“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark”

What is rotten we may wonder? Marcellus mentions this line after witnessing Hamlet running toward the ghost without the certainty of the ghost being his father or just an evil spirit. Being in a presence of a ghost is never a good thing. Ghosts are spirits that cannot rest in peace because they have unfinished business on earth. Their unfinished business causes them to linger around amongst the living.  The readers and audiences know that the ghost solemnly wants to speak with Hamlet, and we can suspect what it is about. These lines pronounced by Marcellus makes the readers be on high alert because we as readers know that something bad is about to happen. That “something” is mentioned in Marcellus line. Marcellus is worried because there is no knowledge of if the ghost is indeed Hamlet’s father, and of what he will tell the emotional fragile Hamlet. The fact that the ghost came back is not a good sign; because he will disturb the peace when he reveals something knows. The fact that the ghost did not want to speak in the presence of Marcellus and Francesco reinforces Horatio’s fear.

The second interpretation that we can give to this line is that the “something “mentioned by Marcellus in this line can be a direct reference to the incest that is being committed by Gertrude and Claudius. This betrayal is something that is unforgivable, it smells like dirt, and a king is dead. The unnatural death of the king is upsetting the change of being. This change will affect the whole kingdom; because what has been disturbed needs to be put back in place.  Therefore, the state of Denmark will never be the same again. The garbage has to be taken out since “something” has grown to rot. If it is rotten it means that this incest has been going on for a long time behind Hamlet senior’s back. There is no turning back since Gertrude and Claudius married and Hamlet senior is dead. This death can be seen as the catalyst to something dramatic that will change Denmark.

Why is this statement important in the play? It can be seen as the thesis of the following events. This phrase highlights the scenery of the play; the fact that everybody is being careful by not trusting their surroundings. The espionage that is going on in the play shows exactly how nobody is worth trusting. Hamlet goes as far as putting an antic- disposition just to mask his plan. The “something” that is rotten that Marcellus is referring to in this line can also be the state of minds of two characters Claudius and Gertrude especially Claudius. These two characters feel guilt toward Hamlet. Their actions, their betrayal is the “something” that is rotten. Claudius fears to be unmasked by Hamlet. Hamlet can smell this guilt that has been rotten for quite sometimes now, and it is Hamlet job to put an end to this guilt by exposing Claudius betrayal. 

Melanie

“A dream itself is but a shadow” (II, 2, 279)

Hamlet says this in Act II Scene 2 while having a discussion with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. This sentence can be interpreted on different levels and linked with the play as a whole.

Clearly, “shadow” can be linked with the ghost of Hamlet’s father. Hence, the ghost could represent something more internal to Hamlet, another one of his bad dreams. The ghost could be the materialization, as a shadow, of Hamlet’s bad dreams, fears, and heinous thoughts.

“A dream” can refer to nightmares but also to ambition or desires. Here, Hamlet’s dreams to avenge his father don’t become real, they don’t materialize themselves, they stay shadows as he is never able to take action.

The theme of depression and oppositions can also be illustrated by this sentence. Here, a dream becomes something negative and weak. Hamlet cannot see the beauty in the world, he cannot rest when he sleeps. Everything in his world has become dirty and unworthy: dreams and ambition are not real, they are futile.

 Beatrice

“The primrose path of dalliance” I, iii, 54

“The primrose path of dalliance” I, iii, 54

Primrose: A cultivated plant of European woodlands that produces pale yellow flowers in the early spring.
Primrose: A pale yellow color.
Primrose: The best
Primrose: The first

With four different definitions for primrose that could all easily apply to the sentence while still making sense, whether metaphorically or literally, it’s difficult really to figure out which definition Shakespeare applied to the word himself.

“Primerose path” does not necessarily have to mean a path bordered by daisies.

Primrose is a pale yellow color. To be yellow is to be cowardly, therefore “The [yellow] path of dalliance” would mean “The [cowardly] path of dalliance.”
In context with what Ophelia is saying, it’s very possible that Shakespeare meant for Ophelia to be condescending towards her brother.
Ophelia’s entire phrase translated is said to mean “show me how to live a strict and virtuous life while you yourself follow a life of self-indulgence.” In other words she tells her brother to take the advice he’s given her and use it too.
The “yellow” definition of the word “primrose” is absolutely in context with the sentence once condescension is applied to Ophelia’s voice. It all comes down then to Ophelia’s tone. Such tone would add to whatever comic relief Shakespeare is said to have included in this tragedy.
“The [best] path of dalliance” or “the [first] path of dalliance” would indicate that Ophelia is sincerely urging her brother to follow his own advice. These two are more in context with what Ophelia is saying for the simple fact that she rarely jokes when confronted by serious conversation, contrary to her “better half” Hamlet.

“Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all” (III, I, 91)

In scene 1 of act III, after Guildenstern and Rosencrantz return without any new information about Hamlet’s madness, the King and Polonius decide to throw Ophelia at him so as to know if love for her is the actual cause for his changed state of mind. Before Hamlet sees Ophelia, he contemplates suicide for the second time, but once more he is stopped by his moral core, but also by his fear of the afterlife.

In this quote, Hamlet expresses that what he has seen, glimpsed, of his father’s afterlife has made him a coward, scared him away from following his desire of killing himself. Thus, not only does he still know that he would be sinning were he to kill himself, which was originally what stopped him, he is no longer governed by morals and principles, but by fear. His new knowledge has made him, from a righteous man, into a coward. Thus, he is forced to live on through his suffering.

But fear and cowardice also play a great role in his plan to avenge his father’s murder. Indeed, unlike the young Fortinbras, who immediately prepares to march on Denmark after his father is killed in battle against the now dead king Hamlet, Hamlet makes up plan after plan to make sure his uncle really is his father’s killer, thus postponing the time to act continuously. Indeed, first he pretends to be mad, then he stages a play, etc. 

Though caution may be good when dealing with such a delicate situation, not knowing for sure if the ghost really was his father and not a demon, and so, for a long time, not truly knowing if Claudius really had murdered his father, he seems to goes to excessive lengths and through very indirect ways of finding out. For example, he decides to act mad so as not to be suspected of knowing, yet never does he use this cover to truly and effectively investigate. It will be only at his mother’s death, when she drinks the poisoned drink intended for him, that he will take action and avenge his father’s death by killing Claudius. 

“The time is out of joint” (I, v, 210)

This line is spoken by Hamlet at the end of the first act. At this point, Hamlet has just confronted the ghost of his father, and has asked Horatio and Marcellus to swear by his sword that they shall not speak of what they saw that night to anyone. Hamlet has also decided—just before reciting the line—that he will put an “antic disposition” on. Hamlet has just learned from the ghost that his uncle murdered his father, and the ghost wants Hamlet to avenge him. When Hamlet says “the time is out of joint” he is referring to the state in which Denmark has found itself: being led by a man who murdered his brother and committed a regicide. The word “joint” gives us the image of limbs. Limbs are connected by joints (like the shoulder or fingers), so to say that time is out of joint tells us that time has been dislocated or broken; the time is wrong. Following this line, Hamlet states that he is to one who must set time right again: “O cursèd spite/That ever I was born to set it right!

This line is slightly similar to an earlier one said by Marcellus: “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” Both lines show that something has happened in Denmark that is wrong—that has disrupted the natural order of life. The line “The time is out of joint” is demonstrated very clearly in Macbeth when Macbeth killed the king—committing a regicide like Claudius—and suddenly, things were not right; for example, the horses ate each other showing that the natural order of being has been disrupted. In Hamlet, the natural order of being has also been disrupted as a king has been murdered by his own brother and married his brother’s wife, creating a kind of incest. On these three counts, Claudius has wronged the natural order of being, and Hamlet must now make things right.

Hamlet Passage Study-- "Frailty, thy name is woman" (p.29; I,2, l.150)

In this passage, Hamlet is alone after all of the King’s court has exited and the audience has seen for the first time the unnatural situation Hamlet is faced against. His soliloquy examines, among other things, how much his mother, Gertrude, is in fault for marrying Claudius. In the end, Hamlet explains his mother’s actions are caused by the “frailty” that is common to all women. Although a modern audience would see this as a misogynistic attack, Hamlet assures that he is being rational by saying “Let me think on’t.” Indeed, we believe his rationality and objective observations of the facts presented because he is a student at Wittenberg. The statement “frailty, thy name is woman” is made to sound like a universal truth. Hamlet goes on to say how this “frailty” acts as a tragic flaw to women, and especially to Gertrude. He notes how “she [Gertrude] would hang on him [Claudius] as if increase of appetite had grown by what it fed on,” expressing how Gertrude’s frailty provokes a vicious circle that she cannot escape. One could easily see how frailty is somewhat of a tragic flaw for Gertrude. She fell for and married Claudius due to this flaw, which is common to all women. However, it is questionable whether Gerturde is truly “frail” or not has as she has been able to mask her true intentions “like Niobe all tears;” in other words, Gertrude might not really be “frail” and just be putting on a disguise. Hamlet’s constant debate over who is at fault and how to react to the unnatural marriage and his indecisiveness eventually becomes his biggest flaw.

HAMLET SENTENCE

Ok donc je comprends absolument rien de ma phrase donc je fais de mon mieux :)

Act 2, Scene 2

Yet I,
A dull and muddy- mettled rascal, peak
Like John-a- dreams, unpregnant of my cause

In this passage, Act 2, scene 2 of Shakespeare's Hamet, Hamlet is alone, lamenting after having watched a play portraying what he is going through. He is especially drawn to one character in particular to whom he sympathizes, yet envies. He wishes he could be as moved and feel the same way as one of the actor he saw. He doesn't understand why an actor could be so touched by a story whereas he cannot convey his emotions to anyone. The actor not only feels the pain of the part he is playing but he has the power to "drown the stage with tears." In parallel, Hamlet can only express these feelings when alone but he is mostly frustrated that he cannot do anything about them. He claims that he is a "muddy- mettled rascal," unable to express his emotions in order angry the guilty. He indeed that he is a dishonest man, yet he wishes to feel the emotions of an actor. The actor is portraying superficial sentiments since he did not actually live the events he is portraying on a stage. Hamlet believes he is a rascal while comparing his feelings to superficial sentiments. He is traumatized by the actor's performance which is putting his self- esteem in question and asks " Am I a coward?".

In addition, Shakespeare uses the metaphor of Hamlet being "unpregnant of his cause". His cause is the fact that he should be the heir to the throne. It is the natural order of things that since his father was King, he should inherit the title. A pregnancy is the most natural experience that belongs to the order of things as well. Titles such as King are passed through generations because of pregnancies that have given birth to heirs. Hamlet's cause is also avenging his father which is supposed to be natural but the fact that he has to think everything through makes him unpregnant. The fact that he is unable to act and have the passion that he should have toward his cause emphasizes the fact that his is "unpregnant." In addition, Shakespeare underlines how unnatural Hamlet's situation is to explain that we are not in a logical state where things are in order. Indeed, men cannot get pregnant, here, by saying that Hamlet is unpregnant of his cause, it makes it seem as if he should be pregnant of his cause which would still not belong to the order of things. Also, the actor Hamlet has seen is unpregnant of his cause because he does not have any cause, he is just playing the role of someone who does have a cause, yet, Hamlet still wishes he could feel what he feels. Earlier in the passage, Hamlet states that the player, "in a dream of passion" touched the audience. He then compares himself to John-a-dreams which means that he dreams too, but it is not passionate, it is not with the same power and emotion that the actor has shown him. Overall, Hamlet is frustrated of his cause and his lack of action and passion towards it.

“the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals—and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?” (II, ii, 330-2)

This quote is a line spoken by Hamlet in scene 2 of Act II, during the dialogue between Hamlet and his two old friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Here, Hamlet addresses Rosencrantz. The entire quote is about man; Hamlet describes man as “the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals” and then questions this earlier view of man by asking himself “and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?” Paragon literally means “a model or example of excellence” and quintessence: “the very essence.” Quintessence is a word used to describe that which transcends “the four earthly essences” (glossary’s definition), and here it therefore degrades man by describing the human race as nothing but the tiniest, smallest particle or piece of dust. Hamlet sees that one the one hand, all others view man as some amazing, wonderful creature, yet he is unable to do so himself: the dash between the two parts of the quote reflects this troubling difference. Moreover, Hamlet has no answer to his question: he can only wonder what man is to him, but he does not give a clear response to this.

This quote is an important one, because it is central to understanding how Hamlet sees man in general, as well as himself and the other characters of the play. Hamlet even becomes something of a misanthrope, rejecting those around him and isolating himself in his pain and in order to complete his mission. It continues with the general theme of his depression and of his questions about life, about action, about the point of life. This conception of man as nothing but the “quintessence of dust” shows that for Hamlet, life may be futile, since humans are nothing. Royalty and titles are but names given to pieces of the earth; worthless. The idea of man being equated with dust recalls well-known religious sayings that also emphasize the futility of man and the ephemerality of life itself: “ashes to ashes, dust unto dust,” “vanity of vanities, all is but vanity.” These are mirrored by the end of the play, with the deaths of all those who seemed central and important: Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Laertes, Polonius, and Ophelia. After having followed them for these 5 acts, all that they amount to is dust, fated to being forgotten.

“A little more than kin and less than kind” (I, ii, 67) – Hamlet

This is Hamlet’s first line in the play. Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet, has just died. Now, Claudius, King Hamlet’s brother, has married his wife Gertrude and usurped the throne. Claudius just called Hamlet his cousin, but also his son. Hamlet is now saying that they are even more related than they were before. Claudius was just his uncle before, but he is now also his stepfather. One can say that this disturbs Hamlet because of his low opinion of Claudius. He married Gertrude only one month after Hamlet Senior’s death, and now Claudius is like a father to Hamlet. Hamlet then says that it is “less than kind,” meaning that it is very unnatural; they are practically family. Additionally, by saying “less than kind,” he could also mean that it is not very nice or considerate of Claudius to replace his own brother this way. Hamlet clearly disapproves of their marriage and later in the scene expresses his disgust towards the marriage, including describing it as incest, in his soliloquy.

"Get thee to a nunnery"

In Act 3, Hamlet and Ophelia have their first conversation since he appeared to her in her chamber all dishevelled.  Was this Hamlet's goodbye?  If so, it would explain his first use of this puzzling command, coded as usual, by the use of puns, a trademark of Hamlet's wit and constant duality.  Hamlet's urging to Ophelia that she go to a nunnery offers a pun on the word nunnery, simultaneously a convent and a brothel.  His first use of the command may be protective on his part.  He has loved Ophelia but now there is no more room for such love, and his urging that she go could be protective.  He may be seeking to protect her from the court's sinful nature, a place of lechery, where she is in danger of "conceiving," as he has already indicated to Polonius, of falling into illicit impurities; he may be seeking to protect her from him and making a reference to the once amorous nature they had, even suggesting that they had consumated their love, as Laertes suspected in the beginning.  However, as the scene unfolds and Hamlet discovers that Ophelia, like the others, has betrayed him and is part of the court's spies, pimped out and loosed out on him, his tone turns more caustic and the command indicates condemnation rather than protectiveness.  He will repeat himself and become borderline violent towards Ophelia, lumping her in with all women (a reminder of what he said earlier about Gertrude: "frailty, thy name is woman") and turning to clearly mysoginistic thoughts about the ways women behave towards men, so that she is clearly now to join the brothel that suits her and not the convent that should have protected her.  This quote anticipates further aggressive towards Ophelia in the play within the play, when he will make lewd comments and suggestions and will lead to her tragic mad end.
The question the reader may ask is the following: does Ophelia deserve such treatment?  Unlike Rosencrantz and Gildenstern who are clear opportunists, Ophelia is a pawn and meant to be obedient to king and father.  Hamlet's treatment of her is overly harsh and unfair; he could have understood her predicament if he truly loved her.  However, he is too far gone in his depression and despair to do so, which also is understandable.  Still, personally I believe that he is directly responsible for her tragedy.  The Hamlet in these scenes is violent and wrongfully aggressive, caught up in the rage he feels but unable to direct his acts towards the one he should: Claudius.  Ophelia will become collateral damage, victim of this patriarchal society that objectifies her, locks her in and vilifies her.

Making links

Write posts in response to the following:

"O, What a rogue and peasant slave am I!"

Write a passage thesis that contains: character, themes, tone.  Include the main lines of the character/passage's arguments/ideas



identify the key devices in the passage



2 links---pick a theme, for example "self-loathing."  Connect to 2 texts studied:




If you couldn't, then here are 2 I will propose to you:

--Marlow in Heart of Darkness

--Pecola in The Bluest Eye

For each, identify the self-loathing within its context, compared to Hamlet's, and discuss, stylistically, how the authors achieved this.


Now, consider talking about characters from last year:
madness in Darl
tragedy in Troy
vengeance in Frankenstein
role of women in Pride and Prejudice