Corruption In Hamlet

The misuse of power in Hamlet exemplifies the corruption in the upper class due to their suppressive nature towards the plorient class. The upper class or bourgeoisie such as the monarchy in Hamlet believe their stance in the social ladder subjects them to all the power. In various cases throughout history the bourgeoisie ruled at the same level as God. For instance, Claudius showcases the abuse of power the bourgeoisie exudes onto the proletariats when he confesses to murdering his brother to obtain “[his] crown… and [his] queen”, which also displays his lack of morals for gaining access power (III.iii.58). He killed his own brother in order to achieve political, social, and economic power, which further presents his corrupt desire for authority. Also, the event reflects the Marxist lens because of the proposal that economic gain is the motive for all political and social acts. This desire for total control results in a corrupt upper class and government because their only concern is themselves. During Shakespeare's time writing Hamlet Claudius’s turpitude acts can be correlated to his era when “the corruptions of a declining feudalism were beginning” (Fribleman 142). Shakespeare’s experience with a corrupt higher class whose only regard is acquiring power lives through the unethical character of Claudius. By having the upper class reach a substantial amount of power they gain even more political influence over the proletarians because of their dominance in economic and social systems.

No nation is entirely free from corruption. Nevertheless, if corruption is strong enough, it can hinder the good governance and decay the fabric of society. It is an obstacle to sustainable development, and leaves little room for justice to prevail. Throughout the play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, a corrupting disease plagues Denmark and the people within it. The incestuous marriage between Gertrude and Claudius, in addition to murdering King Hamlet, is the main example of deceit, corruption and evil. Throughout the play we can

Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, depicts the internal conflicts of the main character, Hamlet, after he learns that his father was murdered by his uncle, Claudius, who married his mother, Gertrude, shortly after the aforementioned death. Shakespeare uses the already tense environment, coming from political and social concerns, to emphasize how Hamlet’s behavior and the reactions of others towards such behavior is a reflection of the sense of authority throughout the play. In creating the play, Shakespeare indicates the need for control in a society where power imbalance and instability are prevalent.

Hamlet is as much a story of emotional conflict, paranoia, and self-doubt as it is one of revenge and tragedy. The protagonist, Prince Hamlet of Denmark, is instructed by his slain father’s ghost to enact vengeance upon his uncle Claudius, whose treacherous murder of Hamlet’s father gave way to his rise to power. Overcome by anguish and obligation to avenge his father’s death, Hamlet ultimately commits a number of killings throughout the story. However, we are not to view the character Hamlet as a sick individual, but rather one who has been victimized by his own circumstances.

There is a lot of corruption in Hamlet by Shakespeare, but how does it effect the main character Hamlet? To start, corruption in this play is made up by multiple elements such as greed, manipulation and immoral choices. All of these elements and corruption as a whole may or may not have affected hamlet. This is the theme that I will be exploring in the following series of paragraphs.

The play ‘Hamlet’ written by William Shakespeare had many aspects of betrayal, a lack of loyalty, and tragic deaths. The storyline begins as a ghost appears and he resembles the late king of Denmark ‘Hamlet’. King Hamlet was Hamlets father, after his ghost appears Hamlet conversates with the figure and asks him why he is here, and the ghost states that his brother Claudius poisoned him by pouring poison in his ear while he was asleep, married his wife and finally took the power of the throne. Already in a confused state of mind Hamlet questions the ghost and decides to act delusional and put on a play to decide whether he will get revenge on Claudius. Consequently, one can tell how selfish both brothers Claudius and Hamlet are, how much do you have to hate your own family to commit such hatred. Ultimately blood is not thicker than water.

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet has been widely regarded as one of the greatest tragedies ever written. One prominent theme exemplified in this particular play is the theme of rottenness or decay. Shakespeare uniquely uses disease, rotting, and decay in order to reveal the manifestation and consequence of moral corruption. Physical corruption mirrors the moral corruption within the characters in the play. The moral corruption in Denmark is showcased for the readers throughout the play by images of physical corruption and disease. Shakespeare argues in Hamlet that sin or moral corruption is like a disease that leads one to one’s own “death” or demise. Nobody is immune from it.

In general terms, corruption is the act of corrupting or of impairing integrity, virtue, or moral principle. In politics, corruption is the misuse of public power and image.Whether it is realized or not, no country is wholly free of the disease of corruption, and if it is allowed to develop and become significantly strong, it can obstruct the good processes of governing and deteriorate the fabric of society. It can become a barrier to continual development and make it so that essentially no room remains for justice to succeed. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the destructive force of corruption is clearly exemplified through the abundance of imagery concerning decay, death, disease, sickness, and infection as the play progresses. The first and

Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, begins with the appearance of a ghost, an apparition, possibly a hallucination. Thus, from the beginning, Shakespeare presents the air of uncertainty, of the unnatural, which drives the action of the play and develops in the protagonist as a struggle to clarify what only seems to be absolute and what is actually reality. Hamlet's mind, therefore, becomes the central force of the play, choosing the direction of the conflict by his decisions regarding his revenge and defining the outcome.

Around the beginning of the seventeenth century, William Shakespeare introduced a piece of literature that is considered one of the most important plays written. The tragedy, Hamlet, is considered to be Shakespeare’s most famous piece, even over Timon of Athens, and Cymbeline. This theatrical performance is based from “Amleth”, the medieval Scandanavian tale told by Saxo Grammaticus. Both plays consist of elements pertaining to justice, revenge, and rightful place in social order. However, Shakespeare incorporated more Elizabethan qualities due to the fact he was a resident of England. The emphasis of ambiguity throughout the drama is the reason this play has been praised and performed since its debut. Hamlet begins with the protagonist, Hamlet, returning home from graduate school to find many things have changed since his departure. Upon his arrival, he learns about his father’s untimely death and also about his uncle Claudius’s incestuous relationship with his recently widowed mother. After a long, sorrowful soliloquy explaining how he feels, the ghost of his Father appears before him demanding that he seek vengeance for his death. The reasoning for his father’s vengeance is because not only is Claudius is now Gertrude’s new husband, but he is also responsible for the old king Hamlet’s death. In this dramatic performance, Shakespeare animates a quinessential antagonist who creates a disastrous dilemma for Hamlet,

   The legendary drama, Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare is a play illustrating the theme of virtue vs. villainy. The 17th century tragedy is plagued with treachery and deceit as it opens with the news of a foul murder in the kingdom of Denmark. Prince Hamlet, by word of his late father's ghost, is informed that his uncle Claudius is to blame for his father's sudden demise. Prince Hamlet's mission is to uncover the secrets surrounding the murder and to avenge his father's death. Thus, the insidious web of disease and corruption is formed. The relationship between disease leading to the greater corruption of Denmark plays a significant role in the lives of the principle players.

In many of Shakespeare’s tragedies, the playwright draws a connection between the moral health of the kingdom and the corruption of the ruler himself. In Hamlet, he explores the extent to which corruption influences characters. By utilising animal and nature imagery, Shakespeare exemplifies how sexual and political vices corrupt characters and ultimately lead to their demise.

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the motif of corruption exposes the theme of how plotting for revenge infects victims with impurities by demonstrating that both the mind and body are subject to degradation. After Hamlet concluded that Claudius is guilty of the murder, he was not able to give Guildenstern “a wholesome answer; [his] wit’s diseased” (3.2.293). Since Hamlet had just realized that the ghost’s words were true, he was distracted by the fact that he had the responsibility of avenging his father. Hamlet also states that “the native hue of resolution is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought;” overthinking impedes one’s intention of taking action (3.1.84-85). In both instances, describing an aspect of the mind as corrupted with disease

Throughout ‘Hamlet’ we have the images of death, decay, rottenness, and corruption embedded in the story. The imagery that Shakespeare uses in hamlet relates directly with the plots of the play perfectly. The corruptions images are illuminated in the beginning with Claudius own actions. The characters use metaphors of disease in the connection to sickness and rottenness. Within “Hamlet”, Shakespeare makes a number of references to Denmark 's tainted state due to the deceitfulness that lies within. Shakespeare uses death and decay to exemplify the death of the characters, and the decay of these characters that comes with those deaths, as well as the decay and death of morals and the death and decay that comes of political corruption of the government of Denmark. Denmark is repeatedly defined as a physical body made ill by the moral corruption of Claudius. They don 't know that Claudius isn 't legitimate throughout the play; characters draw clear links between the moral lawfulness of a ruler and the health of the nation. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern state their beliefs that health of a country is tied to the legitimacy of the King. Because death and decay are so prevalent throughout Hamlet, it could be said that Shakespeare intended for them to be a major theme.

Throughout William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, themes of rottenness and corruption are shown as the state of Denmark deteriorates when King Hamlet is murdered by his brother, Claudius. Hamlet Jr. knows of Claudius’ rotten deed, and spends a majority of the play conspiring to kill Claudius. In one of Hamlet’s many soliloquies, he states, “Tis an unweeded garden / That grows to seed”(i.ii.139). The “unweeded garden” begins with Claudius, and eventually corrupts Denmark as a country. Hamlet attempts to weed the growing garden of corruption to restore Denmark’s glory, but ultimately becomes a weed himself due to the nefarious acts he commits.