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By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) ‘Something is rotten in the state of Denmark’ is a famous line from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, but since Hamlet is positively brimming with famous lines, it doesn’t get as much attention as other famous quotations from the play.
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Horatio: Heaven will direct it. Marcellus: Nay, let's follow him. [Exeunt.] This is one time when the popular misquotation—"Something's...
When Marcellus states, ‘Something is rotten in the state of Denmark’ he is talking about Denmark’s relationship with Norway but on the symbolic level he is summing up Claudius’ corrupting effect on the kingdom which is intensified by his unpunished crime.
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What is something's rotten in the state of Denmark?
Why does something is rotten in the state of Denmark use non sequitur?
Why does Marcellus say something is rotten in Denmark?
What is rottenness in the state of Denmark?
The expression is still used in modern-day contexts, unrelated to Shakespeare or Denmark, whenever a widespread iniquity is suspected. That might be in stories where a journalist thinks ‘something doesn’t smell quite right’. What’s the origin of the phrase ‘Something is rotten in the state of Denmark’?
- Origin
- Meaning
- Usage
- Literary Source
- Literary Analysis
- Literary Devices
This phrase is taken from William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. The speaker is Marcellus, a guard, who talks to his philosophical comrade, Horatio, saying, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark …“ (Act-I, Scene-IV).The reason of saying this is just not that Denmark is facing dirt. It means that the situation of Denmark is similar to a fish that...
It also refers to different things in the play such as the corrupt ruling class in the state of Denmark, or the destruction of something unknown. Another idea is the rottenness of Claudius and Gertrude’s marriage — or the idea of incest. Many consider this marriage incestuous, whereas King Claudius feels it necessary to justify that it is in the be...
This phrase has a wide range of usage. It is found abundantly in literature, politics, courts, media and everyday life specifically when referring to a dirty politics. It perfectly fits for a corrupt leader, ruler or political party in a country. It can also be used for a boss for his misruling and corrupt administration. It can be applicable to an...
Marcellus, a guard at the fort, uses this phrase in Act-I, Scene-IVof Hamlet, during his conversation with Horatio as given below; (Act-I, Scene-IV, Lines 87-91) Shakespeare has portrayed Denmark as a place of human villainy — a breeding ground of political as well as spiritual corruption.
In Hamlet, this phrase is of immense significance. It is because it is spoken by a run of the mill, who has nothing to do with the upper echelons of the society. Still, he knows that if the elite or corruption, a state ceases to exist. The condition prevailing in Denmark are highly intriguing and confusing. In the midst of this confusion, Marcellus...
Non Sequitur: This phrase has used non sequitur because the statement logically does not follow the previous statement spoken by Horatio.
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. (act 1, scene 4, line 95) Marcellus's famous line indicates that he believes that something is amiss in Denmark that has motivated a tortured...
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. (I.iv.95) In this line from Act I, Marcellus quips that something in Denmark is rotten, a metaphor that invokes images of decay and corruption.
