Human Frailty In Hamlet Analysis

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, written in the beginning of the 17th century, concern’s itself with the consequences of human frailty, be it mental or moral. The concern is primarily presented using the nature of tragedies, presenting death as the most austere repercussion of decrepitude. Refined and impactful word choices embellish the theme of death with images of rot, decay, and nature. In addition to death, the moral frailty of Claudius, leads to societal corruption, and the mental frailty of Hamlet and Ophelia lead to despair on a personal and national level respectively.

Claudius’s character serves to comment on the consequences of the moral frailty in Hamlet. The direct result of his greed and his lust for power is the corruption of Denmark, presented through the image of rot and decay throughout the text. The physical manifestation of Claudius’s envy and evilness is the poison with which he kills his brother, which is described to create a skin disease; “tetter barked about/ Most lazar-like, with vile and loathsome crust, / All my smooth body.” The image of sore leprosy and rotting, crusty human flesh represents the consequence of Claudius’s actions, both in the society of Denmark and on a personal level. The gruesome murder not only causes physical …show more content…
Death is seen as the worst consequence of moral and mental frailty, for example in Ophelia’s case, but the play also emphasises the effect human frailty and the human condition in general, has on society. This is because the consequences of human frailty will always disadvantage society – whether it be the ancient monarchies of Denmark or the Constitutional Monarchies of Australia. It is a common concern across literature because the nature of human weakness is indecipherable and can only truly be grasped in small instances using larger concepts with the help of imagery and visual