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In Hamlet how is Denmark in trouble?

Hamlet opens with an atmosphere of of gloom and foreboding. Not only has King Hamlet, Hamlet's father, died recently, the guards on duty at the castle are discussing  disquieting events with Horatio. The guards have seen the ghost of the dead King Hamlet, a disturbing enough situation, but beyond that, Marcellus notes that cannons are being made and shipwrights are building ships in "sweaty haste." Horatio informs Marcellus and the other guards that the rumor is that young Fortinbras, "of unimproved mettle, hot and full," is preparing to march on Denmark to regain the lands his father, who was slain in battle, lost to King Hamlet. Therefore, Denmark is readying itself for war.


If being faced with an invading army were not enough, the Danish court itself is corrupt. People serve their own interests rather than the larger good of the country. Claudius, for example, has murdered his brother so he can become king, and courtiers like Polonius are more concerned with getting ahead in their careers than behaving with integrity. As Marcellus says, meaning more than he knows, something is rotten in the state of Denmark. 

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