‘Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard,
A serpent stung me; so the whole ear of Denmark
Is by a forged process of my death
Rankly abused: but know, thou noble youth,
The serpent that did sting thy father’s life
Now wears his crown.
– William Shakespeare
Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5. The Ghost reveals to Hamlet that his uncle Claudius murdered Hamlet’s father, by poisoning him while he was asleep. He invokes Biblical imagery from the Book of Genesis here, comparing Claudius to the snake in the garden of Eden that caused Adam and Eve’s fall from grace. The people of Denmark have been led to believe that King Hamlet was killed by a poisonous snake bite, this is the biggest lie of all in Hamlet and told so that Claudius could have the crown and Queen and not pay any consequences. The Ghost exposes the falseness and hypocrisy of King Claudius’ court at Elsinore.