Liz Chen
One Rotten Apple Spoils the Whole State
Health epitomizes one’s ability to live – if one has a limb that is rotting with gangrene, the only manner in which one can remain alive is through addressing that one part of the body and attempting to heal it through excision. Shakespeare uses the word “rotten” as an apt description of the impending downfall of Denmark, which is already highly unstable. The word “rotten” is generally taken to mean “in a state of decomposition” (OED, 2nd ed., s.v. “rotten,” 1a), implying that what was once healthy and vibrant is no longer so. “Rotten” is a fitting adjective to describe the condition of Denmark as it touches on the political and moral ramifications of the actions of Claudius, that one rotten apple that manages to “spoil” the whole state.
Marcellus is the first to reflect on the internal state of Denmark, oddly enough, as an outsider, one whose occupation is to keep watch, not participate in the political process. His role as a guard is to look outward and warn of foreign invasion, but he remains silent as Barnardo and Horatio discuss young Fortinbras of Norway’s potential attack (I.i.107-116). Claudius also marks concern for Fortinbras and his intentions, and in his very first appearance, addresses that apprehension (I.ii.17-38). Concern and focus lies with external foes, so Marcellus’ statement of: “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (I.iv.100) is in sharp contrast to preceding actions and statements. His perspective is unique because he has no real social standing as a guard, and yet he can recognize that not all is well internally, without having to be publicly verbose.
The word “rotten” most readily fits with the corruption in the political order that allowed Claudius to usurp the Danish throne. The nation is in that very “state of decomposition” because no one dares to question Claudius’s actions, despite his unorthodox methods of obtaining power. Usually if a king dies, power is transferred to his oldest son, and only if one does not exist does it pass to a close family member. Here, however, Hamlet is alive and well, and yet Claudius is found ruling. This disruption in the social order is indicative of a weakened power structure within the country. The Oxford English Dictionary also describes “rotten” as “morally, socially or politically corrupt” (OED, 2nd ed., s.v. “rotten” 7a), appropriate for the warped sense of who should be ruling the nation.
The second definition of “rotten” quite aptly describes the not only the political situation but also the moral incongruities in the incest between Claudius and Gertrude. Even if they are not related by blood, that Claudius seduces Gertrude is unscrupulous, to say the least. Despite the fact that Claudius makes public note of their relationship by addressing her as “our sometime sister, now our queen” (I.ii.8), this relationship is further cause for Hamlet’s resentment because it progressed with such speed. His remarks are sardonically biting, as he states: “The funeral baked meats / Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables” (I.ii.187-188). Hamlet’s bitterness regarding the relationship is only compounded by the fact that his father was murdered so that this incestuous marriage could take place, both situations contributing to Denmark’s deterioration.
The observation about the rotting state is made when Marcellus is furtively ghost-hunting with Horatio and Hamlet (I.iv). The ghost, by its nature, is itself rotting because it is dead. The statement is marked by tongue-in-cheek humor because not only can Marcellus be referring to the nation itself, but also addressing the older Hamlet, who the “state” metonymically represents. Through interactions with the ghost, Hamlet realizes that revenge for his father’s death is overdue, and is simply allowing his vengeful feelings to fester without using them to induce action. It is in fact this decomposing ghost that must remind Hamlet to take action (III.iv.126-127) and salvage what is still healthy within the state by removing Claudius.
Marcellus manages to encompass the entire atmosphere of the play this one line. Not only does he address issues of mortality, which Hamlet quite vocally struggles with, but also he draws insight into the dysfunction that is the political and moral situation of Denmark. He informs the audience that this has not always been the status of Denmark. Claudius is the primary instigator of the dysfunction within Denmark, beginning with his poisoning of the older Hamlet, up to his various plots to murder the younger Hamlet. Not until he is removed from the “bushel” (Denmark) is the nation able to recover, just as in contemporaneous situations, in which a nation can only truly recover if its corrupt power base is excised.