Disease Imagery and HamletImagery is used by writers to describe the setting of a work. Not only do these images give more description, but they also give a philosophical touch to the interpretation of the work. William Shakespeare uses imagery in all of his works, especially in the play Hamlet. In the play Hamlet, Shakespeare uses the imagery of illness to describe the rulers of Denmark and how corruption has infected the kingdom. Similarly, Shakespeare compares an untreated infection that can spread to those less likely to be infected. First, the corrupt nature of Denmark's authoritarian regime is compared to the infestation of a pest in a garden. In the play Hamlet, Hamlet views Claudius (the king) as a parasite, since he committed crimes such as murder to become king (i.e. Claudius poisoned his brother Hamlet Sr. who was l former king). Hamlet feels like Claudius is a weed in a garden, which needs to be removed. Hamlet shows this when he says, “It is an unweeded garden that grows to seed.” Things of a gross and crude nature simply possess them. (Hamlet, Shakespeare, 1992, 1.2, 139) This remark shows how Shakespeare uses the imagery of illness to depict the unscrupulousness of Denmark's rulers.12 Second, in a number of his works, Shakespeare uses ghosts as symbol of illness. In the play Hamlet, the ghost of Hamlet Sr. appears, causing concern in the kingdom. This concern is manifested when Marcellus says: “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. » (Hamlet, Shakespeare, 1992, 1.4, 100) after the ghost appears from the watch. Additionally, in the play Macbeth, Banquo's ghost taunts Macbeth, which ultimately instills fear in the audience. In other words, the ghost is like a symptom of a disease and, if not detected and destroyed, the disease could be fatal. In Hamlet's case, the illness is Claudius's. The overall effect of the ghost produces a strange