Corruption, Lecture notes of English Literature

Download Corruption and more Lecture notes English Literature in PDF only on Docsity! Corruption (Disease/Unease) HAMLET Cd) Corruption –noun 1. the act of corrupting or state of being corrupt. 2. moral perversion; depravity. 3. perversion of integrity. 4. corrupt or dishonest proceedings. 5. bribery. 6. debasement or alteration, as of language or a text. 7. a debased form of a word. 8. putrefactive decay; rottenness. 9. any corrupting influence or agency. Have a look at the definitions above. In ‘Hamlet which characters or actions fit definitions: 2,3,4,5 &8? Corruption has begun before the very start of the play.   Political corruption – the killing of the king – is told to us through the exposition: My father's spirit---in arms? all is not well-- / I doubt some foul play; would the night were come! Till then sit still, my soul: foul deeds will rise, Though all the earth o'erwhelm them, to men's eyes. (Act1 scene 2 254-257) Claudius – The Source of Corruption?   Moral corruption – incest (adultery?)   Political corruption – Elizabethan audiences would have been aware of the ‘divine right of kings’ – this idea would suggest that Hamlet would have automatically become king – Therefore it is possible that Claudius could be seen as a usurper. However, Hamlet does tell us that Claudius ‘popped in between th’election and my hopes’(Act 5) ‘Does it not, think'st thee, stand me now upon-- He that hath kill'd my king and whored my mother, Popp'd in between the election and my hopes, Thrown out his angle for my proper life, And with such cozenage--is't not perfect conscience, To quit him with this arm? and is't not to be damn'd, To let this canker of our nature come In further evil?’ (Act 5) Act 1 Sc 2 - Hamlet’s First Soliloquy Look at his feelings of frustration and disillusionment: Look at the language used:   How does this opening reference to 'self-slaughter' convey Hamlet's mood?   Find examples of language with negative connotations.   How does Shakespeare use the metaphor of a garden here?   What are his views on women and his mother's marriage?   What does the image of a 'satyr' convey about Claudius?   'an unweeded garden that grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature posses it merely'. The King = The State A serpent stung me; so the whole ear of Denmark Is by a forged process of my death Rankly abused: but know, thou noble youth, The serpent that did sting thy father's life Now wears his crown. Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole, With juice of cursed hebenon in a vial, And in the porches of my ears did pour The leperous distilment; Hamlet’s Murder of Polonius Hamlet's murder of Polonius does itself generate more corruption. It leads to:   Ophelia's suicide (an unforgivable sin in the eyes of the church) and   Leartes’ need for revenge. Suicide   Think about the other references to suicide in the play – Hamlet's soliloquies.   He mentions God the first time he talks about suicide but not the second time. Could there be a reason for this?   Is he losing faith?   Is his soul being corrupted by everything? Claudius – Act 3 Scene 3 1. Why does he mistrust Hamlet? 2. How does he plan to deal with him? 3. "Never alone / Did the King sigh but with a general groan" - what is the meaning of this line? How might this be ironic in the light of the effect of his crime upon Elsinore? 4. Why does his crime have the "primal eldest curse upon't"? 5. What might he mean when he says that he stands "in pause"? 6. What reasons does he give for wanting to "look up" and pray? 7. Why is he unable to pray, however? 8. Where and how do questions and exclamations convey his mood? 9. What effect does the imagery have at the end of his speech? 10. Claudius's final couplet: what might Shakespeare be suggesting about the true nature of Claudius' character? Act 3 Scene 4   Look at Hamlet’s view of his mother. Are there links here with the corruption in the court? The Corruption of Hamlet The ghost asks Hamlet to take revenge – thereby corrupting Hamlet by setting him the task of murdering another. Hamlet himself questions this in his soliloquy of at the end of Act 2 scene 2 (the spirit I have seen may be a devil). Act 1 Scene 3 Affection! pooh! you speak like a green girl, Unsifted in such perilous circumstance. Do you believe his tenders, as you call them I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth, Have you so slander any moments leisure, As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet. Look to't, I charge you: come your ways. Polonius The Spy   We see him organising a spy to watch over Leartes in France.   He uses his own daughter to help catch Hamlet.   He, himself spies on H&G   He constantly schemes and plots: Think of the occasions where Polonius is ‘in the thick of it’. How many examples of spying are there? How to they add to the corruption? Hamlet’s Disillusionment   One of the lines that runs throughout the play and through the character of Hamlet is his feelings about humanity.   He understands how great men can be.   However, all around him corruption and disease spread, and he is aware of man's weaknesses. Hamlet’s Disillusionment   Look at his soliloquies. Look again at Hamlet's comments about the behaviour of the king's court.   Hamlet is slowly corrupted. He says himself that his 'wit's diseased‘ Act 3 Sc 2 Hamlet as Victim/Tragic hero In keeping with the tragic structure of Shakespeare's play, the protagonists' fall is that much more sympathetic because he is a person of high estate or noble character. Our protagonist is infected with the disease of corruption and, as with the other characters, must die as a punishment for this. Unlike the other characters though, the final words spoken about Hamlet remind us that he was a victim of this corruption. Hamlet as Tragic Hero   "Now cracks a noble heart. Good-night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!" (Act 5 scene 2.302-3)   Let four captains/ Bear Hamlet, like a soldier, to the stage; /For he was likely, had he been put on, /To have proved most royally (Act 5 scene 2) Task   Choose a play which has a theme of revenge or corruption or sacrifice.   Show how the dramatist explores your chosen theme and discuss how this treatment enhances your appreciation of the play as a whole. Answer the WHOLE question from the Introduction right through   Title and playwright.   Reuse words from the task. 1 Show how the dramatist explores the theme. 2 Discuss how it enhances your appreciation of the play as a whole.   Mention techniques such as soliloquy, dialogue structure (structure of tragedy) … Possible points to consider   T.S. - Atmosphere of disorder/unease from opening. (Dark, ghost, sick at heart etc.)   T.S. Source of corruption – The character and actions of Claudius (notice his language in Iii and soliloquy 3iii)   T.S.Corruption of Hamlet (Sullied? Revulsion re. Gertrude/women/Ophelia; murders, disillusionment… You must look at the soliloquies.)   T.S. ‘Purging’ of Denmark Resolution