Hamlet starts out by stating that man is "noble in reason", infinite in mental power, quick and admirable in their movements, their action angelic, and their understanding equivalent to that of a god. Not only this but he also calls them the "beauty of the world" and the "paragon of animals". Despite this Hamlet still question what these humans are to him, he even goes so far as to call man the "quintessence of dust" or the most refined form of dust, and that no matter how refined dust is dust will always remain dust. Hamlet here is concerned with the nature of mankind and despite them being at their peak they will never mean anything to him, as they are no longer with them in being. .
Later, Hamlet talks to the king about where Polonius is. Hamlet has previously killed Polonius, while he was eavesdropping on a conversation between Hamlet and the queen. Hamlet took the body of Polonius and hid him under a staircase in the castle. When asked the whereabouts of Polonius, Hamlet, who is pretending to be crazy, replies, "A certain convocation of politic worms are e'en at him. Your worm is your only emperor for diet. We fat all creatures else to fat us, and we fat ourselves for maggots. Your fat king and your lean .
beggar is but variable service-two dishes, but to one table. That's the end" (82). Though Hamlet is pretending to be crazy, whatever he is saying has some truth behind it, and he wants Claudius to know what he is thinking without making it obvious. Hamlet is saying that all men no matter how high or noble in the world they are they will in the end always be eaten by maggots, the basest animals that there are. Hamlet first says they Polonius is being eaten by worms. HE then goes on to say that worms are the ones that are truly at the top of the food chain. Man usually fattens other animals to feed themselves, but in reality humans are the ones who be eating the fattened creatures, are fattening themselves for the maggots.
