Bitter Images in HamletIn Hamlet, images of illness, poison, and decay are used by Shakespeare for a specific purpose. The descriptions of illness, poison, and decay help us understand the bitter relationships that exist in the play and Hamlet's cynicism. We see Hamlet's pessimism in his soliloquy as he contemplates suicide. The resentful relationship that exists between Claudius and Hamlet is reinforced through the use of imagery when Claudius asks questions about Polonius. The imagery reinforces Claudius's dislike of Hamlet. Shakespeare uses imagery in this play to deepen our understanding of the emotions felt. The imagery of decadence is used to help understand the depression Hamlet feels in his first soliloquy about suicide. “Oh that this too soiled flesh melts, thaws and dissolves into dew” (I;ii, 129-130). Hamlet is essentially communicating that he wishes to no longer exist in this world. He wants to die and live outside the ground. An image of Hamlet's flesh, decaying, combining with the ground is produced. At this moment we can grasp Hamlet's true emotions. We feel his pain and his desire for death. Hamlet continues to say, “How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable / Seems to me to be all the uses of this world!” Fi, ah, fi, it's a garden without weeds / That grows to the seed. Things are classed and gross in nature / Just own it. We can understand the real motivation for his suicide. Shakespeare allows us to penetrate into the soul of Hamlet by creating these vivid images. Claudius's relationship with Hamlet is a dream... middle of paper... due to Hamlet's pessimism about life. Imagery is also used significantly to depict the bitter emotions that exist between Hamlet and Claudius. When Claudius questions Hamlet about the whereabouts of Polonius, we see the foul relationship through imagery. As Claudius recognizes Hamlet's behavior and madness, he reveals the anger he feels towards Hamlet. In Hamlet's soliloquy, in reference to suicide, the imagery shows us his dark feelings. In Hamlet we really see what many images of depth offer us. The images of disease, poison, and decay give us a chance to truly understand the true emotions the characters are experiencing in their minds and souls. With the imagery created by Shakespeare, we as readers can truly understand the feelings felt by the characters in Hamlet, which are not always obvious but important..