Decay, Madness, Corruption

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” (Act 1, Scene 4)

This iconic line by Marcellus metaphorically suggests deep-seated political and moral corruption in Denmark, extending beyond Claudius' rule to the state itself.

“By heaven, it is as proper to our age / To cast beyond ourselves in our opinions / As it is common for the younger sort / To lack discretion.” (Act 2, Scene 1)

Polonius' remark reflects a theme of generational decay, where the old misjudge and the young act rashly—an ironic commentary on both Hamlet and the corrupt elders of Denmark.

“Oh, that this too too sullied flesh would melt, / Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew.” (Act 1, Scene 2)

Hamlet’s suicidal lament expresses physical and moral decay. His body, tainted by his grief and the corruption around him, is something he wishes to dissolve.

“A little more than kin, and less than kind.” (Act 1, Scene 2)

Hamlet’s wordplay suggests Claudius is unnatural ("less than kind" meaning both unkind and not of his true nature), highlighting the corruption in familial and political bonds.

“In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, / Stewed in corruption, honeying and making love / Over the nasty sty.” (Act 3, Scene 4)

Hamlet’s disgust for Gertrude’s marriage to Claudius is vividly conveyed through imagery of physical decay, filth, and corruption.

“The time is out of joint: O cursed spite, / That ever I was born to set it right!” (Act 1, Scene 5)

The natural order is disrupted, signifying moral and political decay, and Hamlet sees himself as reluctantly tasked with its restoration.

“Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t.” (Act 2, Scene 2)

Polonius recognizes an underlying logic in Hamlet’s apparent madness, raising questions about whether Hamlet is truly insane or merely feigning it strategically.

“Madness in great ones must not unwatched go.” (Act 3, Scene 1)

Claudius fears that Hamlet’s madness, real or feigned, poses a threat to the stability of the kingdom, reinforcing the idea that power and insanity often intertwine.

“O, what a noble mind is here o’erthrown!” (Act 3, Scene 1)

Ophelia laments Hamlet’s apparent descent into madness, reflecting the tragedy of a once-great intellect being consumed by chaos.

“To be or not to be, that is the question.” (Act 3, Scene 1)

Hamlet’s soliloquy grapples with existential despair, questioning whether life’s suffering is worth enduring—touching on both mental anguish and the broader decay of the human condition.

“I essentially am not in madness, / But mad in craft.” (Act 3, Scene 4)

Hamlet claims his madness is an act, reinforcing the theme of deception and questioning whether sanity can be a performance.

“He is dead and gone, lady, / He is dead and gone; / At his head a grass-green turf, / At his heels a stone.” (Act 4, Scene 5)

Ophelia fixates on death, showing how grief has consumed her mind. Her words suggest an inability to process her father’s murder in a coherent way.

“There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember.” (Act 4, Scene 5)

Ophelia distributes flowers with symbolic meanings, demonstrating a fragile grasp on reality while still expressing deep truths.

Scholar Maynard Mack argues that Hamlet presents a…

“world of pervasive corruption, in which appearances are deceptive and the natural order is subverted”

Jan Kott describes Hamlet as a…

"tragedy of political and moral disintegration, where the state is a diseased organism, rotting from the head down”

A.C. Bradley suggests that Hamlet….

“suffers from melancholia, a condition bordering on true madness”

John Draper contrasts Ophelia’s madness with Hamlet’s, stating that…

“while Hamlet’s madness is performative and intellectual, Ophelia’s is emotional and uncontrollable”

Fintan O’Toole suggests that Hamlet explores how…

"power itself is an agent of madness; rulers live in a world of paranoia, deception, and manipulation”