Thesis Statement: In the context of literature work “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare, in-depth analysis of literature work with focus on them Corruption and its rampant impact throughout the hamlet.The paper will be centered onthe corruption themeand will evaluate how Shakespeare uses plot, characters and dialog to illustrate the Corruption theme which can cause death of several people.
I. Plot: Shakespeare very brilliantly designed the plot of the story to portray corruption and its impact in society. The story was written around 1600 and performed in the year 1602. Shakespeare took the idea of the story from the history of Denmark and other literature work. Literature work “Hamlet” is one of the best example for describing, how quickly corruption can spread in our society. It also reflects the adverse impacts of corruption. The corruption is visible from the very beginning of the story. Initially it appears as small but later on spreads like the fire of forest. King hamlet’s assassination by his brother, Claudius was nothing but purely an act of corruption. Claudius killed his brother to capture the chair of the king and marry his beautiful queen.
a. Rising Action:
i. At the beginning of the story ghost of Hamlet King appeared and told his murder story to prince Hamlet. He mentioned that he was killed by his own brother Claudius. Claudius is a corrupted person in the story who killed his brother to take the power and authority of the Denmark.
ii. Another corrupted act done by Claudius was to marry with the wife of dead king.
iii. Claudius took the extreme step of murder just to took the power and authority of region in his hand.
iv. Polonius was another very corrupted person in the story. His act resulted in death of his son and daughter along with himself.
1. Prince Hamlet started behaving differently after knowing the truth about his father murder. Polonius said that he is mad because he is in love with her daughter Ophelia.
2. Polonius secretly was listening to the conversation between queen and prince Hamlet. Prince cut the Polonius with his sword, when he realizes that someone is listening to them from behind the drapery. It resulted in death of Polonius.
3. Ophelia was also found dead in the river after death of her father.
v. Hamlet himself was influenced by the corruption and in the madness he did some weird acts. He kills Polonius considering him Claudius. This incident leads Polonius’ daughter Ophelia to death, she commits suicide and hamlet loses his lover. Further this incident inspires Laertes to seek revenge from Hamlet and he becomes the reason of hamlet’s death.
b. Climax: in the climax of the story both lead characters i.e. prince Hamlet and Claudius killed each other. Climax of the story starts when plan to kill prince was formed.
i. Claudius influenced Laertes to take revenge of his father’s death from Hamlet and coted poison on his sword. On the other hand he putted poisoned wine for prince to drink.
1. Laertes hurt Hamlet as well as himself with his sword which resulted in death of both persons.
2. Hamlet forces Claudius to drink poisoned wine which was cause of his death.
c. Denouement: falling action of the story occur when England ambassadors enter into the scene and saw the bloody bodies of royal family members lying on the floor.
i. They took over the command of kingdom.
ii. Hamlet was given respect of a soldier who fought against corruption.
II. Characters:
a. Almost all the characters are involved in the acts of corruption throughout the tragic story. The story is mainly focused on three characters Hamlet, Claudius and Gertrude. The author has portrayed several instances of corruption and a reader can easily find that all three characters are involved in corruption in a major or minor way.
b. Hamlet: Prince Hamlet also depicted some rash behavior.
i. Without knowing who is behind the drape he stabs Polonius.
ii. Without going into detail he trust that his mother is not a good women as she marry with another man. He also treated Ophelia very rudely.
c. Claudius: Claudius is the axis of the corruption in the story.
i. He was a corrupt person since he murdered his own brother for power.
ii. He was also lustful person as he marries his sister-in-law.
iii. He was a corrupt politician he developed two planes to kill prince Hamlet.
iv. He was directly or indirectly responsible for death of all people in the story.
d. Gertrude: the most uncertain character of the story.
i. Gertrude was a woman who used men to fulfill her desires. To maintain her power she re-marries with Claudius.
ii. She never depicted high moral, it was not answered that whether she was involved in her husband murder or not.
III. Dialogs: The author has logically portrayed how corruption spreads briskly and how rampantly it affects the politics, policies, relations, administration and other related things.
a. In a scene, Marcellus says that “something is rotten in the state of Denmark (Shakespeare 21)”. In this scene, author has smartly and symbolically indicated towards the Claudius’ corrupt behavior and its affect on the nation. It were his corrupt deeds that lead the whole state towards a chaotic situation, damaged his own position and caused his death later on. This corruption takes several lives and ends with the life of hamlet at the end of story.
b. “Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole, With juice of cursed hebona in a vial,
And in the porches of my ears did pour, The leperous distilment . . .. . . doth posset And curd, like eager droppings into milk, the thin and wholesome blood. So did it mine.
And a most instant tetter barked about, Most lazar-like, with vile and loathsome crust
All my smooth body [Act I, Sc. v, 66 - 78]
c. The author has not only used symbolic words to describe the corruption but also selected appropriate words to convey his massage. “Lay not that flattering unction to your soul, That not your trespass but my madness speaks. It will but skin and film the ulcerous place, Whiles rank corruption, mining all within, Infects unseen” prince hamlet advises his mother that he is not sick as others think about him. He suggests her not to spread the bad words about him .
Hamlet is perhaps the greatest tragic literature which was written by the most prominent author of English literature, William Shakespeare four hundred years ago. The literature is longest among a number of works done by Shakespeare and popular enough to attract the readers in the same way as it used to attract at the beginning. Shakespeare has gifted this world a number of luminous piece of literary works and all of them are different and unique from the literature created by other authors. Corruption is one of the major themes that have been portrayed by the author in hamlet. Corruption is throughout palpable in the hamlet, Polonius is depicted as the most corrupted character however Claudius is the axis of the corruption in the story .
Works Cited
Moriarity, Rob. "William Shakespeare Hamlet: Corruption - an incurable disease." october 2001. literature-study-online. 20 april 2012 <http://www.literature-study-online.com/essays/hamlet_corruption.html>.
"philosophy paradise." 2006. philosophyparadise. 20 may 2012 <http://www.philosophyparadise.com/essays/hamletcorruption.html>.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1868.
