Hamlet Sex Quotes Page 3

We already know that Hamlet finds sex to be filthy and disgusting and this passage is pretty self-explanatory. But, we do want to point out that Hamlet, once again, uses the word "rank" to describe his mother's sex life. We can't help but notice the way Gertrude's "rank" bedding recalls Hamlet's earlier claims that his mom's incestuous relationship makes the world seem like a "rank" garden (1.2.6).

Hamlet's dirty talk (which we translate into modern lingo in "Steaminess Rating") puts Ophelia in an impossible situation. When Hamlet makes lewd innuendos, Ophelia can't respond in a way that suggests she knows what he's talking about. If she does, then it would suggest that she knows a little too much about sex. This could be as damaging to her reputation as, say, losing her virginity before marriage. The same thing happens to Katherine Minola in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Whenever Kate gets into a verbal smack-down with Petruchio, she always loses because he has the power to turn the conversation into a dirty joke. Our point? Dirty talk can be used as a weapon of abuse.

There's that word "rank" again. This time, Hamlet warns Gertrude to stop spreading "compost on the weeds" (sleeping with Claudius), which will make her sins (incest) even "ranker" than they already are. What's more, Hamlet's talk of "ulcers," "infection," and "corruption" seems to allude to venereal disease. It's as though Hamlet thinks women are contagious.