Christianity in Hamlet

A detailed Summary of Christianity in Hamlet


When Shakespeare wrote the tragic play Hamlet, he included quite a few Christian themes intertwined with in the play itself. Examples of the Christian belief or ideas can be found in almost every act in Hamlet.

Shakespeare lays down the Christian system of belief very early on in the play, it only took Shakespeare a few pages for him to weave in a Christian belief. When Horatio first encounters the apparition that has the likeness of the recently passed king of Denmark, he commands the ghost to speak. "By heaven, I charge thee, speak!" Horatio is basically using the name of god to command the ghost to speak to him, but this does not work. The ghost being a creature in eternal darkness is offended by the mention of anything that has to do with the lord, so the ghost makes his retreat. This theme is carried through right to the point when Hora


tio is finished making his first big speech, the ghost comes in but it does not say anything. When the cock crows (meaning that the sun is coming) the ghost makes his second exit. Again being a creature of darkness, the ghost cannot be in the light because light has always been understood to keep evil at bay.

In Act three, scene three of Hamlet the king is confessing the murder of his brother to God. There is a sense of guilt evident, which is a Christian in nature, but the real Christian theme comes through when Hamlet finds the king praying. Hamlet overhears the king confessing to the murder of his brother, so now Hamlet is sure that what the ghost told him was true. Hamlet still resists taking his revenge for a couple of reasons, one of which is another Christian theme that Shakespeare threw in the storyline. "Now might I do it pat, now he is praying", it was

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Approximate Word count = 590
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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