William Shakespeare’s Hamlet
In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, Christian concepts of conscience, death and the after life are highly questioned and expressed. During the time of the play, religion played a huge role in peoples lives as there was no separation between church and state hence during Shakespeare’s time of the Elizabethans the monarch was the country’s spiritual leader, not the Pope. Christianity therefore holds a very strong influence in Hamlet, as it not only influences their thoughts but their decisions to follow through with their actions whether is be challenging the moral beliefs of the characters or fulfilling revenge at whatever the cost.
Hamlet has proven to be a rather religious person as he is constantly thinking
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Imperious Caesar, dead and turn’d to clay,
Might stop a hole, to keep the wind away.
O, that that earth, which kept the world in awe,
Should patch a wall to expel the winter’s flaw!
But soft! but soft, awhile: here comes the king. (5.1.208-18)
this quote shows us that Hamlet believes that no matter what one did or were, even the most powerful and honoured person will end up being one with the earth to be used simply as a clay to fix a hole in the wall. Almost all of the characters succumb to death in the end however each death has different causes, for instance, Ophelia’s death is presumed to be a suicide and once Hamlet finds out he declares his undoubted love for her “'Swounds, show me what thou'lt do: / Woo’t drink up eisel? eat a crocodile? I’ll do ’t. / To outface me with leaping in her grave? Be buried quick with her, and so will I” (5.1.275-80) this is one of the fist times Hamlet truly reveals his feelings since feigning madness, even though he never expresses any remorse or responsibility for inadvertently causing her death. When Hamlet finally comes face to face with his plot to avenge his father, it unintentionally leads to the deaths of the rest of the characters, except for Horatio who promises to tell the tragic