The Rotten State of Denmark - a Study of Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Hamlet’s ‘Words, words, words’...

Hamlet’s disillusionment and sorrow may be inherent in his character - he is, after all, a sensitive and emotional young man caught in a destiny not of his own making - but his frequent use of language and imagery related to corruption serve to enhance the atmosphere of chaos and motifs of immorality which inform our understanding of the play. 

Act 1 Scene 2 - "O that this too too sullied flesh would melt..."

Find references to the following and use them to explore Hamlet’s mood and state of mind:

	How does this opening reference to ‘self-slaughter’ convey Hamlet’s mood?
	Find examples of language with negative connotations. 
	How does Shakespeare use the metaphor of a garden here?
	What are his views on women and his mother’s marriage?
	What does the image of a ‘satyr’ convey abut Claudius?

Act 2 Scene 2 - "I will tell you why..."

Find references to the following and use them to explore Hamlet’s mood and state of mind:

	Hamlet’s expression of his mood 
	How the earth around him appears, in his view 
	What he thinks of the nature of man 

© Ministry of Education, Wellington, New Zealand (First published 1998)