How do you respond to Shakespeare’s presentation of the impa

“Hamlet” was written in Tudor England when the predominant religion was Christianity. The values of Christian belief and tradition are shown throughout the play. To interpret the way Shakespeare presents the impact of Christian Belief in “Hamlet” I shall examine the play as a whole as well as focussing on two sequences of my choice. For many in Shakespearean times, the main focal points of religion were related to birth, marriage and death. The principle of marriage was that two people would be joined together in the presence of God and blessed by the Church. This blessing would have made their physical intimacy sacrosanct. This idea is presented to the audience in Act II, Scene I when Ophelia is warned against Hamlet’s advances by Polonius and Laertes as she should remain “chaste”.

The opening of the play immediately presents the audience with the Christian view of death. The ghost of Hamlet’s father is an example of a Christian belief; that troubled souls walk the Earth. We learn later that during th

“I could a tale unfold, whose lightest word

Hamlet however, despite being given the perfect opportunity, does not kill Claudius at this point. He realises that to kill Claudius whilst at prayer would mean that his soul would be purged and he will go straight to Heaven. Hamlet sees this as unjust as his father has to suffer Purgatory and therefore decides to wait (although this may just be another example of Hamlet’s famous indecisiveness). Hamlet decides that he must strike when Claudius is doing something un-Christian such as being

This scene highlights the importance of religion as despite being given the perfect opportunity, Hamlet is presented with, he resists the ending of his ordeal so that he can perform his task properly, and Claudius will suffer Purgatory. Hamlet the Elder was denied the chance to repent his sins and now must suffer Purgatory and so Hamlet wants Claudius to suffer the same fate.

Both the themes of revenge and Purgatory are shown in Act III, Scene III. Claudius is praying alone in a room in Elsinore. While Hamlet appears onstage unnoticed by his uncle, Claudius reveals to the audience, through a soliloquy, his guilt and shame caused by his murdering of his brother. Hamlet addresses the audience and explains his duty to avenge his father;

The Church had an enormous effect on life in England in the Elizabethan era. For an educated man the Church and the Law offered the only main professions. Other professions such as teaching and medicine were in the hands of the Catholic Church. Before the Reformation, everyone had been Roman Catholic and had taken part in religious ceremonies such as attending daily mass. If the Reformation had not occurred than England would have remained Catholic. Shakespeare uses general Christian beliefs, but in particular Catholicism to influence and affect the characters in his plays. The Catholic Church was far more exuberant and colourful than the new Church of England, for example the bright way in which the churches had been decorated in contrast to the plain and simple Protestant churches. This vibrant version of Christianity may have appealed to the audiences more hence why Shakespeare

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