Hamlet: A look Into Religion and Morality
A young man mourns his father's death while his mother is getting married. One could think this would lead to insanity, but it only leads Hamlet to vengeance. After having been visited by the spirit of his father, Hamlet vows to avenge his father's murder. The murderer is his uncle who is now his mother's new husband. A family that is led by incest, murder, and royalty, can only make for an interesting story. The story however, is more than interesting. It gives you a look into the past. It shows you the struggles of religion and moral values in the late 1500's early 1600's. Although this may have been centuries ago, the thoughts and religious practices of the past had a major impact on the modern day world. The play shows how the Catholic, humanism, and Greek religions impacted the century.
The play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, gives us a glance into the religion of the 1500's. This was a key time in religion because it was a time where the Catholic Church was going through reformation. According to Marty, writer of The Christian World: A Global History, the churches in the west were splitting. The Roman Catholic Church was splitting from the other Christians, and the non-Catholic Christians were going against each other. This is where Christianity starts to see its church splitting off into denominations. Most people who stayed in Europe followed the Roman Catholic Church, which is now simply known as Catholicism. There are many lines in the play that show us that Catholicism is present in the play. The first that one can notice Catholicism in the play is where the ghost of the king comes to Hamlet.
"I am thy father's spirit,
Doom'd for a certain term to the night,
And for the day confin'd to fast in fires,
Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature
Are burnt and purg'd away..." (Hamlet lines 10-14).
These lines show a direct reference to time spent in purgatory. In the Catholic Church in order to receive justification one must spend time in purgatory. The ghost also proclaims that he dies without his last rites. Last rites are a tradition in the Catholic Church. They are also known as anointing the sick. Chrysostom, writer of the article, Anointing the Sick, states, "The anointing of the sick is administered to bring spiritual and even physical strength during an illness, especially near the time of death. It is most likely one of the last sacraments one will receive. A sacrament is an outward sign established by Jesus Christ to confer inward grace. In more basic terms, it is a rite that is performed to convey God's grace to the recipient, through the power of the Holy Spirit." Not only is the person anointed at this time, but they partake in their final communion. This is supposed to be highly important on cutting down on the time that one will spend in purgatory. Catholicism may have been highly prevalent in the play, but we also get a glimpse of another form of religion.
Humanism is a philosophy that affirms the value of human beings. Followers of this believed that people could choose right from wrong, and make their own destiny. These thoughts and the followers walked a thin line to being considered heretic by Christianity. In the play, Hamlet makes a speech that shows him as being philosophically minded:
"...What a piece of
Work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite
In faculties, in form and moving how express and
Admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension
How like a god! The beauty of the world, the paragon
Of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence
Of dust?" (Hamlet lines 308-314).
This shows the faith that Hamlet had in mankind. Humanism added a whole new outlook to Christianity. It led to Atheism. Atheists believe in man alone and no God. Humanism also led to more free-willed denominations in the church. These churches believe that man is born sin free and only become sinners. They also believe in a free interpretation of the Bible.
The religious struggles in the play also go back to some of the Greek views on religion. The Greeks believed in revenge, where as the Christians believe that one should let God do the judgment, and justify all in the end. In the play, Hamlet is struggling with the thoughts of whether he should avenge his father's death, or if he should let God deal with it in judgment. Hamlet does not act on the revenge even when his father's ghost appears to him. This could be because Hamlet may fear the ghost could be the devil trying to lure him into a sinful fate. However, at the same time he promises his father that he will avenge his murder.
Another Greek virtue that Hamlet possesses is acting on emotions. The Greeks were strong believers in self fulfillment and following their instincts. Christians think that man is sinner and that we should resist some of our lustful emotions for self fulfillment, instead we should do all things to glorify God. Lee A. Jacobus, editor of The Bedford Introduction to Drama, states, "Emotions are of great importance to Hamlet. He feels deeply and he watches others to see what their feelings are. He knows that their demeanor may not reveal them as they are, so he must learn to be a careful student of behavior." These ties to Greek thinking also show how the Greeks have influenced so many generations of thought.
Catholicism, humanism, and Greek religion are all three religious views prevalent in the play Hamlet. Shakespeare gives us a well written look into the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries' struggles with religion, and values. Hamlet struggles with these throughout the entire play. As the play states:
"To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them..." (Hamlet lines 57-60)
Not only did Hamlet struggle with religion and moral values, but everybody in the world did, and still does. That is what makes the play so relatable to readers, even today.
References:
Jacobus, Lee A. The Bedford Introduction to Drama. (5th ed.) 2005. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's.
Marty, Martin. The Christian World: A Global History. 2007. New York: Random House, Inc.