The phrase "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark" means that there is widespread political corruption, moral decay, or a serious problem lurking beneath the surface of a situation. First spoken by Marcellus in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet after seeing the ghost of the late king, the line refers to the specific corruption in the Danish court caused by the king's murder and the subsequent usurping of the throne by Claudius. The phrase has since become an idiom used to describe any situation where something is deeply amiss, suspect, or dishonestly hidden.
''Heaven Will Direct It''