Prompt: Is something rotten in the state of Denmark? If so, what precisely is it? Is anyone in particular responsible or is the rottenness simply a condition of life?
Throughout reading Act I in class, we hear the phrase "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." From the beginning to the end of this novel, we are able to infer and see foreshadowing for what exactly this phrase means. One of the largest pieces of evidence that something is rotten is by the return of Hamlet's ghost, which happens several times. However, only in the last two scenes does the ghost actually make any efforts to express any type of actions or dialogue. From Act 1 Scene 5, we learn that Claudius is the murderer of King Hamlet, instead of the king dying from natural causes. From this knowledge that is learned in Scene 5, it can be inferred that the 'something' in the phrase "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark" is truly the 'solved' mystery of King Hamlet's death. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark because of Claudius murdering the king in order to marry Queen Gertrude and take the throne of Denmark. So, it is obviously made that Claudius is particularly responsible for the rottenness, and it is not simply a condition of life.
In conclusion, the rotten state of Denmark (in Act I) revolves around the murder of King Hamlet and the murderer, Claudius. From what it seems, Claudius tricked Queen Gertrude into marrying him because there was such a short period of remorse from the Queen over the dead Hamlet. From this trickery and murder, it is made well-known that Claudius is particularly responsible for the rottenness describes throughout Act I and throughout the entire rest of the play.
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