Use Of Imagery In Hamlet

Shakespeare’s Use of Imagery to Aid the Story of Hamlet

Imagery is a powerful tool in literacy, authors use it to help the reader visualise the story. If a story does not have imagery it is hard for the reader to enjoy the story and get into it. It helps the reader visualize the story and can transport the reader into the story therefore they enjoy it more. Shakespeare is known for his extensive use of imagery. In the play Hamlet, Shakespeare uses imagery to aid the reader visualize the story and make the story interesting. Shakespeare’s use of disease and death imagery aid in showing how the evil and corruption spread in Denmark.

It can be argued that the source of corruption and evil in Denmark had been around before the play started. However

It can be argued that the spying and lying was always in Denmark and did not just start during the time that the play was set. The evil and corruption in Denmark spread to the point where the people are spying and lying to each other. The spying and deception started with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern when they were sent to spy on Hamlet. While talking to him, Hamlet says that the air in Denmark is filled with a disease. He says to them “why, it appears/no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent/congregation of vapours.” (II, ii, 301-303) Shakespeare uses the imagery of disease here to show that the air in Denmark is filled with disease and everyone is breathing it and the evil and corruption is spreading in Denmark. Guildenstern and Rosencrantz were paid to spy on Hamlet which shows the corruption and the evil in them can be seen easily since they quickly turned on their oldest and closest friend just for money. More spying and deception can be seen when Polonius and Claudius devise a plan to spy on Hamlet by using Ophelia. While Hamlet is talking to Ophelia he asks her where her father is and she says that she doesn’t know. Hamlet knows that she is lying, he suspects that they are spying on him and he wishes for a sickness on Ophelia because she lied. He says “If thou dost marry, I’ll give thee this plague for/thy dowry.” (III, I, 135-136) Shakespeare uses

Shakespeare introduced the story with the introduction of the ghost in the first scene which set a mood for the rest of the play. The appearance of the ghost introduced the evil and corruption in Denmark which lead to spying and deception within the characters. The spying and deception eventually led to the planning if murder which eventually led to the massacre and the deaths of the royal family. It can be seen in this play that the imagery used by Shakespeare aided in showing how the spread of evil and corruption spread through Denmark and this also shows how the use of imagery helped. The use of imagery aids the reader in having a better understanding of the story and makes the story more interesting. An author who uses imagery not only makes the story more interesting but also makes the reader more interested in the story and that’s what the author wants, to make the reader be interested in the story and want to read it. Imagery in books is a powerful tool that authors use to help the reader be more interested in the