In the original play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Hamlet is funneled into a situation where he feels obligated to avenge his murdered father. Disease imagery is evident all throughout the play ranging from the beginning with the King’s ghost, to the end with Hamlet’s confrontation with his mother. Through disease imagery, William Shakespeare illustrates the human nature of corruption that drives an individual to benefit his own greed at the expense of others.
Through the usage of vivid imagery, King Hamlet’s ghost describes the awful method that Claudius used in order to satisfy his selfish desires. Hamlet meets King Hamlet’s ghost on the battlement in the opening scenes of the play. The ghost describes the inhumane aspects of his death,
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Hamlet is being harmed in order for King Hamlet to escape purgatory. “If thou hast nature in thee, bear it not. Let not the royal bed of Denmark be A couch for luxury and damned incest….Adieu, adieu, adieu. Remember me.” In this example, King Hamlet’s ghost is requesting that Hamlet become a murderer in order for the ghost to benefit himself. “Remember me” were the last few words that the ghost expressed before disappearing. This saying contains dense information about seeking revenge on Claudius and begging Hamlet to seek revenge for his father’s ghost. By remembering everything that his father had said, Hamlet would be filled with an overwhelming emotion that would control his actions for the future. Even in death there is still corruption that occurs to benefit an individual. In Death and the End of Testimony: Trauma Theory in Shakespeare 's Hamlet. (Mellon, Lorna. "Death And The End Of Testimony: Trauma Theory In Shakespeare 's Hamlet." Journal Of The Wooden O Symposium 6.(2006): 116-123. Academic Search Complete. Web. 10 Jan. 2016.) this secondary source states that “For Hamlet to avenge his father’s murder, he must also become a murderer, and so forth.” this is a text that I would have to agree with as it allows King Hamlet’s ghost to escape purgatory at the expense of his own son. King Hamlet’s ghost did not consider much about Hamlet’s action. Due to King Hamlet’s command, …show more content…
Gertrude and Claudius are discussing Hamlet’s reckless and insane manners after Hamlet killed Polonius. Shakespeare compares Hamlet to a foul disease to describe the situation that inhibits Gertrude and Claudius. Hamlet has been characterized as a disease with Gertrude and Claudius as the people who acquired this disease. Rather than trying to cure this problem and making it public, Gertrude and Claudius chose to keep it hidden and let this disease lethargically eat their lives away. By keeping Hamlet’s actions and his attitude in private, they are able to maintain their status and commodities at the expense of their own lives. Gertrude and Claudius are corrupting themselves by allowing Hamlet to let loose and carry on with his insane attitude. The text provides an example of how greed can allow corruption to prosper in the lives of individuals. Rather than destroying corruption, an individual allows it to dwell and prosper through greed and other gains even if it is at the expense of others. In Men, Loss and Spiritual Emergency: Shakespeare, the Death of Hamnet and the Making of Hamlet. (Bray, Peter. "Men, Loss And Spiritual Emergency: Shakespeare, The Death Of Hamnet And The Making Of Hamlet." Journal Of Men, Masculinities &
Hamlet is extremely proud of Old King and respects him.“He was a great human being. He was perfect in everything. I’ll never see the likes of him again” (I.ii.185-188). Hamlet loves his father and gives the greatest praise at the funeral. Grief driven by love tempts Hamlet to think his father’s goodness, and more, the loss of such a favorable figure. Hamlet believes that the ghost that is said to look like the dead king is indeed his father.”He waxes desperate with imagination”(I.ii.92). The Prince, who is deep in sadness and does not think sufficiently, is convinced that the spirit is the Old Hamlet, he is the only person that can physically communicate with the ghost. Hamlet for the second time talks to the apparition in his mother’s chamber, where Gertrude does not see any. What Horatio and other witnesses encounter at the gate at night proves the possibility of the existence of the ghost, Hamlet later in the play is considered to be truly mad on the account of his unusual ability to see and talk to the spirit, which is obviously conjured up by his mind. Rising actions in both the book and the play are implied at the beginning of the stories: Amir’s memory of 1975 and Old Hamlet’s death. The journey of redemption or revenge takes actions of concealing their true emotions and implementing devised
Claudius is responsible for the death of King Hamlet, regardless of this, he wants to portray himself as someone that is worthy of running the nation of Denmark. Claudius connects to the people of Denmark by demonstrating that they are all participating in the grieving of King Hamlet, “Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s death The memory be green, and that it us befitted To bear our hearts in grief” (I.ii.1-3). King Hamlet’s death is very recent, but Claudius places himself as someone that is part of the kingdom that will be mourning the death of King Hamlet. This is demonstrated through irony since instead of mourning he is actually enjoying what King Hamlet has left behind; the nation of Denmark and his wife, Gertrude. Through this, Claudius also demonstrates that he wants others to believe that he has not done anything wrong. In order to convey the image of being healthy, Claudius and his court drink merrily within the castle; making the excesses that the court enjoys apparent. Hamlet is not fond of the drinking but then comes to the conclusion that “His virtues else, be they as pure as grace, As infinite as man may undergo, Shall in the general censure take corruption” (I.iv.33-35). Hamlet then foreshadows his own destiny. No matter how good a person may be, that person can become corrupt due to something that has ...
A malicious disease, with no cure, that leads to death is called corruption. Each of the characters in Hamlet infected, led astray from their sense of morality, loyalty, and justice. Ultimately finding death as their curse. The seed of the disease sprouted in the biblical misdeed of Claudius, murdering his brother. It spread in his incestuous marriage to Gertrude, and infected even the righteous Hamlet. When he decided to take up the cause of his father's ghost and the necessary vengeance. The survival and success of both Horatio and Fortinbras, both free of corruption, help to highlight how the infection of the disease known as corruption is incurable and must end in death.
With Gertrude, Hamlet would also like to express his anger towards her, as well as possibly kill her or make her go insane, without arising suspicion in others that he is not insane. In addition, he would like to confront Gertrude with the grounds of Claudius' crime, without her thinking that he actually believes in them, so that she might somehow think about them and realize that Claudius is guilty. Now, she will no longer love Claudius and she will not believe that Hamlet thinks that Claudius is guilty. If she believes this, she might pass on this fact to others, leading to Hamlet's downfall. Also, Hamlet does not want to confront Gertrude with the crime in a sane condition, which then will be forcing her to make a difficult choice between Hamlet and Claudius, with disastrous psychological results for Hamlet if she chooses against him.
Relations between characters are corrupt, the people are disturbed and people are killed constantly. What the characters do not know is that this corrupt reign of power will end in tragedy.
Hamlet starts with the King dead and Hamlet is already in a miserable mood. The first step that pushes him over the border into madness is his meeting with the ghost and even Horatio can see it as
... his father’s ghost, and whether or not to get revenge. Hamlet is still unsure about the ghost being real or a hallucination from him going mad. This also adds suspicion about Claudius's true motives in marrying Gertrude and his concern for his country of Denmark. Shakespeare opts to let Hamlets character possesses these certain characteristics so early on so that it will set the scene for the rest of the play. I predict Hamlet will become so delirious and mad; he will listen to what the ghost tells him. He only wants the best for his country, but there about to go to war with Norway under the direction of a king who in Hamlets eyes is not worthy. I believe there will be a power struggle between Hamlet and Claudius over the throne and for Hamlet to claim what is rightfully his.
Throughout the play, the ghost helps develop the storyline. The ghost allows Shakespeare to open up the play with suspense and foreshadow a doomed fate for Denmark. In the second appearance Hamlet told firsthand about his fathers murder. Hamlet is also given instructions to seek revenge and kill claduious. In the third appearance, the ghost is unseen by Gertrude. This develops ideas including Hamlet actually going mad, or a proof of a the ghosts instruction to hamlet being no less than Hamlets own thoughts and ambitions.
Hamlet grants himself the opportunity to momentarily direct himself, yet it remains unknown as to whether he directs a representation of truth or a falsity. He exemplifies madness so well, as the sight of "a damned ghost" (77) insanely induces his imagination and comfortably transforms his identity to one of lunacy. This role he acquires is one he portrays so explicitly well as an actor that he easily utilizes it as the foundation for his players. He instructs the players:
From the beginning of the play, Shakespeare characterizes Macbeth to be a figure of power by things such as the defeat of the unloyal thane, and the gain of his title. Though Macbeth appears to represent an idea of power, Macbeth is proven to be a false aid to this perceived symbol of power through the witches involvement, animal nature controlling human nature, man being susceptible to temptation, all climaxing in Macbeth being a powerless, ineffective king. By examining Shakespeare’s imagery of illness, one can determine that Macbeth is a powerless figure that leads him to be an ineffective king.
All throughout the play Hamlet mourns the loss of his father, especially since his father is appearing to him as a ghostly figure telling him to avenge his death, and throughout the play it sets the stage and shows us how he is plotting to get back at the assassinator. Such an instance where the ghost appears to Hamlet is when Hamlet and his mother are in her bedchamber where the ghost will make his last appearance. Hamlet tells his mother to look where the ghost appears but she cannot see it because he is the only one who that has the ability to see him.
Claudius is the king of Denmark, who is a very powerful and assertive man. He is the type of person that will do anything to get what he wants and everything in his power to stay king. He will do what it takes to get his way, even if that means betraying the person he is supposed to be committed to and love, his wife Gertrude. Gertrude is the mother of Hamlet, who she deeply cares for and loves. She is convinced that Claudius does as well. In order for Claudius to stay as king he must keep Gertrude happy and pleased. He accomplishes this by pretending to love Hamlet in front of Gertrude when in reality he wants to kill Hamlet. Claudius faces the truth that his secret got out and Hamlet knows he killed King Hamlet. Not wanting to ruin his reputation and of course stay king he plans to have Hamlet killed. He lets Gertrude believe...
William Shakespeare found that imagery was a useful tool to give his works greater impact and hidden meaning. In Hamlet, Shakespeare used imagery to present ideas about the atmosphere, Hamlet's character, and the major theme of the play. He used imagery of decay to give the reader a feel of the changing atmosphere. He used imagery of disease to hint how some of the different characters perceived Hamlet as he put on his "antic disposition". And finally, he used imagery of poison to emphasize the main theme of the play; everybody receives rightful retribution in the end.
Shakespeare’s play Hamlet is a complex and ambiguous public exploration of key human experiences surrounding the aspects of revenge, betrayal and corruption. The Elizabethan play is focused centrally on the ghost’s reoccurring appearance as a symbol of death and disruption to the chain of being in the state of Denmark. The imagery of death and uncertainty has a direct impact on Hamlet’s state of mind as he struggles to search for the truth on his quest for revenge as he switches between his two incompatible values of his Christian codes of honour and humanist beliefs which come into direct conflict. The deterioration of the diseased state is aligned with his detached relationship with all women as a result of Gertrude’s betrayal to King Hamlet which makes Hamlet question his very existence and the need to restore the natural order of kings. Hamlet has endured the test of time as it still identifies with a modern audience through the dramatized issues concerning every human’s critical self and is a representation of their own experience of the bewildering human condition, as Hamlet struggles to pursuit justice as a result of an unwise desire for revenge.
Disease plays a great part in the play Hamlet. It gives you sense of description and realism. In Hamlet disease is found in act iv, scene I, line 21.It quotes "But, like the owner of a foul disease, to keep it from divulging, let it feed even on the pith of life. Where is he gone?" This quote is once again explaining Poloniuss death. Gertrude is telling the reader that this horrible deed must not be considered as to be left as a rotting body, but as a human living off natures finest food.