In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the influence of Hamlet's psychological and social states display his dread of death but his need to avenge his father's death. In turn, these influences illuminate the meaning of the play by revealing Hamlet's innermost thoughts on life and death and the effect of religion. Despite the fact that Hamlet's first instincts were reluctance and hesitation, he knows that he must avenge his father's death. While Hamlet is conscious of avenging his father's death, he is contemplating all the aspects of death itself.

Once Hamlet has learned of his father's death, he is faced with a difficult question: should he succumb to the social influence of avenging his father's death? The Ghost tells Hamlet to "revenge his foul and most unnatural murder" (1.5.31) upon which Hamlet swears to "remember" (1.5.118). Hamlet's immediate response to this command of avenging his father's death is reluctance. Hamlet displays his reluctance by deciding to test the validity of what the Ghost has told him by setting up a "play something like the murder of (his) father's" (2.2.624) for Claudius. Hamlet wil

Hamlet's psychological and social influences illuminate the play by revealing his true feelings on life and death. Hamlet's psychological influences display the miseries of living life but his dread of death and more so his dread of the unknown after life. Meanwhile his social influence is compelling him to bring death upon Claudius, which Hamlet himself dreads. These influences together illuminate Hamlet's character, showing that he really does not want to avenge his father's death. If Hamlet really wanted to avenge his father's death, he would not "think too precisely on the event" (4.4.43). These influences also illuminate another aspect the play. During this time period, everybody was Christian. Christians see revenge as a sin and

think it is wrong to take the law in to your own hands, which is what Hamlet does by deciding to avenge his father's death. Hamlet's dread of death is further more illuminated by the thought of "heaven and hell" (2.2.623). If Hamlet sins, by avenging his father's death, he will go to hell. Consequently, if Hamlet chooses to not avenge his father's death, he will go to heaven, dishonoring his father's command. In this

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Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)