Hamlet Quote?

Question

Not where he eats, but where he is eaten: a certain

convocation of politic worms are e'en at him. Your

worm is your only emperor for diet: we fat all

creatures else to fat us, and we fat ourselves for

maggots: your fat king and your lean beggar is but

variable service, two dishes, but to one table:

that's the end.

Hamlet IV.ii.19-

What is the significance of the quote above? What overarching themes are present? I'm a bit fuzzy on the allusions.

Answer 1

I thought it meant something like this-

We fat creatures to fat ourselves,

We fat ourselves to fat maggots that feed on us when we are dead,

Fat maggots are then used to catch fish, which we eat, so in theory people end up literally eating each other.

I pretty much gather that it means that status in life has no importance as in death we all end up the same way.