From murder to spying, insanity, and suicide, the theme of decay and corruption is evident in Hamlet. Nearly every character displays at minimum one of the seven deadly sins, which are greed, pride, lust, gluttony, sloth, envy, and wrath. This paper will discuss the meaning and examples of the sins in Hamlet. It will also show how Shakespeare created his play to depict that the wages of sin is death. Greed is shown in many characters and is defined as an intense and selfish desire for something.
Claudius illustrates this in murdering his brother, King Hamlet, and taking the throne. He was so greedy to have the treasures and privileges of a king that he killed his own brother. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern also show the sin of greed. These …show more content…
Not only did King Claudius partake in the tradition of wassail, but also Gertrude.
Sloth, simply defined, is laziness or a reluctance to act. This is a sin displayed by both Hamlet and Claudius. Hamlet’s reluctance to kill Claudius is a prime example of his sloth. In Act Scene 2, Hamlet says,
“Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell,
Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words
And fall a-cursing like a very drab,
A scullion! Fie upon ’t, foh!
About, my brain.”
Hamlet realizes that he need to turn his thoughts of revenge into actions. Claudius’s sloth is seen throughout the play as he continually ignores the matters of his country and also attempts to get other people to do his bidding. In Act 4 Scene 3, Claudius asks that England kill Hamlet for him.
“And, England, if my love thou hold’st at aught—
As my great power thereof may give thee sense,
Since yet thy cicatrice looks raw and red
After the Danish sword and thy free awe
Pays homage to us—thou mayst not coldly set
Our sovereign process, which imports at full,
By letters congruing to that effect,
The present death of Hamlet. Do it,
Claudius illustrates this in murdering his brother, King Hamlet, and taking the throne. He was so greedy to have the treasures and privileges of a king that he killed his own brother. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern also show the sin of greed. These …show more content…
Not only did King Claudius partake in the tradition of wassail, but also Gertrude.
Sloth, simply defined, is laziness or a reluctance to act. This is a sin displayed by both Hamlet and Claudius. Hamlet’s reluctance to kill Claudius is a prime example of his sloth. In Act Scene 2, Hamlet says,
“Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell,
Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words
And fall a-cursing like a very drab,
A scullion! Fie upon ’t, foh!
About, my brain.”
Hamlet realizes that he need to turn his thoughts of revenge into actions. Claudius’s sloth is seen throughout the play as he continually ignores the matters of his country and also attempts to get other people to do his bidding. In Act 4 Scene 3, Claudius asks that England kill Hamlet for him.
“And, England, if my love thou hold’st at aught—
As my great power thereof may give thee sense,
Since yet thy cicatrice looks raw and red
After the Danish sword and thy free awe
Pays homage to us—thou mayst not coldly set
Our sovereign process, which imports at full,
By letters congruing to that effect,
The present death of Hamlet. Do it,