Chukwuemeka examines a wide variety of wise sayings about life and temptations in his self-entitled book. He tries to warn, instruct, and advice mankind on what is right. Chukwuemeka explores the idea that when a person in a position of power is treacherous and tainted, all of his followers will be equally as corrupted. A society cannot function properly when their king is evil. The only way to reinstate balance and peace in their land is to send the devil back to hell. Comparatively, in Shakespeare’s brilliant play Hamlet, he illustrates how corruption will spread like an incurable disease when the king is full of falsehood and evil. In Hamlet, corruption spreads like a disease that can only be cured by killing the cancer. Claudius is the source of the evil. He triggers the growth of the cancerous corruption when he embarks on his deceitful path to becoming king. Hamlet cannot help but be polluted with the disease as well, infecting his mind and causing the poor prince to turn mad. Finally, Laertes also falls victim to the corruption, losing his honor and ethics.

Corruption is a spiritual or moral state of mind that is not ideal, driving the host to commit awful deeds to themselves or others. Similar to a pandemic, corruption must be isolated at the source before it can spread through the deeds that are committed. A single person’s actions have an effect on others, thus allowing the spread to occur to their victim(s). After murdering his brother, Claudius ignites the spreading of corruption. Unknowingly to Claudius, the ghost of late King Hamlet returns to inform his son that while “sleeping in mine orchard,/A serpent stung me; so the whole ear of Denmark/… /The serpent that did sting thy father’s life/Now wears his crown” (1.5.34-40), thus King Claudius is the cause for his brother’s death, Hamlet’s depression, and is the root of Denmark’s problems. Claudius says manipulative lies that spread corruption throughout the country. As the setting of Old Hamlet’s death serves as imagery for the Garden of Eden as well as allegorically referring to the concept of Cain’s murder of his brother Abel and the association of evil sins with serpents. King Claudius’ current state of mind affects him spiritually as he feels his “...offence is rank, it smells to heaven; It hath the/primal eldest curse upon’t” (3.3.37-38). King Claudius, himself, uses the Garden of Eden imagery, connecting his sin with the oldest sin. Claudius acknowledges the fact that he is guilty and living in sin since he possess what is not rightfully his, the crown and the queen. However, Claudius knows he will not be forgiven as he will not give up his kingship or marriage, thus allowing for the corruption to spread.

Victims of a sinful crime do not always possess the ability to forgive, relying instead on avenging the dead, known otherwise as the revenge cycle. Revenge plays with the beholders mind as they are stuck between their moral and spirituals beliefs, causing the first stage of their corruption. Hamlet, once “...a noble mind...” is “...o’ethrown...” by the harshness of his situation that he appears “like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh” (3.1.152-160). Hamlet was the ideal Renaissance man, who was “the expectancy and rose of the fair state,/The glass of fashion and the mould of form,/The observed of all observers...” (3.1.153-155). His corruption of his original morals and beliefs takes him to a state of mind that allows him to play god and damn his uncle to hell: “Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven/And that his soul may be as damn’d and black/As hell, whereto it goes” (3.3.94-96). Hamlet also reveals not only his plans to kill King Claudius but that he also, in revenge,killed Rosencrantz and Guildenstern because “...they did make love to this employment./They are not near my conscience, their defeat/Does by their own insinuation grow.” (5.2. 61-63). Hamlet’s corruption is clear since he is no longer attempting to avenge his father’s death to reinstate honor and order in Denmark; instead, he is after Claudius for his own selfish and evil reasons.

When mourning the loss of a loved one, it becomes very difficult to stay on a moral and ethical path. Grief is overwhelming and can sometimes force a suffering individual to commit acts that they normally would look down upon and consider wrong. Getting involved in underhanded and deceitful affairs will only result in the impairment and pollution of one’s judgement and mind. Formerly known for his honorable nature, Laertes is unable to stop the corruption from poisoning him, just like it did the others. Laertes is out to avenge his father’s death, ready to do whatever it takes to receive justice, even if it means he’ll have “to cut [Hamlet’s] throat i’ the church” (4.7.128). By fighting for his late father’s respect and honor, Laertes is seen as noble and dignified. He wishes to confront Hamlet openly and tell him, he “thus diddest thou!” (4.7.58). However, Claudius manipulatesand convinces Laertes to be a part of his deceitful plan to secretly murder Hamlet, resulting in Laertes’ corruption. The fact that Laertes wants to kill Hamlet is no longer about honor or what is right; it is strictly based on revenge and hate. Laertes ensures Hamlet that he is “satisfied in nature” and though he is still obliged to defend his honor, Laertes will “receive [Hamlet’s] offer’d love like love/ And will not wrong it” (5.2.235-243). This is a drastic change in Laertes’ nature. Instead of possessing the strength and courage to affront Hamlet for his sins, he allows the evil to convince him to take a darker path to do the deed underhandedly. Under the advisement of Claudius, Laertes is no longer honorable and is only full of lies, hostility, and corruption.