Interpreting Diction And Imagery In Shakespeare's Hamlet

Manic means to be affected by violent madness. When one is affected by mania it becomes the dictator of his or her actions. In the timeless story of Hamlet the main character, the Prince of Denmark, Hamlet, is constantly facing inner conflict. After his deceased father tells him of a deplorable crime he starts to become manic and wants to acquire revenge. The crime told by the Ghost, Hamlet’s father, creates contempt in Hamlet for both Claudius, the current king, and the Queen, Hamlet’s mother. The use of meaningful diction and imagery in the Ghost’s speech to Hamlet helps the reader gain an enhanced understanding of how Hamlet and the Ghost feel towards the Queen and Claudius; this use of language helps align the reader with Hamlet and the Ghost in their contempt for Claudius and the Queen. Hamlet meets the Ghost of

The Ghost explains how he was killed to Hamlet, and how his death was a forged process or murder. He states, “A serpent stung me, so the whole ear of Denmark”, this was how the murder was done. The Ghost also states, “That swift as quicksilver it courses through/The natural gates and alleys of the body”. Both these quotes provide the image of the serpent pouring poison into the ear of the Ghost while he was still alive. The Ghost then adds, “The serpent that did sting thy father’s life/Now wears his crown.” This is the moment that Hamlet makes the discovery that the killer was the current king, Claudius, his uncle. The Ghost and Hamlet start to discuss the Queen and how she was not virtuous after the Ghost’s death. The Ghost states, “Will sate itself in a celestial bed/And prey on garbage” this is providing imagery that the Queen will gratify her appetite to the point of disgust in a heavenly form or angelic bed, and prey on garbage. This is how the Ghost chooses to describe the incestuous relationship between Claudius and the Queen to