Hamlet Motif: Rotting/ Corruption by Morgan Lawrence https://padlet.com/21004398/sxymxzemmyam Made with wonder en-us 2020-03-31 23:12:48 UTC 2020-04-03 01:47:35 UTC hello@padlet.com 1- Denotations and Connotations https://padlet.com/21004398/sxymxzemmyam/wish/487532776 Rotting- a process of deterioration, a decline in standards 
Corruption- dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery

"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark" (line 90) - Marcellus. Rotting/Corruption; After the ghost's appearance, Marcellus says this about Denmark's relationship with Norway and Claudius's suspected corruption on the kingdom. 

"Fie on't! ah fie! 'tis an unweeded garden, 
That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature" - Hamlet's soliloquy Act 1 Scene ii. Rotting/Corruption; Hamlet is disgusted with the corruption of the kingdom and within his family. He is outraged because of his circumstances, and sees the rotten reality of his once fruitful life. 

Other Shakespeare texts: Corruption is also prevalent in "Julius Caesar." Brutus murders/ betrays his friend Caesar for power.
]]> 2020-04-01 19:26:08 UTC https://padlet.com/21004398/sxymxzemmyam/wish/487532776 2- Scholarly Article https://padlet.com/21004398/sxymxzemmyam/wish/487581428 Psychology Today, 

"The Psychopathology of Corruption"

Unhappy people always seek happiness, and often believe power or money will grant them happiness once they obtain it. When these people cannot find happiness, they remain on a vicious cycle of corruption and obsession with power. In "The Psychopathology of Corruption," the author states that "Unhappy people seek change because change holds the hope of happiness...power creates an illusion of happiness through control...Therefore, the corrupted person or group must maintain or increase their grip on power to maintain the illusion of happiness." In Hamlet, Claudius is unhappy with his life and seeks change by killing his brother. He thinks power will bring him happiness, and attempts to maintain his control over by declaring Hamlet's madness and sending him to England. Claudius is corrupt and obsessed with power because he is unhappy with his life.
]]> 2020-04-01 19:54:15 UTC https://padlet.com/21004398/sxymxzemmyam/wish/487581428 3- Contextual Evidence 21004398 https://padlet.com/21004398/sxymxzemmyam/wish/487790684 Corruption is very prominent part of today's government and society.  The world that Shakespeare was writing in also seemed to exhibit a lot of corruption.  Kings and the royal family would often be killed or "gotten rid of" in order for someone to follow their rule.
Rotting is also very prominent is societies mental health. We could see that in Hamlets slow mental deterioration and can link that directly to the mentally ill people of the shakespeare era. ]]> 2020-04-01 22:40:32 UTC https://padlet.com/21004398/sxymxzemmyam/wish/487790684 4- Textual Evidence 21004398 https://padlet.com/21004398/sxymxzemmyam/wish/489513467 Pg 171 Lines 129-141
     -These lines are a perfect example of Hamlet's mental deterioration and the rotting of himself.  I in this excerpt, Hamlet is talking to his mother about seeing his Ghost Dad.  This alerts the reader that the mother can not see the ghost.  In the beginning of the play, multiple people saw the ghost, this creates a sense of worry in the readers because it shows his mental breakdown. He asks the queen if she sees the ghost and her reply is "nothing at all, yet all that is I see"
Pgs 157-159 Lines 37-71
     -In this excerpt the readers hears that the king killed his brother in order to become king.  This is an example of the corruption that was felt during the play.  Hamlet's uncle wanted the throne so badly, he was willing to kill his own brother to get it.
Pgs 119-121 Lines 57-91
     -In Shakespeare's most famous soliloquy, readers listen to Hamlet fight a mental battle of whether suicide is an option and whether it was morally, socially, and religiously correct. His suicidal thoughts further the notion of his rotting mental state. ]]> 2020-04-02 17:13:04 UTC https://padlet.com/21004398/sxymxzemmyam/wish/489513467 5- Connections 21004398 https://padlet.com/21004398/sxymxzemmyam/wish/489579162 This motif can be connected to the ghosts seen in the play. The ghost in purgatory can be a symbol the inaction of the characters in the play. It can also be connected by the lack of decision making/ hesitation to make decisions. The ghost couldn't make decisions of whether or not to got hell or heaven and Hamlet couldn't make the decision to kill his uncle. The stress of the decision hamlet had to make was putting a toll on his mental capacity and caused him to have some rotting mental deterioration. ]]> 2020-04-02 17:42:22 UTC https://padlet.com/21004398/sxymxzemmyam/wish/489579162 6- Visual https://padlet.com/21004398/sxymxzemmyam/wish/490161267 The rotting of the flowers, grass, and fruit in the picture represents the effects corruption has on the kingdom and Hamlet's life. By murdering his brother and taking his crown, Claudius's corrupt actions contributed to the decay of Hamlet's mental state as well.]]> 2020-04-03 01:37:03 UTC https://padlet.com/21004398/sxymxzemmyam/wish/490161267