In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the image patterns such as an unweeded garden, rot, and deception conveyed by Hamlet demonstrate how his impelling sense of justice and inability to act on his decisions doom him to his fate. The image pattern of an unweeded garden exemplifies Hamlet’s melancholy view of Denmark's monarchy and his hesitation to uproot the metaphorical weeds. Hamlet’s use of rot imagery manifests his dissatisfaction with life and inability to vie for his throne. The pattern of deception imagery delineates how Hamlet’s impotence to avenge his father’s death furthers the deterioration of his life. Image patterns used by Hamlet demonstrate his nobility and that his desires are incongruous with his reality. As Hamlet depicts the flaw in Denmark’s monarchy through the use of unweeded garden imagery, his ethics and consequent disillusionment emerge. Prior to Claudius’ usurping of power through murder and incest, Hamlet’s nobility resides in him being the immediate heir to the throne. "’tis an unweeded garden, / That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature / Possess it merely" (Shakespeare, I.ii.6). Hamlet accurately portrays the flaw in Denmark’s monarchy: incest. As a weed destroys a garden by spreading rapidly and impeding the penetration of sunlight onto the beautiful plants, Claudius, the biggest “weed” of all, impedes the instillment of morality in his inferiors and encourages evil. Disgusted by Claudius’ duplicitous antics and Denmark’s subsequent political turmoil, Hamlet yearns for the perfect world: one in which all that is around him is in perfect harmony as it was when his father was alive and he can hear the music of the spheres. Hamlet is emotionally affected by the disruption of the natural order and warns his mother: “do not spread the compost on the weeds” (III.iv.151). Similar to how compost fertilizes and would accelerate the weeds’ growth; Gertrude’s sustainment of her relationship with Claudius further empowers him. Hamlet’s world is an unweeded garden as his skepticism of everything and distrust with his own desires makes him unable to act with confidence. Hamlet’s crippling inability to act on his decisions is truly his hamartia, as it renders him impotent to deracinate the metaphorical weeds in his “unweeded garden” of a life. The image pattern of rot paints an evocative picture of how Hamlet feels responsible for the rotting state of Denmark but is doomed by the exhausting struggle to act on his decisions. Denmark has become a festering garden, being desecrated as the wrong leader is in power. As something that is “rotten” has no purpose, Hamlet deems his place in the world is rotting after his father’s demise and his obstruction from fulfilling his destiny as the King of Denmark. The depth of his desire for natural order is demonstrated in his first soliloquy: “O, that this too, too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew” (I.ii.29). Hamlet’s “flesh” represents the painful decision to either seek revenge or allow his world to rot before his eyes. Although Hamlet feels somewhat responsible for “something [being] rotten in the state of Denmark” (I.iv.95), he refrains from pursuing any action to improve the abject situation. Hamlet’s obvious distaste for Claudius and Gertrude’s incestuous relationship is presented when he remarks on their sexual activity: “In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, Stew’d in corruption, honeying and making love Over the nasty sty” (III.iv.92-94). Rather than perpetrating revenge on Claudius in attempt to revive the natural order that Hamlet longs for, he complains. Although Hamlet possesses moral traits, his inactivity contributes to his downfall. Through Hamlet’s use of deception imagery, the complexity of his character and his unattainable desire for a world free of lying and deceit are presented. Hamlet’s nobility and hatred for deception is evident when he bitterly expresses to Gertrude that he is legitimately mourning his father’s death: "Seems," madam? Nay, it is; I know not "seems" (I.ii.77). Surrounded by people who have come to terms with his father’s death, Hamlet is unable to complete the proper grieving process. By grieving, Hamlet yearns for a more stable environment. His yearning dooms him as he contradicts his previous notion of inner truth. After the discovery of his father’s “foul and unnatural” murder, Hamlet clarifies that what is on the surface can be drastically different to the dark reality. “That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain. At least I am sure it may be so in Denmark” (I.vi.100-110). Hamlet realizes the artifice used in Denmark in order to pursue treachery. Hamlet’s overwhelming indecisiveness forces him to endure the opposite of a stable environment. The solution to the imperfection in Hamlet’s world becomes a dream in which he cannot act upon. The image pattern of an unweeded garden presents Hamlet’s hesitation to pull the metaphorical “weeds” in his life. The Rot image pattern shows that Hamlet’s yearning for the revival of natural order dooms him to further hatred of the world. Deception imagery shows how Hamlet’s desires are unparalleled to the real outcomes of his indecisiveness. Hamlet dies with the regret of his indecisiveness as Fortinbras’ advancement leads him to the inheritance of Denmark.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. 2nd ed. Toronto: Harcourt Canada, 2004. Print.