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Essay / Free Hamlet Essays: Images in Hamlet - 503
Imageries in HamletThe images in the play Hamlet are composed of disease, poison, and decadence, which adds to the overall atmosphere of horror and tragedy. First, Hamlet uses images of illness to show the state of the country of Denmark and his mother. Second, the imagery of poison is used to describe the death of his father. Finally, Hamlet describes his feelings towards himself and towards Claudius as well as his feelings towards his mother using images of decadence. In Hamlet, as in all literature, imagery adds to the reader's ability to imagine the feeling of the story. In the first act of Hamlet, Hamlet uses the imagery of illness to describe the state of Denmark. He is unhappy with what happened in the country. “There is something rotten in Denmark.” He describes how disgusted he is with his mother and how she sleeps with his uncle using images of illness. “It will only skin and film the ulcerous place / While high-level corruption, the mining of all within, infects invisibly.” Illness imagery is a main factor in this story and is used extensively. This shows a feeling of disgust that Hamlet feels towards the surrounding situation in the play and his life. Poison imagery is used when the ghost describes the death of Hamlet's father in such a way as to disgust Hamlet and incite him to seek revenge. “…/ your uncle stole / with the juice of cursed hebona in a vile, / And in the porches of my ears poured / The leprous distillate, whose effect / Holds such enmity with the blood of man / … / And curds, like greedy droppings in milk, / … / with a vile and loathsome crust / My whole body smooth The imagery of poison is used to express and provoke a feeling of horror in the reader. is obsessed with suicide and wants his skin to melt because he is disgusted with himself "Oh that such defiled flesh would melt, / Thaw, and dissolve into dew..." This adds to the feeling that the hamlet is disturbed. and then gets worse he wants the king to die like a beggar and rip out his guts "Just to show you how a king can progress / in a beggar's guts." angry and disturbed adding a feeling of horror..