In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the words Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. (I.iv.90) were spoken by Marcellous shortly after Hamlet leaves to follow a Marcellous and Horatio both feel that Hamlet should not be left alone with theghost. Even though Hamlet directed them not to follow him, Marcellous feels that itwouldnt be right if they didnt follow him because Something is rotten in the state ofDenmark. (I.iv.90) When examined, that statement can refer to many of things aboutthe ruling class that are rotten in the state of DenmarkOne idea of the rottenness is the marriage between Hamlets uncle Claudius andhis mother Gertrude. Many consider the marriage almost incestuous, and Claudius feelshe must justify it by stating that he had the approval of the courtiers and that the marriagewas in the best interest of Denmark. The marriage is also suspiciously corrupt because ittook place only two months after the death of King Hamlet. Those circumstances causeHamlet to become extremely upset at his mother for her apparent lack of mourning andhelps support the idea of foul play King Hamlets death. Another example of the rottenness in Denmark is King Hamlets death. Unknownto the people of Denmark, it was Claudius who killed King Hamlet, and stole his crownand his wife. Claudius had won the love of Gertrude and then murdered the King bypouring the poisonous "juice of cursed hebona"(I.v.63) into his ear. This poison invadedhis defenseless body and "swift as quicksilver it courses through / The natural gates andalleys of the body."(I.v.67) In a sense the poison used by Claudius spreads throughoutthe entire country of Denmark. Rottenness in Denmark is also seen in the ghost of King Hamlet. Just the sign ofa walking ghost is a bad omen in itself, a sign that something rotten will or has takenplace. The ghost has come to inform Hamlet that King Hamlet was murdered byClaudius, who deprived him of a last opportunity to c...
