Act I, Scene ii
"Hamlet: She married. O, most wicked speed, to post With such dexterity to incestuous sheets! It is not nor it cannot come to good: But break, my heart; for I must hold my tongue. "
Act I, Scene v "Ghost: Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast," |
|
Incest is an underlying theme in this play because it's not really a main point and isn't directly spoken about except for in these two quotes. Hamlet not only takes issue with his mother's quick remarriage after his father's death, he's also disgusted by the fact that Gertrude is guilty of "incest." (Some also think that Hamlet secretly wants to sleep with his mother, which you can read about here). Today, we typically think of incest as being limited to relationships between blood relatives. But, in Shakespeare's time, incest was considered a sin against God and the state. |
