Hamlet – Imagery
Disease/corruption/rottenness/poison
Horatio: “This bodes some strange eruption to our state”
the illness of old Norway (uncle of Fortinbras)
Hamlet, on the state of the world: “’tis an unweeded garden”
and on hearing of the ghost - “foul deeds will rise” (end of scene)
I iv
Marcellus: “something is rotten in the state of Denmark”
Iv
Ghost in Purgatory: “foul deeds ... are purged away”
detailed description of the working of the poison given by the ghost. “leperous
distilment” , “vile and loathsome crust”.
II ii
Hamlet’s talk of rottenness and death: “maggots in a dead dog”.
Hamlet on the world: “a foul and pestilent contagion of vapours”
III i
King’s words are smooth, his rotten deeds underneath, like make up covering “the
harlot’s cheek”.
In Hamlet’s “to be or not to be” speech – “the native hue of resolution/Is sicklied o’er
with the pale cast of thought”.
III ii Poisoning in the play within a play.
Hamlet’s aside: “wormwood, wormwood”.
III iii Claudius: “my foul murder”, “my offence is rank, it smells to heaven”
Hamlet about Claudius near end of scene:
“This physic but prolongs thy sickly days”
III iv c 44. - “blister”, 51 - “thought-sick”, “like a mildew’d ear” (Hamlet about
Claudius). Hamlet Snr. by contrast a “wholesome brother”.
c. 94 “stew’d in corruption” (Hamlet scolding Gertrude).
c. 147-149 Gertrude must not cover up her guilt, pretending it’s just Hamlet’s
madness talking. That would be like hiding an ulcer:
“it will but skin and film the ulcerous place. whiles rank corruption.....
Infects unseen”
IV i
ironically Claudius sees Hamlet as “a foul disease”.
IV iii Hamlet talks about guts, worms, beggars.
King about Hamlet: “like the hectic in my blood he rages”.
IV iv Hamlet on the war between Fortinbras and Poland:
“This is th’ imposthume of much wealth and peace,
That inward breaks, and shows no cause without”
(like the previously mentioned ulcer)
God didn’t give us Reason to be unused and left to rot:
“to fust in us unused”
IV v Gertrude: “my sick soul”
King Claudius about Ophelia: “the poison of deep grief”.
King Claudius about Laertes: “wants not buzzers to infect his ear” (ironic considering
how King Hamlet died.
IV vii Laertes on Hamlet’s return: “It warms the very sickness of my heart”.
King regards Hamlet as an “ulcer”.
Laertes will use poisonous substance on the sword: “unction”
The King plans to poison the drink.
Vi
the discussion on rotten corpses in the graveyard: “pocky corses”
V ii
Hamlet about Claudius: “this canker of our nature”.
Hamlet’s doubts about the match: “how ill all’s here about my heart”.
Ii
I ii
Find examples of Nature imagery – at least 10 quotes.