Corruption, Decay, and the Rotting State Flashcards
What quote introduces the motif of decay in Denmark?
“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”
What line uses imagery of disease to describe Claudius’ rule?
- “Diseases desperate grown
- by desperate appliance
- are relieved.”
How does Hamlet describe the state of the world early in the play?
“’Tis an unweeded garden that grows to seed.”
What quote links Gertrude’s marriage to the corruption of the court?
“The funeral baked meats did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.”
What does Marcellus say to capture the atmosphere of moral rot?
“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”
What quote reflects Hamlet’s view of humanity and moral decay?
“What a piece of work is a man… and yet to me, what is this quintessence of dust?”
What image does Claudius use to describe the spread of danger?
“Diseased: the whole ear of Denmark is rankly abused.”
What does the Ghost suggest about the corruption of his murder?
- “Murder most foul,
- as in the best it is;
- but this most foul, strange, and unnatural.”
