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During Elizabethan times, the survival and longevity of the king or queen was essential for the subjects of the kingdom. The monarchy unified the kingdom, saw to its prosperity, and protected its subjects from foreign invasion. The king was the most important person within the kingdom and without him the kingdom would collapse.
Shakespeare echoes this thought back to his audience in The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Act 3, Scene 3, lines 11 through 23 through a passage recited by Rosencrantz. In lines 1 through 7, King Claudius is ordering Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to take the now-deemed-mad Hamlet to England. King Claudius fears for his kingdom and his own life having viewed the re-enactment of Claudis's actions in murdering Prince Hamlet's father, depicting how Claudius came to occupy the throne by marrying Queen Gertrude, his brother's wife in the play "The Mousetrap." King Claudius is requesting that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern remove Prince Hamlet from the castle and the kingdom to keep Claudius out of harm's way.
In lines 11-23, Rosencrantz replies to King Claudius's statement, affirming the King's reasoning as to why Prince Hamlet should be removed from the kingdom. This is the passage in its entirety.
The single and peculiar life is bound
With all the strength and armour of the mind
To keep itself from noyance; but much more
That spirit upon whose weal depends and rests
The lives of many. The cease of majesty
Dies not alone, but like a gulf doth draw
What's near it with it. It is a massy wheel
Fixed on the summit of the highest mount,
To whose huge spokes ten thousand lesser things
Are mortised and adjoined, which when it falls
Each small annexment, petty consequence,
Attends the boist'rous ruin. Never alone
Did the King sigh, but with a general groan (3.3.11-23).
Rosencrantz begins, saying "The single [individual] and peculiar [private] life is bound [or obligated]..." meaning that every human being is individually restrained by the laws of politics, nature, and the cosmos and that all of us, including King Claudius, are subject to these laws or framing. "...With all the strength and armour [a protective or defensive covering] of the mind..." suggesting that the human mind of the individual decides what to accept and what to reject as to what are the truths of how the world around him is structured or composed based on perception through the five senses. These perceptions may not necessarily be the truths or logic as to how the world functions but these perceptions allow every man to survive and carry on the ordinary acts of living whether these perceptions are correct or incorrect. The use of the word "armour" suggests the act of defending one's self, suggesting implications of survival. Rosencrantz continues, "...to keep itself from noyance [harm];..." meaning that the human mind avoids thoughts and ideas that are annoying, troubling, irritating, distressing or harmful (3.3.11-13). In these lines, Rosencrantz says that any individual feels compelled to keep himself from harm.
Rosencrantz continues and says "...but much more / That spirit upon whose weal [well-being] depends and rests / The lives of many" stating that the King is different from the ordinary person. The king wields power over the people, therefore he carries greater responsibility for his subject's well-being and must frame his decisions and actions within this context (3.3.13-15). In lines 15 through 17, Rosencrantz or rather Shakespeare speaking through Rosencrantz, uses a simile to describe the repercussions of the death of a king. "The cease of majesty...," the death of the king, "...Dies not alone,...," the king does not die alone, "...but like a gulf [a whirlpool that devours or swallows up anything within its path]...," doth draw / What's near it with it" Rosencrantz within this simile is saying that the death of the king is similar to a whirlpool and that the king never dies alone. With the king's death, his kingdom also dies and that the nature of the king's subjects lives are affected economically, politically, socially, and spiritually-referring to the nature of their lives. In other words, if something malicious were to occur to King Claudius, i.e. Prince Hamlet murdering King Claudius, the affects of Claudius' death would have wide spread implications, hence the death of the king is more complex that that of the common person.
Rosencrantz completes his affirmation stating the following:
It [the death of the king] is a massy wheel [a wheel having considerable bulk or volume]
Fixed on the summit [the highest elevation] of the highest mount [the highest mountain],
To whose huge spokes [the spokes of this massive wheel] ten thousand lesser things
Are mortised [fastened or joined securely; joined together closely and firmly] and adjoined [joined as an adjunct, added, annexed, attached; appended or subjoined], which when it [the wheel; the king] falls
Each small annexment [that which is joined together without subordination of one to the other], petty [of little importance, insignificant, or trivial] consequence [a circumstance which follows as a result of something preceding],
Attends the boist'rous [rough, violent] ruin. Never alone
Did the King sigh [emit a soft subtle sound expressing sorrow], but with a general groan [utter a low deep sound expressive of grief or pain] (3.3.17-23).
His purpose is to push the wheel off the mountaintop expecting King Claudius to visualize in his mind the sound of this mighty wheel crashing and how this wheel, his kingdom, will splinter in pieces when it finally hits the ground. The sound of Claudius's death will not be simply the soft, lamenting, expiring sound of a dying individual, but the grievous, painful sound of many lives; that of his subjects suffering along with him. The death of one easily goes unnoticed, but the death of an important person is always felt by society. The violent death or injury of a king is likely to cause trouble. Often the death or aging of a king is prepared for by the prior choice of an heir. The death of a king, almost always, creates an uncertain transition time, but one that does not necessarily mean the death of the subjects.
The passage is ironic from the point of view that the kingdom mourned for the death of King Hamlet, but if Prince Hamlet is not removed and succeeds in murdering King Claudius, King Claudius's death will be more dramatic. The passage also shows that King Claudius and Rosencrantz suspect if Hamlet's madness left unchecked, it will eventually result in the death of Claudius. Shakespeare is using this dialog to foreshadow the ending of the play. Also ironic is the fact that Claudius's murder of King Hamlet has also caused the kingdom to begin disintegrating. Hence, protecting Claudius is futile; the damage is done.
Rosencrantz agrees with King Claudius decision by way of a prophetic response but whether Rosencrantz statement that the murder of the king results in the death of his subjects is undetermined. Shakespeare has written the play in such a way that the immediate successors to the throne, Queen Gertrude and Prince Hamlet are both murdered leaving no rightful heir for Denmark. Shakespeare provides no further explanation about the outcome of the kingdom beyond Hamlet's death other than that of Fortinbras, the Prince of Norway, takes the throne. As an audience we are left with questions. Do Rosencrantz's prophecies come to pass? Does the Kingdom of Denmark fall apart with the sound of a groan or does the kingdom sigh in response to the simple matter of power exchanging hands? The answers are as silent as the ghosts of Denmark.
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