Hamlet Corruption Quotes Analysis

964 Words2 Pages

Moral corruption will result in the tragic downfall of the characters involved. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the moral corruption that occurs between the family members result in their ruin. Evidence of this is shown through the relationship between Hamlet and Claudius, Hamlet and Gertrude, and Ophelia and Polonius.

The relationship between Hamlet and Claudius is troubled. They both wish death upon the other. When Hamlet finds out about the murder through his father’s ghost, he vows to avenge his father’s and kill Claudius for his immoral act. “But know, thou noble youth, The serpent that did sting thy father’s life Now wears his crown.” (1.5.38-40) In this quote, Hamlet is confronted by the ghost of his father stating that he was murdered by his …show more content…

When Claudius finds out that Hamlet knows about his shameful act, he demands Hamlet to be killed. Claudius knows that although Hamlet was crazy, he had a great influence on the people of Denmark, which may result in Hamlet exposing Claudius to the people of Denmark of his sinful acts to receive the crown. “As checking at his voyage, and that he means No more to undertake it, I will work him To an exploit, now ripe in my devise, Under the which he shall not choose but fall.” (4.7.60-63) Claudius supports Laertes and decides that Hamlet should be killed in a duel with Laertes. Prior to the duel, Claudius will have Laertes sword sharpened as well as a poisonous oil on the tip, killing anyone simply scratched by it. “The king shall drink to Hamlet’s better breath, And in the cup an union shall he throw Richer than that which four successive kings In Denmark’s crown have worn” (5.2.258-261) In this scene,

Show More
Related

  • Lion King vs Hamlet

    1136 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is too late though, the poisonous sword had cut Hamlet. In anger, Hamlet steals the poisoned sword and runs it into Laertes. He then charges Claudius and runs into him. He also takes the wine and forces Claudius to drink from it. Both Claudius and Laertes died before Hamlet.

    Read More

  • A Comparison Of Horatio And Laertes In Shakespeare's Hamlet

    369 Words  | 1 Pages

    The rest is silence”(5.2.352-56). Hamlet dies and leaves his kingdom of Denmark to Prince Fortinbras of Norway.

    Read More

  • Father and Son Relationship in Shakespeare's Hamlet

    558 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the play Hamlet is in constant conflict with himself. An appearance of a ghost claiming to be his father, “I am thy father’s spirit”(I.v.14) aggravates his grief, nearly causing him to commit suicide and leaving him deeply disgusted and angered. Upon speaking with his ghost-father, Hamlet learns that his uncle-stepfather killed Hamlet the King. “The serpent that did sting thy father’s life Now wears his crown”(I.v.45-46) Hamlet is beside himself and becomes obsessed with plotting and planning revenge for the death of his father.

    Read More

  • A Lack Of Faith In Shakespeare's Hamlet

    990 Words  | 2 Pages

    Claudius quickly takes advantage of this by manipulating Laertes to duel Hamlet. Laertes, under the influence of Claudius takes his fury one step further and poisons his sword, a poison so lethal that one cut will end Hamlet. During their duel, Laertes wounds Hamlet then "In scuffing", they exchange swords. Hamlet wounds Laertes and they are both poisoned.

    Read More

  • Abuse Of Power In Hamlet

    1252 Words  | 3 Pages

    [4, 1, 40] These idiosyncrasies are observed in the play when Claudius becomes concerned he will lose power as King and the likelihood Hamlet will murder him to avenge his father’s death. This is apparent when Gertrude informs Claudius that Hamlet is, “Mad as the sea and wind, when both contend which is mightier”. [4,1,6] With these thoughts daunting Claudius, he approaches Laertes in a Machiavellian manner to convince him to murder Hamlet, for he knows Laertes is angry, deranged and “Vows to the blackest devil” [4,5,131] after the death of his father. In doing so, Claudius has the intent to use Machiavellian powers over Laertes who is currently mentally unstable, with the objective being that Laertes will murder Hamlet to avenge his own father’s (Polonius) death. Claudius is able to successfully persuade Laertes in a manipulative speech, especially with his snide comment, “Not that I think you did not love your father, but that I know love is begun by time, and that I see a passage of proof.” [4,7,96] Claudius’ malicious comment indicates he is using his power over Laertes, so that the burden and repercussions do not rest on him, so that he may retain his authority as King. By utilizing his power over Laertes, Claudius is successful, as Hamlet is slain, however, as reflected in Claudius’

    Read More

  • Why Is Claudius A Villain

    1447 Words  | 3 Pages

    Claudius, using his wits, convinced Laertes that Hamlet should be killed, “To show yourself your father’s son in deed/ More than in words? / To cut his throat I’ the church!” (Hamlet 4.7 125-127). Claudius learns that Hamlet is still alive he thought of a master plan to use Laertes to kill Hamlet. Claudius has already turned Laertes against Hamlet by saying that he murdered his father in cold blood and has gone unpunished because the queen and all the kingdom is in love with him. Laertes who is fueled by misguided anger is prepared to do whatever it takes to get his revenge against Hamlet. Laertes simply suggests that he kill Hamlet in cold blood, but Claudius uses his superior intelligence to come up with a truly dark and evil plan to kill Hamlet. Intelligence is mostly thought of as an admirable quality but a select few choose to use it for the wrong reasons. It can sometimes lead people to think they are above the law and can simply get away with whatever terrible crime the commit (Nyborg 344-345). This was the case with Claudius he thought that he had planned the murder carefully and meticulously enough that no one would ever ask questions. Even once Hamlet knew his evil secret Claudius did not give up he came up with plan after plan to kill Hamlet. Claudius, in his mind, had thought that he had earned everything he had acquired. He may have

    Read More

  • Free Will in Shakespeare's Hamlet

    566 Words  | 2 Pages

    Finally we arrive at the sword match between Hamlet and Laertes. Hamlet is unaware of Claudius’ poisoned goblet and the poisoned tip of Laertes’ sword. When Laertes cuts Hamlet, he makes the choice to stab Laertes, who would see him dead as well.

    Read More

  • The Relationship Between Hamlet And Claudius, Hamlet, And Gertrude

    1181 Words  | 3 Pages

    The relationship between Hamlet and Claudius is problematic, largely due to the fact that they both wish death upon the other. For instance, they view each other as a threat, which is a foreboding sign within a royal family. When Hamlet learns that his father was murdered by his own uncle - Claudius, Hamlet vows to avenge his father’s death by killing Claudius when he is told, “But know, thou noble youth, The serpent that did sting thy father’s life now wears his crown” (1.5.38-40). In other words, the ghost of Old King Hamlet informs Hamlet that Claudius has murdered him. He compares Claudius to a serpent, a large deadly

    Read More

  • Corruption in Hamlet by William Shakespeare

    1293 Words  | 3 Pages

    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 foremost example of this corruptionis the murder of King Hamlet and the resulting incestuous marriage of Gertrude and Claudius, which forms the foundation for corruption becoming a regular happening in the state of Denmark.The disease of corruption in the play stems from Claudius and slowly spreads through Elsinore and eventually results in the collapse of Denmark, which is signified by the takeover of the castle and land by Fortinbras, the nemesis of Hamlet and the Norwegian Crown Prince.Through the characters of Polonius, Claudius, Ophelia, and Hamlet, the evolution and disease-like spreading of this corruption can be observed.

    Read More

  • William Shakespeare Hamlet Corruption Quotes

    1849 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Corruption is the enemy of development, and of good governance. It must be gotten rid of.” (Patil), this quote was said by Pratibha Patil, the president of India from 2007-2012 and the only women that ever held the office. This quote of corruption impeding both development of a country and a strong government can be witnessed in William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. In Hamlet many of the most powerful political figures allow their greed and personal agendas lead them to corruption; this started with Claudius’ hunger for power and lust and ended with the death of all primary characters except for the caring Horatio.

    Read More

  • Betrayal In Hamlet Research Paper

    474 Words  | 1 Pages

    In order for the King to have Hamlet murder in Denmark he plans to set up“ for art and exercise in your defense” (4.7.100) between Hamlet and Laertes. Laertes has to sneak Hamlet in order to get the poison on him that he has on his sword, meanwhile Hamlet is unaware that he is going to be murdered during the fight. Laertes has poisoned Hamlet, Hamlet has poisoned Laertes, Claudius has been poisoned twice by

    Read More

  • Examples Of Corruption In Hamlet

    1310 Words  | 3 Pages

    Every individual is born pure and innocent but without a doubt it is inevitable that they will become evil by being exposed to the real world. Most innocent characters in Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, die due to the corruption that King Claudius bestowed upon them. It all began when King Claudius took over the throne. His crimes lead to a chain of events that affected many people around him, which caused them to develop corrupt characteristics ultimately leading them to their death and the fall of the kingdom. For example, Claudius can be described as dishonest and manipulative.

    Read More

  • Internal Corruption In Hamlet

    1807 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hamlet suffers from his own corruption yet all of his actions have a purpose and by delaying the killing of King Claudius, Hamlet is able to end corruption through death. In the end corruption seizes as a whole as Hamlet’s brilliant plans unfold and freeing Denmark from confines of

    Read More

  • Plans Never Work-Out In Hamlet

    1041 Words  | 3 Pages

    To tell him his commandment is fulfilled, That Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. (Act 5, Scene 2, 370-371) After Hamlet’s return, Claudius sets up a duel between Laertes and Hamlet. The plan is a treacherous one, where they wish to poison Hamlet, either by sword or by cup. Claudius.

    Read More

  • Corruption In Hamlet

    904 Words  | 2 Pages

    As a result, Claudius’ influences target Gertrude’s virtues, and make her oblivious of her sinful marriage with her brother-in-law. Gertrude’s selfish marriage corrupts her morality and seems to be unaware of how her actions negatively affect Hamlet. Corruption surrounds “both Claudius’ crime and guilt and Gertrude’s sin” (Muir 214). Greed becomes the inception of corruption, and creates the cascading effect of the plot in Hamlet. Blind loyalty and manipulation are the tools that are used to further corrupt one’s morality.

    Read More

More about Hamlet Corruption Quotes Analysis

Open Document