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.

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.

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

"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. 

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

Symbol: Claudius' Plots To Murder Hamlet

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.