Hamlet
Poison Motif
Old King Hamlet reveals he was poisoned
"And in the porches of mine ears did pour/ The leperous distilment"
i, v, 64-65
Relates to the
motif of ears
Poison brings the
death of everyone
Literal poison
Gertrude
Claudius
Laertes
Hamlet
Figurative poison
(corruption)
Ophelia
R. and G.
Misogyny Motif
Hamlet is disgusted
by Gertrude's remarriage
"Frailty, thy name is woman!"
i, ii, 146
Incites his misogynistic views
Hamlet insults Gertrude
"Such an act/ That blurs the grace and blush of modesty..."
iii, iv, 43-47
Hamlet accuses Ophelia of being
two-faced during their argument
iii, i, 143-147
Acting Motif
Hamlet's plan to act mad
"To put an antic disposition on"
i, v, 173
Players come into town
and put on a small performance
ii, ii, 511-515
Inspires Hamlet's play
"I'll have these players/ Play something like the murder of my father"
ii, ii, 592-593
Hamlet calls the nobles
"mutes or audience to this act"
v, ii, 328
Rot and Disease Motif
"Something is rotten
in the state of Denmark"
i, iv, 90
Hamlet calls Claudius a
rotten ear of corn
"your husband, like a mildew'd ear"
iii, iv, 66
Hamlet and the gravedigger
"'Faith, if a'be not
rotten before a' die"
v, i, 159
‘tis an unweeded garden/ That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature"
i, ii, 135-136
Death and Mortality
Hamlet ponders life and
death in his soliloquy
iii, i, 57-89
Hamlet ponders again
after seeing Yorick's skull
v, i, 201-210
Hamlet's change
in philosophy
Hamlet's dies after
getting his revenge
Death is equal to everyone
Impermanence of Love
Laertes to Ophelia about Hamlet
"Forward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting"
i, iii, 7-8
Hamlet chooses to fool
Claudius and Polonius over Ophelia
iii, i, 104-151
Hamlet confesses his love too late
"I loved Ophelia; forty thousand brothers/ Could not"
v, i, 263-264
Revenge
Hamlet is not fit for revenge
Does nothing
for three months
He doesn't kill Claudius
when given the chance
iii, iii, 75-96
Appearance Vs Reality
Polonius appears
to be a good father
i, iii, 58-81
But he secretly
spies on his son
ii, i, 3-4
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are caught by Hamlet
"My lord, we were sent for"
ii, ii, 292
Claudius' servants are all
in on the plot to kill Hamlet
v, ii
Decay and Corruption
Corruption spreads
Ophelia goes mad due to
Polonius and Claudius'
corrupt methods
iv, v
Ophelia's symbolic flowers
"There's fennel for you, and columbines"
iv, v, 177
Fennel for flattery,
columbines for adultery and sin
Hamlet's inciting incident
Claudius uses Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet
ii, ii, 15-18
Hamlet's new fascination
with death and decay
iv, iii, 20-26
Corruption ties into
Appearance Vs. Reality
Laertes swears
vengeance for his father
iv, v, 128-133
Laertes is blinded by revenge
Acts immediately
"O thou vile king, Give me my father!"
iv, v, 113
Easily manipulated
by Claudius
iv, vii, 136-162
Claudius' poison
Yorick's skull
Laertes' warning
Poison motif develops
theme of corruption
R. and G. as spies
Symbolic of Claudius' corruption
Character foils, develops
theme of Action vs. Inaction
Hamlet's acting
Though Hamlet "loved"
Ophelia, he gave her up
for revenge
Hamlet's confession
The Mousetrap
Laertes threatens Claudius
Ophelia's flowers
A corrupt Denmark
Symbolic of the weed-like
corruption that spreads
throughout the story
Poison motif develops
theme of Death and Mortality
Revenge led Hamlet
to his downfall
Ophelia's corruption ties
into motif of misogyny
Hamlet's hesitation
Hamlet's death
