Signifigance Of Disease And Plauge In Hamlet

In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, poison and disease both plague the state of Denmark.

Relations between characters are corrupt, the people are disturbed and people are killed constantly. What the characters do not know is that this corrupt reign of power will end in tragedy.

Corrupt minds in Hamlet are provided by Prince Hamlet himself. He portrays an “antic disposition” in order to gain the advantage inside the castle. Now people in the castle believe that Hamlet is crazy or “mad” and thinks nothing more of it. Really, Hamlet is just acting this way so that he can spy on other people in the castle. By doing this he finds out who is after him and the identity of the murderer of his father. Polonious is one of the people spying on Hamlet to find the “source of his madness” and says "That he's mad, 'tis true 'tis pity, And pity 'tis 'tis true" [2.2.97-98]. Hamlet never stops his act and

gets his job done.

During Hamlets search for revenge, he also sparks the beginning of Ophelia’s demise. This happens because to insure no one knows that Hamlet is acting as if he is crazy, he only tells his most trusted friend Horaito. Ophelia does not know he is only acting for the possible spies, and takes everything Hamlet says seriously. “Ophelia says I was the more deceived”[III.i.118]. After a while of this, including Hamlet yelling at her, the death of her father Polonious by the hands of Hamlet, Ophelia goes insane. This is very noticeable because she is constantly singing and her appearance is also more ragged and dirty. She does not even notice her own brother, Laertes, when he returns from school.

Shortly after this, Ophelia is found, drown in the brook. Hamlet triggers Ophelia’s insanity that then leads to her death.

While all of these tragic happenings are occurring relationships are also being torn apart. Hamlets' relations with his mother Gertrude are severed. Hamlet believes his mother is disgusting for marrying his father's brother, two months after his fathers' death.

Rightfully so because traditionally then when people were married their families became considered blood related. So this action by his mother was thought to be incestuous and

Hamlet did not agree with it at all. Hamlets' relationship with Laertes was also destroyed.

During an altercation with his mother Hamlet heard a noise behind a tapestry hanging on the wall.