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“Not one now, to mock your own grinning? quite chap-fallen? Now get you to my lady's chamber, and tell her, let her paint an inch thick, to this favour she must come; make her laugh at that." (Act V, Scene I, 237)

In the "Gravedigger Scene", Hamlet has Yorick's skull in his hands. During a long dialogue, he recalls his times with Yorick and goes into his existentialist spiel, where he asks for the skull to be sent to Gertrude's chamber so she can see that no matter what she does, she will end up like Yorick, a skull in the ground.

Definition:
Chap-fallen: with one's lower jaw hanging due to extreme exhaustion or dejection.

Irony:
This quote illustrates the meaning of rotting and corruption by implying that no matter what power you are born into, in the end, a poor beggar and a wealthy king will both be equal in the finality of death.

Tone:
Hamlet's tone changes throughout the excerpt, he becomes more direct and serious when he references his mother at the end, as Hamlet goes from talking to the skull at the beginning to talking to Horatio at the end.

Diction:
"Let her paint an inch thick" -
Hamlet references the way women use to make back in that time but also alludes to the way Gertrude is putting on a fake face not caring about her husband's death or the way he was murdered.

Overall Meaning:
Hamlet coming face to face with an embodiment of death makes him think about what comes after death, and if this all really matters.

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“…so the whole ear of Denmark Is by a forged process of my death Rankly abused: but know, thou noble youth, The serpent that did sting thy father's life Now wears his crown.” (Act I, Scene V, 57)

In Act I, when Hamlet encounters the ghost of his father, his father explains the cause of his demise, which was the fact he was murdered by the current king, Claudius

Diction:
Serpent, Sting - This statement exemplifies diction since the serpent refers to a snake that leaves poison behind. Like Claudius poisoned King Hamlet, Claudius could be described as the serpent.

Symbol:
Ear - Ears have been commonly used throughout the play. The King's ghost could be dropping a hint about the way he was murdered, poison through the ear. But also in the context of the line, the ear symbolizes hearing and how Claudius lied to the people of Denmark about King Hamlet's death.

Allusion:
"the serpent that did sting thy father's life now wears his crown" - This line is an allusion to the betrayal of Claudius, murdering King Hamlet. It connects back to representing the poisoning by using a serpent, known for spreading venom in its victim, comparing Claudius to a serpent.

Overall Meaning
The first big reveal of the play, Claudius' murder of the king, sets into motion the plot of the play itself, as Hamlet's goal throughout is to avenge his father's demise.

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Theme: The desire for power can corrupt the heart, mind, and soul.

Claudius is going against his religious faith by murdering his brother and marrying his widow, going against the Ten Commandments.

Claudius loses his sense of morals, as he looks to murder his nephew and manipulate Laertes and Rosencrantz/Guildenstern to do his own bidding.

All throughout the play, Claudius' desire for power has him slowly lose his sense of judgment, which reaches its finality when he tries to poison Hamlet in Act V and winds up accidentally killing Queen Gertrude as a result.

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Dramatic Element: Yorick's Skull in the Gravedigger Scene

The skull was a dramatic aspect in the sense that Hamlet was speaking to a skull, which represents the final destiny of his existence today.

The skull held by Hamlet signifies the duality of life and death. The skull in his hand represents death, while Hamlet represents life. They are only a hand's width apart.

Hamlet's longstanding battle with his purpose and his doubts about what comes next after death are shown in this scene, as it shows the finality of life. No matter who you are, you end up dead as a corpse in the ground.

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Symbol: Claudius Murdering King Hamlet

Claudius murdering King Hamlet before the play is the ultimate symbol of corruption.

Claudius murdering the King in the way he did to take the throne while Hamlet was at college, violated the traditional “line of succession” in royalty

This also set up Claudius as the antagonist of the play, and soon as Hamlet’s target for his anger.

Symbol: Claudius' Plots To Murder Hamlet

In several different ways, Claudius trying to murder his nephew, his direct successor, is another symbol of corruption

For one, Claudius likely begins to suspect Hamlet knows about the murder of King Hamlet, as seen in Claudius' actions after the Mousetrap play

Claudius, fearing backlash due to Hamlet's popularity despite his murder of Polonius, opted to exile the prince to England, but sent a letter with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern instructing Hamlet to be executed upon landing in England

Claudius again looks to usurp more power by cutting out his biggest obstacle to true power in a similar fashion he claimed it in the first place

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First Clown handing the skull of Yorick to Hamlet in the Gravedigger Scene in Act V, Scene I (Hamlet with Horatio, 1839 by Eugene Delacroix)

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Protestant Reformation - religious rebellion from the Catholic Church in the early 1500s predicated from the Church allowing people to “buy their way into heaven”

Hamlet shows Protestant views during the play, mainly his perception of heaven and hell.

This is shown when he, despite having an incredible opportunity, backs off on killing Claudius, not wanting to send him to heaven because he was killed by praying.

With Claudius being a Catholic, as shown by his repenting after “The Mousetrap”, Hamlet and Claudius’ differences and hatred for each other represent the Protestants breaking off from the Catholics.

Rise in Existentialism - Existentialism, a belief that challenges the religious beliefs of an afterlife, started to rise around Shakespeare’s time, partially fueled by Shakespeare

The graveyard scene upon Hamlet’s return to Denmark shows the connection between rotting and existentialism.

When Hamlet held Yorick’s skull, he gained a perspective that no matter what you were in life, you end up as a skeleton in the ground, going against the common belief at the time of a glorious afterlife.

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“The present death of Hamlet. Do it, England; For like the hectic in my blood he rages, And thou must cure me: till I know 'tis done, Howe'er my haps, my joys were ne'er begun.” (Act IV, Scene III, 189)

After Hamlet kills Polonius, Claudius sends Hamlet to England. In his soliloquy, it shows that he instructed England to kill Hamlet.

Diction:

"Do it, England" - the punctuality of the quote shows his commitment. It also shows his inability to do it himself, fearing a public backlash, so he is demanding England do it.

Blood: Claudius’s hatred for Hamlet increases throughout the play. “Hectic in my blood” infers that Claudius will not find peace until Hamlet is dead.

Mood:
Anxious, Paranoid - Claudius may have suspected Hamlet knows about the murder which causes him to send Hamlet to England to “get rid of him”.

Overall Meaning:
Claudius will not know true peace until he knows that Hamlet is dead, as he is causing him great anxiety in his current position.

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Device meaning: emotional attachments and feelings associated with the word or phrase

Rotting:  Spoiling, decaying, putrid, revolting

Corruption: Extortion, bribery, deceit, fraud,

Emotional representation of Rotting/Corruption in the text:  Rotting and corruption are represented by the skull, and Hamlet struggles throughout the play to completely comprehend the finality of death as represented by the skull.

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Rotting: (chiefly of animal or vegetable matter) decay or cause to decay by the action of bacteria and fungi;  decompose gradually deteriorate through lack of attention o.r opportunity

Corruption: dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery.the process by which something, typically a word or expression, is changed from its original use or meaning to one that is regarded as erroneous or debased.

Device Meaning: the dictionary definition of a word.

Physical Representation of rotting/corruption in the text: Polonius bribed his servant, Reynaldo, with money and notes for his trip to France. He instructs Reynaldo to investigate Laertes's behavior in Paris discreetly. Yorick's skull during the graveyard scene shows the rotting that every deceased person eventually faces.