Power and corruption

Power and corruption are themes that are interlinked in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark

Hamlet centers around a monstrous crime motivated by greed and ambition: Claudius has killed his own brother and married his widow to become king. Thus, he has come to power by deception. The phrase in Hamlet that most memorably describes this fact has become a common saying: “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” (1.5.99). 

This ominous fact is shown to the audience already in the first act by the appearance of the ghost. The ghost in itself illustrates that normality has been replaced by abnormality, because dead people should not walk the earth, but the ghost also reveals that the current king did not win the throne fairly.

Claudius’ ...