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Hamlet: Morality And Corruption In Shakespeare's Hamlet

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In every state or country or society, there is a distinctive or organization of power. The Shakespearean world likes to keep constant with the idea of morality and being moral in the society. Anyone who tends to drift away from this morality seems to be considered as corrupted. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, this morality is failed to be followed by several different characters which arose this idea of corruption. The idea put forth by Marcellus that 'something is rotten in the state of Denmark ' is first presented in Act I as two issues; the murder of the late King Hamlet and the incestuous marriage of Claudius and Gertrude. Chaos can even evident in the relationship between Hamlet and his friends and other characters throughout the play. As the play progresses, we can see …show more content…

The presence of the ghost is a bad omen in itself as it is a sign that bad things have taken place or will take place. Throughout Act 1 we have learned that after King Hamlet’s death, moral and natural order has gone wrong in the state of Denmark subsequent to Claudius’ rise in power with the evidence of a ghost floating around. Marcellus’ line reinforces the point and tone of some of Hamlet 's earlier remarks—for example, that Denmark is "an unweeded garden" of "things rank and gross in nature" (Act 1, scene 2) is confirmed by the ghost of Hamlet’s father which makes Hamlet realize the real rottenness of Denmark. Although Shakespeare predominantly presents Claudius ' rottenness through his actions, imagery is also used to emphasize Claudius ' rotten nature. Hamlet refers to Claudius as a weed that chokes the garden and warns Gertrude not to "spread the compost on the weeds, To make them ranker”. The line “something is rotten in the state of Denmark” also refers to the larger theme of the connection between the moral legitimacy of a ruler and the health of the state as a whole. Throughout the play Denmark is portrayed as a microcosm of human villainy, a hotbed of spiritual as well as political

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