Poison

In the play //Hamlet// by William Shakespeare, the motif of poison most often occurs in relation to events and problems surrounding Hamlet. Hamlet is the one who discovers poison's involvement in the murder of his father. Even when poison is mentioned by other characteres, it is always mentioned in reference to Hamlet. For example, Claudius hopes that the poison of slanders about sending Hamlet to England will not surface. Laertes mentions poison, but the poison is meant as part of a plot to kill Hamlet. In addition, there is more "Figurative Poison" in the earlier parts of the play. As the play progresses, more "Real Poison" surfaces, reflecting the development of Hamlet's plans and actions to avenge his father's death, as well as the increase in Claudius' paranoia that Hamlet is trying to kill him.

//**Figurative Poison**//
 * Act 1 Scene 2**
 * Hamlet describes the marriage of Claudius and Gertrude as "incestuous" (1.2.162) and believes that such a marriage has **poisoned** his family, and finds the sight horrifying. However, Hamlet is the only one who believes that this union is a violation of marriage.
 * "O, most wicked speed, to post/With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!" (1.2.161-162) //Hamlet//

**Act 1 Scene 5** //**Real Poison**// **//Figurative Poison//**
 * Upon meeting with the ghost of Hamlet Sr., Hamlet discovers his father was not killed by the **poison** from a snake bite, but rather, was murdered when Claudius poured **poison** of hebona into Hamlet Sr.'s ear.[[image:http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ne3bhx2j74s/TEBkqDojs4I/AAAAAAAAC-k/mailu3hF69s/s1600/henbaneDSC_0104.jpg width="243" height="200" align="right" caption="Flower of Hebona"]]
 * "'Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard,/A serpent stung me." (1.5.42-43) //The Ghost//
 * This quote refers to the false account of Hamlet Sr.'s death.
 * "The serpent that did sting they father's life/now wears his crown." (1.5.46-47) //The Ghost//
 * "With juice of hebona in a vial,/and in the porches of my ears did pour/The leprous distilment" (1.5.69-71) //The Ghost//
 * The two quotes above provide the accurate account of Hamlet Sr.'s death, according to the ghost.


 * Denmark is revealed to have been poisoned with lies about Hamlet Sr.'s death, which is the reason they now honor Claudius as King. Claudius is also described by Hamlet as a **poison** coursing through Denmark. This description parallels Hamlet Sr.'s death, when the **poison** coursed through his body, corrupting it and causing the King to die. Similarly, Claudius is a **poison** corrupting the country of Denmark.
 * "So the whole ear of Denmark/Is by a forged process of my death/Rankly abused." (1.5.43-45) //The Ghost//
 * This quote also reflects Hamlet Sr.'s death. Just as he was **poisoned** through the ear, Claudius has poisoned the ear of Denmark with the lies of their former King's death.
 * "There's never a villain dwelling in all Denmark" (1.5.137) //Hamlet//
 * The villain refers to Claudius, who as the King, is the omnipotent figure in Denmark at the moment.


 * Act 2 Scene 2**
 * //Figurative Poison//**
 * Hamlet directs the Players to play //The Murder of Gonzago//in an attempt to **poison** Claudius with memories of his murderous actions and thus provoke Claudius' guilt.
 * "That guilty creatures sitting at a play/Have, by the very cunning of the scene,/been struck so to the soul that presently/They have proclaimed their malefactions." (2.2.618-621) //Hamlet//

//**Real Poison**//
 * Act 3 Scene 2**
 * The Dumb show (3.2.145-156) before //The Murder of Gonzago// shows the **poisoning** of the Player King by another man, killing the King and resulting in the woe of the Player Queen, who is then wooed by the murderer's gifts. It is strange that Claudius does not react to the play at this moment, as the actions of the Dumb show reflect Claudius' actions.
 * Later in the play within a play (3.2.287-290), the murderer, revealed to be called Lucianus, pours **poison** into the Player King's ear. At this time, Lucianus' lines in the play convey that his wicked actions are done when no one is looking while he is **poisoning** ﻿the King . Only now does Claudius rise and stop the play, showing the guilt Hamlet had planned to see.

//**Figurative Poison**//
 * Hamlet has just figured out Claudius' guilt in murdering Hamlet's father and hence describes this revelation and Claudius' actions as a **poison** to the world. However at the same time, Hamlet wishes to stay calm when he goes to see his mother.
 * "'Tis now the very witching time of night,/When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out/Contagion to this world." (3.2.419-421) //Hamlet//
 * "Soft, now to my mother./O heart, lose not they nautre;" (3.2.425-426) //Hamlet//

//**Figurative Poison**//
 * Act 4 Scene 1**
 * Upon the news of Polonius' murder, Claudius decides to send Hamlet to England and orders Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to go locate the body. Claudius then speaks to Gertrude, conveying the hope that the **poison** of slander and rumors will spare them, as Polonius' death is enough to worry about.
 * "Whose whistper o'er the world's diameter,/as level as the cannon to his blank/Transports his poisoned shot, may miss our name/And hit the woundless air." (4.1.42-45) //King (Claudius)//

//**Real Poison**//
 * Act 4 Scene 7**
 * Laertes returns from France to discover the damage Hamlet has allegedly caused to Ophelia. When Laertes speaks to Claudius, Laertes agrees to fence with Hamlet and to **poison** his sword in order to kill Hamlet as vengance for his Laertes' sister.
 * "And for that purpose I'll anoint my sword./.../So mortal that, but dip a knife in it,/Where it draws blood no capitalism so rare,/.../It may be death." (4.7.160-168) //Laertes//


 * //Figurative Poison//**
 * When Ophelia discovers that her father has been murdered by Hamlet, she becomes mad, and drifts, singing, through Elsinore. When Claudius sees Ophelia, he characterizes her as having been **poisoned** by the grief of her father's death.
 * "O, This is the poison of deep grief." (4.5.80) //King (Claudius)//

//**Real Poison**//
 * Act 5 Scene 2**
 * Claudius poisons the cup, which is meant as a 'back-up plan' to kill Hamlet if the duel does not succeed. Unfortunately, Gertrude drinks from the cup and thus dies.
 * "Gertrude do not drink." (5.2.317) //King (Claudius)//
 * "I will my lord; I pray you pardon me." (5.2.318) //Queen (Gertrude//)
 * [aside] "It is the poisoned cup. It is too late." (5.2.319) //King (Claudius)//
 * The above dialogue reveals Claudius's lack of action in attempting to prevent Gertrude from being poisoned. While actively trying to save Gertrude may have given away Claudius and Laertes' plot to kill Hamlet, Claudius's behavior shows that he is much more intent on killing Hamlet than protecting his wife, whom he supposedly loves. Claudius's lackluster response when Gertrude drinks from the poisoned cup underscores his carelessness towards Gertrude, suggesting that he does not really love her, but is likely using her so that he can gain a good position on the throne (and perhaps win his subjects' trust)
 * "No, no, the drink, the drink! O, my dear Hamlet/The drink, the drink! I am poisoned." (5.2.340-341) //Queen (Gertrude)//
 * Gertrude later reveals to the rest of the characters that she has been poisoned. She calls out to Hamlet just before she dies, which emphasizes their close bond, in contrast to her perhaps weak bond with Claudius.
 * 5.2.344-395 is an entire excerpt dealing with poison. Both Hamlet and Laertes have been poisoned by the tainted sword. Before he dies, Laertes betrays the King and divulges the King's guilt to Hamlet. Subsequently, Hamlet hurts the King and forces him to drink from the poisoned cup, killing the King. Lastly, Hamlet himself dies after relinquishing Denmark to Fortinbras.
 * Throughout the play, only Polonius and Ophelia do not die of poison (Polonius is stabbed and Ophelia drowns). The deaths by poison could suggest the former King Hamlet's revenge upon his own death, poisoning all those who have sinned: Claudius who murdered him, Laertes who plotted with Claudius to kill Hamlet Jr., Gertrude who has committed "incest" and betrayed her late husband, and Hamlet who murdered Polonius (and eventually Claudius and Laertes). On the other hand, Polonius and Ophelia are innocent of murder and plotting. Polonius dies attempting to reveal the truth about Hamlet's abnormalities, while Ophelia dies due to grief of her father's death and Hamlet's betrayal.