Rottenness In Hamlet

In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the phrase “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” (I.iv.90) is a staple of Shakespeare’s fictitious world of torment in which the paranormal is paired with the normal in final act of sought out revenge. The speaker of said quote, Marcellous, uttered this phrase in horrification of what was unfolding before him. Hamlet 's father, King Hamlet, had come back to haunt the grounds in which he had previously governed, and had convinced Hamlet to follow him so that they may speak undisturbed. Out of fear for Hamlet 's safety, both Marcellus and Horatio dared to venture into the darkness in order to protect their prince, while at the same time abandoning their posts. Upon holstering his sword,

(I.iv.90) An instance of rottenness, or a state of decay in Denmark is the marriage between Claudius, previously the brother of King Hamlet, and Gertrude, the former wife of the proud king. Though not actually incestuous, their marriage signifies the turning of the tide in Denmark, which begins the process of decay, otherwise known as rot. Many consider the marriage to be void, one that is simply driven by lust as opposed to love, which retains the message of sin, something that the Christian majority of Denmark did not approve of. As Claudius feels as though he needs to prove the marriage to those who follow him, he proclaims that the marriage was approved by his courtiers and others who attended their wedding, and that those who attended were in agreement that the marriage was for Denmark 's sake. The marriage itself, not just Gertrude and Claudius, is suspiciously void of clarity and is full of corruption, this is obvious, as both lovers wed two months after Gertrude’s husband, King Hamlet, died under mysterious circumstances. The circumstances of the marriage, added to

In the days following his beloved father, and king 's death, Hamlet becomes obsessed, almost to the point of insanity with death, and throughout the course of the play, Hamlet ponders death from a great many perspectives, this is shown by the death of Polonius. As Hamlet enters his mother Gertrude 's room, he frightens her by questioning her love for him, his father, and her new lover. As it had been apparent that Hamlet had been descending into a mental realm of madness, she mistook his anger as crazy man 's thirst for blood, and cried out a plea for help. Upon hearing this, Polonius, who was positioned behind a curtain, so as to spy on Hamlet, echoes her plea for help, and is promptly heard by Hamlet. Hamlet, mistaking Polonius for Claudius, deftly removes his blade from his holster and stabs through the curtain,surprising both Polonius and himself, as he had believed that the man he was about to kill was Claudius. As Hamlet sees life through the eyes of a killer, he contemplates how it must feel to be killed and to enter the afterlife. His pondering of the afterlife is embodied by both the skull of Yorick, a court jester with whom Hamlet had a personal relationship with, and the ghost of his father, King Hamlet. Since death is both the consequence and cause of of revenge, it is tied closely with the themes of the Complexity of taking action, and justice. As blood is the only prize that may quell the thirst of one who seeks revenge, Hamlet takes Yorick 's skull as a