Introduction
Hamlet is a catastrophe play composed by William Shakespeare. The play is set in Denmark during the Middle Ages and demonstrates the main characters' desire for revenge and power. The play contains several instances that portray the imagery of poison and corruption (deception). Shakespeare uses metaphorical poison to illustrate how the main characters in Hamlet fall due to being corrupted by their need for revenge and others by their greed. In the entire play, we can see several examples of the image of corruption, rottenness in middle age Denmark is shown by healthy plants and everything else rotting and decaying and poison killing many things as well. This paper discusses the role of images of corruption and poison in hamlet, as portrayed by Shakespeare.
Role of Poison
Poison plays a crucial role in play development. It is the primary cause of death in the play. In act (I) scene (iv), we see the first use of poison when Hamlet's father appears to him in the form of a ghost and reveals to Hamlet that he was killed by Claudius who poured poison into his ears." In the porches of my ears did pour the leprous distilled, whose impact has hostility with man's blood." Hamlet's father and the former king getting poisoned shows how the entire country of ancient Denmark will be poisoned by the leadership of Claudius. The repetitive image of poison can be described as a metaphoric message in the play as poison is poured in the ears of the characters in the play in terms of gossiping, some seeking revenge and evil thoughts spreading across the entire kingdom of Denmark.
Gertrude, the mother of Hamlet, dies after consuming a poisonous drink in act (v) scene (ii) 'Thou incestuous, murderers, damned Dane, drink this portion follow my mother.' The final scene of Hamlet is based around the theme of poison since most of the characters die through poisoning. Hamlet, Laertes, and Claudius die soon after Gertrude's death, their death caused by a poisonous sword.
Claudius plans to kill Hamlet by inviting him in a fencing fight against Laertes. Hamlet has no idea that Claudius has a plan to kill him by poisoning the sword that Laertes is going to use in the battle in that if he is cut or pierce Hamlet, the poison gets into his blood flow and therefore, he dies from the poison. If Hamlet is to emerge victorious from the fight, Claudius has poisoned the wine that he intends to give to Hamlet to congratulate him on winning the battle. Claudius's plan does not go as he expected, and before he could stop his wife and Hamlet's mother, she drinks the poisoned wine which was meant to be given to hamlet if he emerged victorious from his fight with Laertes.
The fight goes on has planned, and Laertes manages to cut Hamlet with the poisoned sword. Hamlet quickly realizes he has been poisoned and says in act (v) scene (ii), "The powerful poison quite o'er crows my spirit." Hamlet quickly gathers himself and kills both Claudius and Laertes with the same sword, which had poison, and Hamlet dies soon after. Additionally, Claudius's character is poisoned metaphorically. For instance, every individual that Claudius plans and plots with dies. Hamlet stabs Polonius accidentally, thinking its Claudius. Polonius was sent to spy on Hamlet by Claudius and ends up dead. Former friends of Hamlet Guildenstern and Rosencrantz conspired with Claudius, who instructs them to spy on Hamlet and have him killed.
Hamlet, who is the main character of the play, has an endless wish of revenging his father's death; this, therefore, is Hamlet's metaphoric poison in that this wish for revenge leads to his death. This desire for revenge leads him to not even care about his welfare has he tells Polonius in act (ii) scene (ii) 'you can't, take away anything that I will more willingly part withal except my life, except my life.' It foreshadows what happens later has his burning wish for revenge ends up being the cause of his death.
Another recurring theme or image in the development of the play is corruption. Many of the characters are morally corrupt as they are portrayed as greedy and manipulative, and some have an undying desire for revenge. At the beginning of the play Francisco a character who doesn't appear much during the play, says, 'I am sick at heart.' Thus, giving a lead on what the play is based on. From the beginning, we see that Claudius is corrupt, has he killed his brother because he wanted to dethrone him, become the king, and also desires his brother's wife, who he later married after killing the old king Hamlet.
Another instance where we see the manipulative ways of Claudius is when he convinces Laertes that it is Hamlet solely responsible for the death of her sister Ophelia even though she drowns herself in the river. Laertes vows to revenge the death of his sister as well as his father, Polonius, who was killed accidentally by Hamlet. Claudius then proposes a fight between the two to settle their differences. Claudius then manipulates Laertes to use a sword that is poisoned to kill Hamlet faster.
The late father of Hamlet appears to Hamlet in the form of a ghost and says to him 'duller thou be than the fat weed that easily roots itself on Lethe wharf.' The statement describes Claudius as a weed that is large and will destroy or corrupt the right crops on the farm, the farm here being the kingdom of Denmark. Gertrude, the mother to Hamlet, is morally corrupt; she marries Claudius after her husband died; she doesn't even give herself time to mourn the fallen king. Hamlet says in act (i) scene (ii) 'small month, in which she follows me poor fathers' body, in tears she even…Marries my uncle.' it shows Hamlet's surprise to how his mother marries Claudius quickly.
Father's Ghost Manipulation
Hamlet, too, is manipulated by his father's ghost. His revelation to Hamlet is that it was Claudius who killed him. The ghost tells Hamlet to 'revenge his unnatural and foul murder.' Hamlet, who was still mourning the death of his father and how dearly he loved his father, vowed to avenge his father's death. We see how morally corrupt Hamlet is when the ghost of his father asks Hamlet to show kindness and forgive his mother for marrying Claudius. Hamlet responds by saying he will completely erase any good memory he has of his mother. 'From the table of memory, I will wipe any trivial evidence.'
Corruption
Guildenstern and Rosencrantz, who have been friends with Hamlet since they were children, are corrupted by Claudius and the queen, who instructs them to spy on Hamlet in the act (ii) scene (ii) 'I beg you, to go quickly and visit my son who has changed. Claudius, having watched a play organized by Hamlet, the play intention being to test if Claudius was responsible for the death of his father, feels threatened by Hamlet. He corrupts Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to accompany Hamlet with a letter to the king of England, instructing him to kill Hamlet.
Conclusion
Taking everything into account, we see that poison and corruption play a significant role in the development of the play. Hamlet and Claudius have corrupted everyone around them. The characters not only die a physical death due to drinking of poison or getting stabbed with a poisoned sword, but also the death of their kindness and morals, some their mental health deteriorates. Thus, showing the critical roles poison and corruption play in the development of the play. Claudius's selfishness and greed to maintain his status as the king with Hamlet's desire for revenge at all cost are the poison that leads to the death of them both, their trusted advisors and the fall of the kingdom of Denmark.
