Death, Decay and Disease in Hamlet :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

Death, Decay and Disease in village    Within Hamlet, Shakespeare makes a number of references to Denmarks degraded postulate referable to the deceit that lies within. These references are made by Hamlet, Horatio as well as the apparition, thus enforcing the beardown(prenominal) theme of destruction, corrupt and disease.  As aforementi angiotensin converting enzymed Hamlets makes a number of references to Denmark. Preceding the death of his father and the marriage of his mother, his mental read begins to fall(a) into demise . Although he appears to non have much courageousness at first, his focus remains on avenging his father whose murder is exposit as being most foul. As noted in one of  Hamlets first soliloquies, his downward spiral has already began and already he is  contemplating felo-de-se O that this too too sullied flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew (I, II, 130) and seems to me all the uses of this world... Things rank and gross in nature posses it merely (I, II, 136). To be degrade to be thinking of imagery including flesh melting shows that Hamlet is not in the state that he ought to be in.  Furthermore Shakespeare encourages us to sympathise with these emotions by using such rich descriptions.  It could be perhaps argued that Hamlets state of mind which has become debased, but this is until Horatio claims, Something is rotten in the state of Denmark (I, IV, 90). The pattern of festering carrion being a metaphor for King Hamlets death epitomizes this notion. The soupcon furthers this idea by stating at the moment of his death, his skin became Most lazar-like with pitiable and loathsome crust all my smooth body (I, V, 72). This attempts the elucidate on the feeling of death almost like becoming like a leper before death finally takes its toll. Decay also becomes a strong theme weighing heavily on Hamlets mind. Whilst talking to Polonius he says, For if the sunbathe breed maggots in a dead dog, being a wide-cut kissing carrion (II, II, 182). Although Polonius appears not to notice this, we can see the constant references to death being made by Shakespeares tools, i.e. the characters.  Moreover associated with Shakespeares use of decay and disease imagery is his use of horror, Roasted in wrath and dismissal thus oersized with coagulate gore (II, II, 431), is a perfect example of this.