A man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a king, and eat of the fish that hath fed of that worm.
Act IV, Scene 3 · Hamlet
Context
Hamlet continues his meditation on death and decay, tracing a chain in which a worm eats a king, a fish eats that worm, and a man eats the fish—suggesting that a king's body can end up inside a commoner.
Analysis
The syntax here is relentless and circular: 'worm that hath eat...fish that hath fed...worm'—each clause feeds into the next with no stopping point. This grammatical loop mirrors the endlessness of the food chain Hamlet is describing, where nothing stays in one body for long. The image works as both memento mori and political satire: it literalizes the idea that power is temporary and flesh is interchangeable.
Essay Tip
Support a thesis that Hamlet uses grotesque imagery not to shock but to argue a philosophical point—that death erases the distinctions (rank, power, virtue) people spend their lives defending, making all human striving absurd.