While it may not be long or seem to represent much, this quote is a mere representation of death, sorrow, loss and the tragedy that many go through with the loss of loved ones. It’s saying that tragedy’s do not come in one small death, but rather in many, very painful ones. I believe that the painting,”Vision After the Sermon” by Gaugin is an accurate representation of this quote. This painting says a lot about battles, tragedy and death. As does the quote by Claudius and furthermore his entire speech as a whole. This painting is bright, red, and out of the ordinary just as death is. Most people on the side in the painting are praying. Praying for most likely that this fight will not end in death, because as the quote says when sorrows come, they come not single spies but in battalions. The painting and the quote both represent death, sorrow, loss and tragedy. Which is why I believe that they are the right fit for each other. - Sophia Ward

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” -Marcellus( act 1 scene 4 line 90)

This line is from the scene where hamlet and his friends/ night guards go to see the ghost with hamlet for the first time. At the end of this scene Hamlet declares that he must follow the ghost to see what he wants from him. Marcellus responds to Hamlet running off with something is rotten in the state of Denmark, meaning something bad is going to happen here. This is due to the nature of the time where it’s common to take revenge on parental death. This quote foreshadows the rest of the play, a common theme Shakespeare uses in his plays like in Romeo and Juliet when Friar Laurence is always foreshadowing the future of Romeo and Juliet. A painting that I believe goes along with this quote and it’s context is the starry night. In this painting it looks promising and beautiful but the context behind it is honestly disturbing. Van Gogh was in a asylum when he made this painting. Most of the scenery isn’t actually there, the town we see in the painting wasn’t there in the actual view, but it was assumed to be his hometown. The funny looking tree is a Cyprus tree, which represents death and despair. This painting foreshadows his future of slowly descending into a worse state of mind eventually dying by either suicide or someone else by accident, that we are unsure of. This is the main idea that hamlet uses to try and execute his plan. Hamlet slowly starts to appear more of a madman by the day due to his fathers untimely death. He hasn’t actually going mad which is the visual part, but he is slowly executing his plan of his revenge on his fathers death. This eventually leads to his own untimely death along with the person he wanted to get revenge on, his uncle. The Cyprus tree represents death and the quote something is rotten in the state of Denmark foreshadows this theme of death, in hamlet both the quote and the tree foreshadows the tragedy of death in the end.

My quote was, “Lord, we know what we are, but know not what we may be.” This is said my Ophelia in Act 4 Scene 5. During this scene, Ophelia is losing her mind. She recalls her father’s death due to a song and doesn’t know how to act or feel. Ophelia is yelling at Claudius that the future is very uncertain and one could die at any moment. I chose this painting because Vision After the Sermon shows a man wrestling with an angel, while everyone watches. This symbolizes fighting with your inner demons. Going through a hard time and not knowing how to act, while your peers watch from the side. This connects to Ophelia because she is also fighting her own inner demons. She can’t cope with the loss of her father, and is scared with the idea of death. Her family and friends have to watch her lose her mind, not knowing what to do or how to help her. The orange background in Gauguin’s painting illustrates no depth and uncertainty. This is exactly how Ophelia is feeling. She fears the future, for you can only know the present. Gauguin always raised the question as an artist, “What is the meaning of life?” Ophelia doesn’t know what the meaning of life is. She wrecked her brain trying to figure that out after her fathers death. Ophelia tries to raise the question about life, just like Gauguin, but she is too far gone for anyone around her to make sense of what she says. She lost her mind trying to know what the future holds.

A serpant stung me / but know, thou noble youth,

The serpant that did sting thy father’s life

Now wears his crown. (Act I.v.35-39)

This quote by the Ghost to Hamlet in Scene 1 is when the Ghost (King Hamlet) reveals to Hamlet that he was killed by Claudius. This causes Hamlet to become eager to avenge his fathers death.

I chose this painting because of the man and woman and because of the eerie feeling that the painting gives off. One of the main features of this painting is the architecture and how it’s advancing or changing in Paris at this time. The major industrial changes that Caillebotte shows within his paintings can be similar to the major change that Hamlet experienced with losing his father. Within this painting there is also many social classes, and within the play we also see many social classes. Specifically, the Ghost expresses that Claudius now wears his crown, so we can see a change in social class that Claudius (along with Gertrude) went through during the beginning of the play. In the painting there is a man and woman walking towards the viewer as they look to the left. To the right of them, there is a man who is partially cut out of the painting walking in the opposite direction. The man and woman represent Claudius and Gertrude who are walking and looking away from King Hamlet (Ghost) who is being cut out of the kingdom/their lives.

Painting: Les Demoiselles d’Avignon by Picasso

The reason I chose this painting in connection with Hamlet’s quote is because of the context of Hamlet’s situation and the insinuations of his rhetoric. Prior to this scene, Claudius allows Polonius to spy on Hamlet in order to see what his intentions are. In doing so, Polonius is overwhelmed with Hamlet’s strange questions and answers, because many of them have salacious undertones. Hamlet at first jokes accusing Polonius of being a “fishmonger” which is quite pejorative in its meaning; it could mean a prostitute’s pimp, a person that “fishes” for information, or a person whose daughters are prolific breeders of children. Kind of a strange first impression to someone you’ve just met, but Hamlet then mentions something about what he’s reading, and Polonius questions it, and Hamlet replies “words, words, words,” which can also be an implication to the reader that he got the term “fishmonger” from the book he was reading, which in my opinion is probably what happened. Connecting this to Les Demoiselles d’Avignon by Picasso, the image depicts multiple prostitutes at a brothel and it can be assumed that lower, working, or even upper class men are paying to see them; this in turn reveals the reality of the world in that despite paying to watch prostitutes being a “lower-class” behavior, it’s really done by everyone regardless of their wealth. This connects with my quote in Hamlet because the sexual rhetoric expressed by Hamlet and Polonius shows that despite the fact that they’re royalty, they too engage in tawdry matters, and it’s not anything specifically assigned to a social class but everyone really.

Of life, of crown, of queen, at once dispatched,”

Act I.v.74-75 Ghost

This quote from the ghost of king hamlet states that he was put to rest by his brother, Claudius. Due to this, he not only lost his life, but also his royalty and wife in an instant. The ghost informs hamlet of this information not only in an effort to seek vengeance, but also as a way to warn Prince Hamlet of the danger that Claudius presents on the throne. In my opinion, the main theme of this quote is loss and knowledge. Due to this, I believe that the modernist painting that relates most directly to the quote is Guernica by Picasso. It is believed that Picasso created this painting Guernica as a piece of work to inform the world of the horrors occurring in the Spanish Civil War, and the death toll that the war presented onto the small town of Guernica. I think that the ghost of king Hamlet informed Prince Hamlet of Claudius’ wrongdoings in a similar fashion. While Guernica informs people of the toil of war, the ghost’s message conveys an idea of injustice and loss that already has been, and could continue to be caused with Claudius at the throne.

- Hamlet (III,ii,329-33)

I think this is a fitting piece given the quote considering that Hamlet in Hamlet is talking of how he is being revealed down to the very core by his friends that know how to play upon him. In such the same way, our figure in this piece by Duchamp is in the nude, but more than that, because this is a cubist painting the figure is naked in various moments and positions, completely revealed to us just like how Rosencrantz and Guildenstern seek to reveal Hamlet.

Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew,

Or that the Everlasting had not fixed

His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter!

—Hamlet I.ii.129-132

My quote was shortly after Claudius addressed Denmark publicly of the state of the kingdom. He first mentions late Hamlets death but then counters that sadness with the fact he married late Hamlets wife. This quote represents Hamlets inner thoughts about suicide caused by these events. He thinks about just wanting to disappear. “Resolve itself into a dew”. His sullied flesh is his sadness and mental state. But he also questions his faith in god. He addresses how God: “Everlasting” has not fixed his mental state or made him happy. Even more giving him a reason for his suicidal thoughts. But then his wagers the cost of committing suicide when he remembers God doesn’t approve of suicide. This quote represents his inner thoughts arguing against suicide from the current situation he is left in.

I chose Starry Night by Van Gogh. I believe it captures the feeling of this scene. The blue color palette adds to sadness. I think Van Gogh and Hamlet are similar in their mental states. They both felt this yearning for family. Van Goghs parents never supported him and Van Gogh often felt lonely. After Hamlets fathers death, Hamlet felt lonely and like he lost his entire family. They both are left with fragmented mental states. Van Goghs starry night is a soliloquy shown through painting. He paints after being in a mental asylum. Van Gogh paints his feelings. The Cyprus tree represents death just how Van Gogh questioned suicide. Hamlets soliloquy also shows the same comparison to nature and death. Such as dying being resolving into a dew. He addresses death and contemplates if he should commit suicide. These both represent solitary thoughts you only have when you are alone and expressing them.

If it be now, ’tis not to come; if it be not to come, it

Will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come—the readiness

Is all.”

—”Hamlet (V.ii. 192-195)

This quote is from Act V, Scene ii of Hamlet written by Shakespeare . Which comes at a very pivotal and important moment in the play where a mad Hamlet reflects on fate and the inevitability of death in his quest to avenge his father by killing the king. The phrase “special providence in the fall of a sparrow” in the quote suggests that even the smallest events, such as the death of a sparrow, are a part of this life. Hamlet uses this symbolism to express how he is coming to terms with the idea that death is unavoidable and inevitable by stating “it’s not to come.. if it be not now yet it will come.” Which again reinforces the idea of the unpredictable and the notion that it may appear on anyone at any time .“The readiness is all'' indicates that being mentally and spiritually prepared for whatever may come is what truly matters in order to complete his fathers task of avenge and he has accepted every outcome even if it means the loss of his life and mental state.

While examining this quote I felt that the pest painting that related and connected most with this quote from hamlet is “The Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh. The first reason why I feel this painting relates best to the hamlet quote was due to the “The Starry Night” in the piece and it’s reflective nature that has elements of unknown and mystery which depicts a vast, swirling night sky filled with stars, which can symbolize the the universe, much like Hamlet’s reflection on fate and “Special providence.” The painting’s vastness and sense of u known provides a viewer with a reflective state of mind which is similar to Hamlet as he reflects on death and how inevitable it is. In addition, Both the painting and the quote dive into deep emotional and existential contemplation. Van Gogh’s turbulent and chaotic sky can be directly connected of Hamlet’s inner turmoil and eventual acceptance of his fate and death. “The Starry Night” captures the same tones of Hamlet’s reflection on fate, readiness, and the acceptance of life’s inevitable events, making it a fitting visual representation of the themes in this quote. Lastly the theme of death and insanity is ever present in this quote and throughout Hamlet but also in “The Starry Night” as with deep examination one can understand the symbolism of the Cyprus Tree in the painting and meaning of death which is the biggest theme of Hamlet. In addition throughout the play and in this quote Shakespeare plays with and incorporates the idea of insanity and one’s “going mad” which is also a correlation to this painting and its background as Van Gogh was a “Tortured artist” l who was always misunderstood and bipolar who went even as far as to cut off his ear during his insanity and even painted “The Starry Night” in an insane asylum where he was held.

       The quote from Hamlet spoken by Hamlet himself shows many aspects of the overall themes of Hamlet such as: duty (with Hamlet trying to avenge his father’s death, or Laertes doing the same), war (man against man), and the contrast between seeming and being. This quote is often overshadowed by the other lines from Hamlet’s famous soliloquy such as “To be, or not to be, that is the question” when taken to the broader context of the entire soliloquy and play show Hamlet’s indecision and his internal conflict. This quote shows that he is in the belief that by overthinking it causes inaction this belief is also shared by many romantics and transcendentalists such as Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “self reliance” he declares that belief in one’s self is vital and to embrace nature. In the play Hamlet and the Course of Empire series the nature depicted is not limited to just physical nature but human nature as well which is why these works compliment each other and connect to each other’s messages. 

     The Course of Empire series by Thomas Cole emphasizes various different states of harmony and conflict of which many Hamlet’s themes also touch upon. Some themes in the Course of Empire series are the nature of man against man with Course of Empire: Destruction. A theme of nature with man working together the ideal lifestyle according to romantics such as Cole in Course of Course of Empire: The Arcadian or Pastoral State. Then a theme of man conquering nature in Course of Empire: Consummation. Lastly a theme of nature conquering man in Course of Empire: The Savage State and Course of Empire: Desolation. By understanding the context and beliefs of Cole and other romantics and transcendentalists it shows the many hidden themes of the Course of Empire series. Romantics and transcendentalists are against the mass production of art and mass production in general and idolize the sublime and profound soul healing effects of nature. By understanding Cole’s beliefs and ideas behind the Course of Empire series it shows the true essence of his paintings. Not just limited to physical nature but also human nature which is more obviously seen in Hamlet.

     These works combined show the conflict of nature Hamlet has with himself such as his grief and revenge in the quote which connects to when nature overtakes man in the Course of Empire series which is why the theme of the contrasting of seeming and being is so vital in understanding the quote. As well as the war shown by the quote from Hamlet connects to the conflict in the Course of Empire series with man against man. Lastly the duty shown with the harmony of nature working together with man in Course of Empire: The Arcadian or Pastoral State or in Hamlet’s case his duty and human nature working together with his actions or him gaining the self reliance and determination to avenge his father. Showing how all of the overall themes of hamlet and subtleties in this quotes meanings connect with the romantic era’s beliefs and the themes found in the Course of Empire series by Cole.

I chose the painting  “The Human Condition” by Renè¨ Magritte because its purpose is similar to the warning of Hamlet’s father. Magritte creates this painting in order to focus on evoking a feeling from the reader rather than to have the reader try and create meaning from the painting, which strives away from previous movements where the focus could include a blend of both meaning and feeling. The painting itself is very uncanny and a bit uncomfortable since the canvas in the window of the painting is covering up what is actually behind it. The canvas blends in with the natural background but it is unclear what could actually be behind it. This connects to my Hamlet quote because similarly both Magritte and Hamlet’s father suggest to not obsess or go crazy over trying to find meaning in the painting and for Hamlet to not obsess or go crazy in his attempt to get revenge. Additionally they are similar in that they both express the unknown. In Magritte’s case it’s the question of what is really behind the canvas, and in Hamlet’s case it’s questioning if the ghost of Hamlet’s father is really real and if not what is it?

“See you now-

Your bait of falsehood take this carp of truth” (Polonius, II.i.60-61).

For some context, Polonius is speaking to his servant Reynaldo to spy on his son in Laertes, who is in Paris, to ensure he is behaving well. Polonius wants Reynaldo to lie to Laertes to entice him to reveal the truth. Polonius wants Reynaldo to spy on Laertes in Paris, confront him, and pursue him to confess by lying as bait to “catch” the truth. Polonius wants to know if his son is partaking in mischief in France by gambling or fencing, so he orders Reynaldo to “fish” out the truth by lying to get Laertes to reveal the truth. I believe this quote relates to the infamous “Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh because they’re both impressions of something. Polonius speculates that his son is up to no good in Paris, so he sends Reynaldo out to spy on him, revealing a a dark struggle with the truth and trust. Van Gogh doesn’t paint this piece “en plain air” and is painting a scene from when he visited the Netherlands as a child. Van Gogh paints this from a window in an asylum. Van Gogh’s piece is an impression of a place he once visited and captures his views and interpretations of that place, similar to how Polonius has a bad impression on his son and tells Reynaldo about the devious troubles he’s in without actually knowing if they’re true. Both relate to the theme of truth. Polonius battles with the truth of his son’s actions and viewers of The Starry Night battle with the truth of the piece because it is an interpretation of the place in the Netherlands and doesn’t accurately represent it because it’s just an artist’s impression of it. The piece has a dark backstory behind it because Van Gogh didn’t like it and he struggled mentally. This theme of darkness is also seen in the scenario in Hamlet because Polonius is ordering someone to spy on his son, which is very shady. I also believe the quote relates to the surrealist movement because Polonius wants to give the impression that he trusts his father to be alone and behave well in Paris. He doesn’t want to directly confront his son and ask if he’s behaving well because he wants to create the idea that he can trust his son, but in reality, he is suspicious about his son and asks a servant to inspect him and manipulate him to reveal the truth.

     The quote implies that because a divine force “shapes our ends”, humans are by default powerless to change their fates or whatever happens to them. We see this theme recur in the 20th century art and literary movement of Modernism, which followed the chaos and public disillusionment of World War I. Modernists leaned into the loss of trust in the institutions that led to the Great War, including the churches and organized religion. 

     No better example of this exists than Ganguin’s Vision After the Sermon, which depicts David, a biblical figure, wrestling with an angel as churchgoers look on. The painting captures the inner turmoil many people felt after coming out of WWI, symbolized by man wrestling with an agent of God. This message in Ganguin’s painting contrasts with Hamlet’s quote; in Vision After the Sermon, we see an active struggle between a human and a higher power, while in the quote it seems as if though Hamlet has more or less accepted the fact that there are some aspects of life that he cannot control, stated in the second line, “Rough-hew them how we will…”.

     By juxtaposing the quote with the painting, we can see that while both works tie into Modernist themes of disillusionment and its impact on religion, Ganguin resists the futility of individual action while Hamlet more or less embraces it.  

    In the quote above polonius talks about being true to who you are and to not put a fake front to anyone or be double faced in a sense. Before this he speaks of how Laertes should be a good person but not to give himself away or give too much of himself to others. I think he means this in a sense of not giving much importance to those around him, to be true to himself, I think it’s because at the end of the day people will take what you say are do and interpret themselves. The sun will always be the sun no matter what even with the changing days and if it’s brighter on some days, Monet paints it in a brief moment with fast and disorganized brush strokes just more a less catching how he sees the sun. Despite this not being as clean and close to the real thing like realism, most if not all people will see that it is still a sunrise. Much like in the quote I think it's important to be true to yourself because even if people see you one way or another, you will still be you beyond it all. People can look at laertes or hamlets and say one is vengeful, one is hateful or insane. But if they had acted true to who they really were, people will see it and they’ll know they aren’t just insane or hateful people. Laertes and Hamlet may have died, but it was for the people they cared for the most, and they didn’t try to leave it in the past because for them that wasn’t right. 

This painting’s setting seems similar to the one in the quote. When Hamlet talks to the ghost of his father, it is a dark and eerie midnight where the “air bites shrewdly and an eager air” (act 1, scene 4). Nocturne in Black and Gold captures a fleeting moment in time, evident in the movement in fireworks depicted in the painting. Similarly, the ghost’s time speaking with Hamlet is limited too. Right before revealing the true cause of his own death, King Hamlet tells Hamlet that his “hour is almost come”(act 1 scene 5), adding a sense of rush for the two people to make the most of the restricted time they're given together. The sparks in Nocturne and Gold can be seen as a sort of passion and devotion to family, hence filial piety. Or, they can also be seen as a representation of King Hamlet, as he is a significant but short-lived moment in that night. His ghost saying this quote is significant because the information he shares with Hamlet changes the trajectory of the story from a simple mystery to a quest of revenge. Hamlet begins to see things in a different headspace of reality and begins to interpret things differently (audience interpretation is also a key characteristic is Nocturne in Black and Gold). He questions the good/evil in the ghost and his trust toward his uncle and mother. Similarly, Whistler’s work is also seen as a transition—from realism to modernism. Modernism is defined as ‘a wide range of experimental trends that deliberately and forcefully break from the past’ and both Nocturne in Black and Gold and this quote accurately provide an example of this. The painting was painted in a rarely seen before abstract way. Even art critic Ruscan criticized this painting for its ambiguity and lack of skill, which Whistler got upset and sued Ruscan. 

Thaw, and resolve itself into a few,

Or that the Everlasting had not fixed

His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter!”

In this quote, Hamlet expresses his desire to die and mourns that God (“the Everlasting”) forbids suicide. These lines express Hamlet’s conflict between his desires and what he perceives as his duty— in this case, his duty is to follow the word of God. This conflict between Hamlet’s feelings and his duty, which he feels he must do, is seen throughout the entire play; the ghost of Hamlet’s father tells Hamlet to kill Claudius and avenge his death, but Hamlet devises a scheme to prove Claudius’s guilt because Hamlet has moral qualms. Hamlet also loves Ophelia, but he also hurts her deeply while pretending to be mad (in order to try to catch Claudius), harassing her with various innuendos and insulting her.

I think Vision After the Sermon fits this quote because it showcases a struggle between man and divinity, paralleling Hamlet’s internal conflict between his religious belief and his personal desires. The spectators in the painting are similar to the people around Hamlet, watching him struggle with his grief. The distorted, flattened perspective of the painting and the bright orange of the background express a feeling or urgency, and a sort of unreality; the painting is meant to show not a photorealistic portrayal, but a portrait of how Gauguin perceives the world, how he thinks about the scene; it parallels Hamlet’s mental state at this point in time; his grief, his anger at his mother, and his perceived duty, all battling against each other while Gertrude and Claudius watch on; Vision After the Sermon is a vision of Hamlet’s mind.

In this line, Gertrude expresses that guilty people give themselves away through being unable to hide their fear of being found out. By giving this line in an aside, Gertrude implies she could potentially have knowledge of Claudius killing her late husband, and is simply complicit. Alternatively, it could reference how Claudius himself was unable to keep himself from reacting to the play depicting his crime and his hasty actions to send Hamlet away to prevent anything else from happening.

The use of the word “jealousy” to describe guilt additionally adds to the quote, implying that those with guilt are jealous of those without for not needing to hide their actions. Also, jealousy has connotations of envy, mistrust, and suspicion directed at others, with doubt and uneasiness directed at one’s own abilities.

The painting The Starry Night by Van Gogh has similar references to darker subjects that are somewhat covered up, though revealed by it’s creator. While the painting itself is of a scene somewhat of reality and full of bright colors, Van Gogh strewn many references to death and his own depressed mental state in it. One such is the large Cyprus tree shown in it, which represents death. Additionally, the subject of the night sky itself could reference both a calming feeling, or the end of something and the death that follows.

I think the quote is saying how the ghost (Hamlet's father) is explaining how he was killed and wants Hamlet to prove it but without hurting others during the process.

I chose Guernica to connect with because there is so much happening in the painting with the war going on, people dying and people becoming ghosts in this  painting. The ghosts in the painting connect to the quote because Hamlet is speaking to the ghost which is his father. It also connects because everyone in Guernica is being killed and Hamlet’s father was killed by Claudius. The painting was such an outstanding painting because Picasso is showing how he feels about the war towards  Guernica because Guernica is a small town in Spain and Picasso was born in Spain. In a later scene in Hamlet, Hamlet decides to reenact his fathers death which is kind of similar to the painting with Picasso with his painting he is expressing his feelings and putting them on a canvas. Also in the painting there is so much happening you don’t really know where to first look, and in the quote it says “In this distracted globe.” in that sentence it connects towards the painting because you don’t know where to start looking in the painting. Also to connect the quote to the painting, the sentence is “whiles memory holds a seat”, in the painting it holds so many awful memories of what had happened in Guernica and all the tragedies that happened there. Lastly, “Remember thee?”, this part of the quote also connects to the painting because everyone who was there in Guernica or knows about it will always remember it and never forget it.