Religious corruption in Hamlet's play. Discuss
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The first and central occurrence of corruption in Hamlet is the murder of King Hamlet by Claudius and his subsequent usurpation of the Danish. He also marries Gertude, King Hamlet's former wife. From an Elizabethan perspective, such a marriage would have been considered adultery and incest. “She married — O most wicked speed! To post With such dexterity to incestuous sheets! It is not, nor it cannot come to good.” (1.2.156.158). King Hamlet's assassination takes place before the play's narrative begins. We are informed about it by King Hamlet's ghost: “The serpent that did sting thy father's life Now wears his crown” (1.5.39-40). This “primal eldest curse,” a brother's murder, is the crux of the play, the pivotal event that triggers all the corruption and intrigue. As Hamlet puts it: “Ay, sir, to be honest as this world goes is to be one man picked out of ten thousand.” (2.2.178-79). His obsession with corruption imbues his senses for most parts of the play.
We find corruption mainly in the act of taking and planning the act of vengeance. Claudius' “self-defence” against Hamlet becomes a source of corruption, too, when he realises how Hamlet could threaten his throne. In the beginning he is well-disposed towards Hamlet, calls him his son and confirms him as successor of the throne. Hamlet does not respond positively to these seemingly sympathetic overtures, since he envisions his “war” against Claudius, if not life in general as an endless struggle played by unfair rules: “Th'oppressor's wrong, the proud man is contumely,” (3.1.71). Hamlet is upset with his own fate and the world order in general. He even calls all of Denmark a prison (2.2.243). Claudius as king is a formidable opponent, forcing Hamlet to use all his wits to entrap him, even in the wake of considerable loss of life as the play progresses.