Hamlet - Grade: B PDF

Preview

Summary

Themes from Hamlet...

Description

THE ROLE OF IMAGES OF POISON AND CORRUPTION IN HAMLET

Hamlet is a catastrophe play composed by William Shakespeare. The play is set in Denmark during the middle age times and demonstrates the main characters’ desire for revenge and power. The play contains several instances that portray the imagery of poison and corruption (deception). Shakespeare uses metaphorical poison to illustrate how the main characters in Hamlet fall due to being corrupted by their need for revenge and others by their greed. In the entire play, we can see several examples of the image of corruption, rottenness in middle age Denmark is shown by healthy plants and everything else rotting and decaying and poison killing many things as well. This paper discusses the role of images of corruption and poison in hamlet as portrayed by Shakespeare. Poison plays a crucial role in play development. It is the primary cause of death in the play. In act (I) scene (iv) we see the first use of poison when Hamlet father appears to him in form of a ghost and reveals to Hamlet that he was killed by Claudius who poured poison into his ears.” In the porches of my ears did pour the leprous distilled whose impact has hostility with man’s blood.” Hamlets father and the former king getting poisoned shows how the entire country of ancient Denmark will be poisoned by the leadership of Claudius. The repetitive image of poison can be described as a metaphoric message in the play as poison is poured in the ears of the characters in the play in terms of gossiping, some seeking revenge and evil thoughts spreading across the entire kingdom of Denmark. Gertrude, the mother of Hamlet, dies after consuming a poisonous drink in act (v) scene (ii) ‘Thou incestuous, murderers, damned Dane, drink this portion follow my mother’. The final scene of Hamlet is based around the theme of poison since most of the characters die through poisoning. Hamlet, Laertes and Claudius die soon after the death of Gertrude, their death caused by a poisonous sword.

Claudius plans to kill Hamlet by inviting him in a fencing fight against Laertes. Hamlet has no idea that Claudius has a plan in place to kill him by poisoning the sword that Laertes is going to use in the fight in that if he is cut or pierce Hamlet the poison gets into his blood flow and therefore, he dies from the poison. If Hamlet is to emerge victorious from the fight, Claudius has poisoned the wine that he intends to give to Hamlet to congratulate him for winning the fight. Claudius plan does not go as he intended and before he could stop his wife and Hamlets mother, she drinks the poisoned wine which was meant to be given to hamlet if he emerged victorious from his fight with Laertes. The fight goes on has planned, and Laertes manages to cut Hamlet with the poisoned sword. Hamlet quickly realizes he has been poisoned and says in act (v) scene (ii) "The powerful poison quite o'er crows my spirit." Hamlet quickly gathers himself and kills both Claudius and Laertes with the same sword which had poison, and Hamlet dies soon after. Additionally, Claudius character is poisoned metaphorically. For instance, every character that Claudius plans and plots with dies. Hamlet stabs Polonius accidentally thinking its Claudius. Polonius was sent to spy on Hamlet by Claudius and ends up dead. Former friends of Hamlet Guildenstern and Rosencrantz conspired with Claudius who instructs them to spy on Hamlet and have him killed. Hamlet, who is the main character of the play, has an endless wish of revenging his father’s death, this, therefore, is Hamlets metaphoric poison in that this wish for revenge leads to his death. This desire for revenge leads him to not even care about his welfare has he tells Polonius in act (ii) scene (ii) ‘you can't, take away anything that I will more willingly part withal except my life, except my life.' It foreshadows what happens later has his burning wish for revenge ends up being the cause of his death.

Another recurring theme or image in the development of the play is corruption. Many of the characters are morally corrupt as they are portrayed as being greedy others manipulative, and some have an undying desire for revenge. At the beginning of the play Francisco a character who doesn’t appear much during the play says ‘I am sick at heart.’ Thus, giving a lead on what the play is about. From the beginning, we see that Claudius is corrupt, has he killed his brother because he wanted to dethrone him and become the king, and also desires his brother's wife who he later marries after killing the old king Hamlet. Another instance where we see the manipulative ways of Claudius is when he convinces Laertes that it is Hamlet solely responsible for the death of her sister Ophelia even though she drowns herself in the river. Laertes vows to revenge the death of his sister as well as his father Polonius who was killed accidentally by Hamlet. Claudius then proposes a fight between the two to settle their differences. Claudius then manipulates Laertes to use a sword which is poisoned to kill Hamlet faster. The late father of Hamlet appears to Hamlet in the form of a ghost and says to him 'duller thou be than the fat weed that easily roots itself on Lethe wharf.’ The statement describes Claudius as a weed which is large and will destroy or corrupt the right crops in the farm, the farm here being the kingdom of Denmark. Gertrude, the mother to Hamlet, is morally corrupt; she marries Claudius after her husband died; she doesn’t even give herself time to mourn the fallen king. Hamlet says in act (i) scene (ii) ‘small month, in which she follows me poor fathers’ body, in tears she even…Marries my uncle.’ it shows Hamlet surprise to how his mother marries Claudius quickly. Hamlet, too, is manipulated by his father's ghost. His revelation to Hamlet is that it was Claudius who killed him. The ghost tells Hamlet to 'revenge his unnatural and foul murder.' Hamlet, who was still mourning the death of his father and how dearly he loved his father,

vowed to revenge the death of his father. Another instance where we see how morally corrupted Hamlet is when the ghost of his father asks him that he should be kind and forgive her mother for marrying Claudius Hamlet responds by saying he will completely erase any good memory he has of his mother. ‘From the table of memory, I will wipe any trivial evidence.’ Guildenstern and Rosencrantz who have been friends with Hamlet since they were children are corrupted by Claudius and the queen who instructs them to spy on Hamlet in the act (ii) scene (ii) 'I beg you, to go quickly and visit my son who has changed. ' Claudius after watching a play organized by Hamlet, whose intention was to test if indeed he was responsible for the death of the old king he feels threaten by Hamlet, and he corrupts Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to accompany Hamlet with a letter to the king of England instructing him to kill Hamlet. Taking everything to account, we see that poison and corruption play a significant role in the development of the play. Hamlet and Claudius have corrupted everyone around them. The characters not only die a physical death due to drinking of poison or getting stabbed with a poisoned sword, but also the death of their kindness and morals, and some their mental health deteriorates. Thus, showing the critical roles poison and corruption play in the development of the play. Claudius selfishness and greed to maintain his status as the king and Hamlet desire for revenge at all cost, in the end, is the poison that leads to the death of them both, their trusted advisors and the fall of the kingdom of Denmark....