This is foreshadowed in the opening of the play; "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." ... The murder of Old King Hamlet has caused Claudius' mindset to become corrupted in order to control Denmark for himself. ... Shakespeare uses sexual imagery to signify Hamlet as a literary example of a child, who never overcame his Oedipus complex. ... At the beginning of the play, Claudius is appearing to be a good king in order to reinstate stability to Denmark after the death of their former king, Old King Hamlet, "Yet we with wisest sorrow think on him Together with remembrance of ...

• Word Count: 1108
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

However this could be due to the fact that Gertrude is, more than any other character in the play, the antithesis of her son, Hamlet. ... Nonetheless, whether Gertrude lacks the Familial love Hamlet craves, or was too self involved to give it; it has a negative effect on Hamlet as it causes his passionate hatred for the new King. ... Their relationship throughout the play is strained; it is in the passage after Blanche's confession of the loss of Belle Reve that Stella starts to understand what actually happened and places Stanley above her. ... The film version of the play, ends very di...

• Word Count: 3412
• Approx Pages: 14
• Grade Level: Undergraduate