Bitter Imagery in Hamlet Essay -- GCSE English Literature Coursework

Bitter Imagery in critical point    In Hamlet, mental imagery of disease, poison and decay, are used by Shakespeare for a purpose. The descriptions of disease, poison, and decay sustain us understand the bitter relationships that exist in the play and Hamlets own cynicism. We see Hamlets pessimism in his soliloquy when he contemplates self-destruction. The resentful relationship that exists betwixt Claudius and Hamlet is heightened with the use of imagery when Claudius asks about Polonius. Imagery enhances Claudius abhorrence of Hamlet. Shakespeare uses imagery in this play to deepen our understanding of the emotions experienced.     The imagery of decay is used to help poke the depression Hamlet feels in his first soliloquy about suicide. O that this too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew, (Iii, 129-130) Hamlet is basically communicating that he wishes not to exist in this world anymore. He wants to die and be apart of the g round. An image of Hamlets flesh, rotting, combining with the soil is produced. At this moment we can grasp Hamlets true emotions. We feel his pain and his yearn for death. Hamlet continues to say How weary, stale, flat, and unsuccessful/ Seem to me all the uses of this world Fie ont, ah, fie, tis an unweeded garden/ That grows to seed. Things rank and gross in nature /Possess it merely.(Iii, 133-137) Here, Hamlet says his reason for wanting to commit suicide is that he hates the world he lives in. He feels that the world around him is useless and in disarray. We can understand the true motivation for his suicide. Shakespeare lets us peer into Hamlets soul by creating these vivid images.     Claudius relationship with Hamlet is drea... ...hance Hamlets pessimism of life. Imagery is also used significantly in portraying the sour emotions that exist between Hamlet and Claudius. When Claudius questions Hamlet of the whereabouts of Polonius we see the foul relationship wi th the help of imagery. As Claudius acknowledges Hamlets behaviour and insanity, he reveals the anger he feels towards Hamlet. In Hamlets soliloquy, with reference to suicide, imagery shows us his dark feelings. In Hamlet we truly see what a great deal of depth imagery provides us with. Imagery of disease, poison and decay gives us a chance at really understanding the true emotions that the characters experience in their mind and soul. With the imagery created by Shakespeare, we as readers, can actually comprehend the feelings that are experienced by the characters in Hamlet, that are not always obvious but important.