Hamlet Virtue vs. Villainy

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Hamlet Virtue vs. Villainy

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.

The literary piece, Hamlet, is riddled with an abundance of seemingly diseased attitudes, perceptions, schemes, and acts. Disease is an impairment that interferes with normal bodily function. However, as demonstrated throughout the play, disease takes on many forms, not only in a physical sense, but in a mental sense also. The young Prince Hamlet conveys his secret thoughts of helplessness and suicide. "To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them" (Act III, i, Lines 64-68). He contemplates whether it will be deemed nobler to intentionally take one's life than to face the struggles he is forced to endure. The prince is torn between his diseased mentality that drives him to express his thoughts of suicide and the promise of more corruption by avenging his father's death. Before her suspected suicide, Ophelia gives evidence of her mental d...

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... are obviously diseased; for it is neither commonplace, nor sane to kill other people. Corruption evolves from disease.

In the renowned drama, Hamlet, the association of disease leading to greater corruption is prominent and plays a key role in the lives of the principle players.

The reader is afforded a glimpse into the tragic lives of the characters that openly deceive and betray those considered most dear to them. The murder of King Hamlet sets the stage for the disastrous ruin of the kingdom, along with the lives of those living in it. The tragic lives of the characters, whose diseased method of thought clearly illustrate the fact that disease leads to eventual corruption.

Work Cited

Shakespeare, William. The New Cambridge Shakespeare: Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Ed. Philip Edwards. Cambridge: Cambridge U P, 1985.

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