"Typology in Shakespeare" in Shakespeare's Christian Dimension, ed. A common understanding of religion must be taught to the students before they begin the unit: "Religion" as adopted originally from Anglo-French in the 11th C, connected with 'religate' with the prefix 're' meaning again or back together with the root 'gate' to bind up, together, or to bind (people).2 Therefore, in a sense, religion binds up man, i.e. The Ghost appears to attempt conversation but then a cock crows in the distance (Peter's denial three times before the cock crowed). The answer becomes clear when we look closely at the text. succeed. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. An important detail of the scene is that a rooster crows just before the Ghost disappears. 7. Last Supper35: Students need to know about the evening when the Last Supper took place between Jesus and his twelve apostles, specifically about Jesus' prediction of Judas' betrayal, the incarnation of Christ's body and blood, and the promise of salvation for those who believe in the incarnation. Our story begins with a nipping and an eager air (I.iv.2). Soon after, Marcellus asks if he should strike it with his partisan, in the same manner that Jesus was speared on his left side of his body, out of which flowed holy water (crucifixion allusion). Discovering first that his father was possibly Roman Catholic and that Hamlet was Protestant, the play begins with good religious connotations that surrounded the characters. It crystallizes. This confusion currently comes from the religion that is preventing Hamlet from fulfilling his fathers task. Thank you. In the play, it seems as though Shakespeare uses religious references where the Ghost is made to represent Roman Catholicism and Hamlet to represent Protestantism. Scene i. L 47-179: At this point, the Ghost has appeared on three different occasions (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Trinity allusion) and on this third night, as Horatio begs the illusion to stay, the Ghost spreads his arms (crucifixion allusion). Religious Beliefs In Hamlet - 810 Words | Bartleby New York: Norton, 2004. The Lord's Prayer45: Students need to know about the importance of prayer in Christian life, specifically, the main prayer given to believers by God Himself entitled "The Lord's Prayer." Finally, he comes to a point where he is affected by neither religious thought nor persuasion. Studies in Philology 48.2 (1951): 161-92. We get William Shakespeare, the author and playwright who lived in a world of opposites and realized the difficulty of achieving perfect balance between them. There are three different interpretations of the ghost of the King Hamlet: The ghost is real, and it is a soul -This . "This Side of Purgatory: Ghostly Fathers and the Recusant Legacy in Hamlet" in Shakespeare and the Culture of Christianity in Early Modern England, eds. "Claim-Evidence-Commentary" Paper: Students should take one religious concept taught and find three to five examples alluding to it throughout the text. Religion in Hamlet by William Shakespeare - Study.com :), This is beautifully presented. When Laertes hears of his father's murder and his sister's suicide, he is ready to kill Hamlet. And yet, if we are so divinely made, why do we err? Aim for ten minutes of journal writing to be incorporated into each class during this period in the unit. Trinity, Crucifixion, the Last Supper, Peter's Denial, Judas' Betrayal: Act I. When a student has a question, he or she may raise a hand and, after being handed the tennis ball by the discussion leader, he or she may pose the question to the entire group. After Hamlet kills Polonius, Laertes then wants to avenge his fathers death by taking revenge against Hamlet. I disagree. In pairs, students will show their partner their line of text and discuss what religious concept is alluded to in the line of text. All rights reserved. I think Hamlet is my favorite Shakespearean play. Will in the World. How has religious influence changed over the years? Roy Battenhouse (Bloomington: Indiana University, 1994), 36. Battenhouse, Roy. First, I will ascertain that Hamlet is indeed religious. Therefore, he disregarded any allegiance to prescribed biases, but rather fueled the plot of his plays with opposites. New Advent, The Nicene Creed, July 8, 2008, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11049a.htm. The obvious contrast between the characters Hamlet and Laertes is well established in much scholarly work on the play. Not only did he struggle with this, but also realized that his citizen counterparts fought the same battle. Hamlet:Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent;When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage, Or in the incestuous pleasure of his bed, At gaming, swearing, or about some act That has no relish of salvation in 't; Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven, And that his soul may be as damn'd and black As hell, whereto it goes. committing any of the seven deadly sins on a regular basis, will lead to one's demise, in this case, King Claudius's demise, as he has committed pride, envy, and lust in transgression against the late King Hamlet. By far the most famous scene in Hamlet, and possibly all of Shakespeare's plays, is Hamlet's soliloquy in Act III, scene 1. For example, one can make a claim that in Act III, Scene iii, L 40-42 ("O, my offense is rank, it smells to heaven; It hath the primal eldest curse upon 't, A brother's murder"), Shakespeare makes an allusion to the murder of Cain and Abel in Claudius' speech, as evidenced by the story of Cain and Abel in Gn 4:10-12. As a class, students will share their answers with their peers, ideally so that the class arrives at homogeneous answers about the specific line of text. Furthermore, it seems as though his conversation with his father was based completely within a dichotic religious context. Typical of Shakespeare's works, Hamlet does not articulate a single set of beliefs but rather several different positions, dramatizing religious debates . I follow thee (III.ii.332). HAMLET: So be it! In Hamlet religion plays a vital role in Hamlet's actions and thought process. Stephen Greenblatt, Will in the World (New York: Norton, 2004), 104. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. Hamlet is conventionally regarded as a revenge tragedy. Frye, Roland Mushat. Some scholars see this as poking fun at the theological debates of the time and point to the line Hamlet speaks to Horatio, his university friend, as they discuss the ghost. 48. The English Reformation was begun by King Henry VIII when he split the Church of England from Catholicism in order to divorce his first wife. New York: Routledge, 2005. I learned this argument in college, so I'd be interested to hear what other professors have to say on the subject. It was legal for the monarch to spy on his or her subjects, but illegal for subjects to spy on the monarchythis would be treasonous. It was not simply about the religious contention of the Protestants v. Catholics in the social atmosphere in this century, it was also about the struggle between men and women, princes and kings, love and adultery, honesty and disloyalty, the rich and the poor, politics and ethics, virtue and sin, heaven and hell, life and death, God and man. Test Match Created by Personstudying_ Terms in this set (9) Point 1 Religion in Hamlet Religion drives the narrative in Hamlet. The rest of the play lies in Hamlet's ability to believe this ghost to be trustworthy, and not diabolical, as he pretends to be mad while attempting completion of his ghost father's command. Modifications suitable for the teacher and students are encouraged and necessary. This activity is called "Fishbowl": A student volunteers to be Hamlet and sits in a chair located in the middle of a classroom circle. These are all decisive moments for the plot in which religion influences characters. Since Hamlet was stifled by religion in his initial killing of Claudius, Claudius lives on and eventually plots Hamlets death. 9. It also implores God to forgive any trespasses we committed so that we may forgive others' transgressions, and it begs that we not be led into temptation, but instead, to be delivered from evil. Religion in Elizabethan England - Hartford Stage 50. Throughout this time, religion was a touchy subject that could get a person into serious trouble. After he kissed Jesus in the Garden in Gethsemane, the guards soon arrested Jesus and paid Judas in silver. In the play Hamlet, by Shakespeare, Hamlet's Christian beliefs create his internal conflict and impede his ability to achieve revenge quickly. There is much to discuss in this scene. The Morality Of Religion In Shakespeare's Hamlet - 787 Words | Cram Nonetheless, the "precocious adolescent recommended by Cottam as intelligent, reasonably well educated, discreet, and securely Catholic "10 would have lived a life that compromised his self-identity: Whether Shakespeare was a Catholic or a Protestant matters not; he most certainly was a Christian, but with the Catholic-Protestant struggle taking place in his early years of maturation, Shakespeare was smart enough to avoid getting caught up in a "glorious, treasonous, suicidal crusade. Christians also looked for "a . Elizabeth had a large spy network that James broadened. The Protestant and . Oxford English Dictionary, "augury," July 25, 2008, http://www.oed.com/augury. 08.01.09: Religious Elements in Shakespeare's Hamlet - Yale University According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of being religious is "believing in a god or a group of gods and following the rules of a religion" ("Religious"). Instruct the students to perform a bit of research, citing religious influence in specific contemporary examples, e.g., human cloning, divorce rates, assisted suicide, death penalty, abortion, in-vitro fertilization, stem-cell research, common oaths: "Oh my God! Burlington: Ashgate, 2004. "27 This is not to say that Shakespeare solely obtained his playwriting ideas from Roman or Biblical sources, but it does guide us in the direction he followed. PDF The significance of religion in Hamlet - Academic Journals This will help to keep students' voices heard, at least on paper, before they are ready to express their opinions more openly in discussion format later on. After Gertrude drinks from the poisoned cup, Hamlet discovers that the fight he is partaking in has all been an elaborate hoax to lure him into his own death. However, considering the question of genre, we might remind ourselves that on the title page of the quarto, Hamlet . Hamlet by William Shakespeare: Act 5 Scene 1 | Summary, Deaths in Hamlet by William Shakespeare | Themes, Analysis & Symbolism, Play-Within-A-Play in Hamlet | Synopsis & Significance, Hamlet Act 1 Scene 5 | Summary & Analysis, Middlemarch by George Eliot | Summary & Characters, The Murder of Gonzago: Significance in Hamlet & Overview, Flower Symbolism in Hamlet by William Shakespeare | Overview & Examples, Hamlet by William Shakespeare | Literary Devices, Analysis & Examples, Shakespeare's Hamlet: Character Analysis & Description, Horatio Quotes in Hamlet by William Shakespeare | Examples & Analysis. This is a direct juxtaposition of circumstances from the earlier scene of Claudius kneeling in penance. Beauregard, David and Dennis Taylor (New York: Fordham University, 2003), 223. What is the reason for Hamlets hesitance? I.v. Similarly, Laertes doesn't need the religious argument that Hamlet does to seek revenge. Throughout the play, Hamlet shows a deep preoccupation with the condition of death and his soul. Hamlet: Characters - Analysis of Main Characters & Quotes With his head clear, he charges his uncle and fulfills his long-time quest for revenge by stabbing Claudius and saying, The point envenomd too! Bloomington: Indiana University, 1994. His prayers are empty: while he may repent breaking the sixth commandment by murdering his brother (a direct reference to Cain & Abel), he refuses to perform any penance for it because of his pride (a Deadly Sin). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007. As Hamlet is given the perfect opportunity to take revenge, he is stopped, not by his own love for human life, but by religion. Both of these contexts influence the theme of religion in Hamlet. Only until the appearance of a ghost resembling his father, the late King Hamlet, does Hamlet have a motive for animosity towards his uncle: the ghost father tells Hamlet that Claudius poured poison into King Hamlet's ear, thus killing him, so that Claudius could usurp the crown and marry Hamlet's mother, Gertrude. However, throughout the play there are conflicting views regarding Pagan and Protestant religion as well. Hamlet's Religious Transformation | by Pep Ribas | Medium I.v. Questions About Religion Why are the castle guards afraid of the Ghost? Hamlet, Part 5: Characteristics of Elizabethan Drama Flashcards The play not only reflects the chaotic religious atmosphere of Elizabethan times, but also it makes use of the common sense about religion to strengthen the major themes of the play. Religion in Hamlet - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com ), the main impact is on the conversation between Hamlet and the Ghost. View Volumes of Curriculum Units from National Seminars, Find Curriculum Units Written in Seminars Led by Yale Faculty, Find Curriculum Units Written by Teachers in National Seminars, Browse Curriculum Units Developed in Teachers Institutes, Excellence in Teaching: Agenda for Partnership, Understanding this, the Christian artist can perfect the logic of tragedy. Cite specific examples that define religious importance within each time period. "6 We must also be aware of the following entry that generally typified the feeling of the end of the 16th Century and the beginning of the 17th: While Shakespeare lived with family friends during his father's financial troubles, it is known that the devoutly Catholic Houghtons "almost certainly illegally harbored priests, along with illegal ritual objects and a large collection of banned or suspect books. New York: Fordham University, 2003. Students need to pay special attention to lines 162-179 because Marcellus explains that the Ghost's presence faded on the crowing of the cock since the rooster has the power to "awake the God of day" and, at his warning, the bad spirit hides away, "like a guilty thing upon a fearful summons", i.e., for shame of committing any more offenses against Jesus, which is also an indirect allusion to Judas' nighttime betrayal of Jesus for pieces of silver, which initiated the crucifixion of Jesus. Here, Hamlet must face the judgments of his own religious doctrine. Understanding Hamlet Through Religious Elements From the Lecture Series: How to Read and Understand Shakespeare September 30, 2020British Literature, Literature By Marc C. Connor Ph.D., Washington and Lee University Claudius, Hamlet's uncle, murders his brother, Hamlet's father. Noble, Richmond. In Act 3, scene 2 we find Hamlet's most famous soliloquy that makes an analysis of suicide, and this represents Hamlet's ideological beliefs in that time: Protestantism and Catholicism. If his father was both Catholic and Protestant, William Shakespeare was on his way to being neither. He even says that . III.iii.40-84: Claudius attempts the sacrament of reconciliation as he kneels in prayer. Act I, in which the Ghost appears and tells Hamlet to avenge his father, is heavily influenced by religion. Religion plays a noticeably vital part in Shakespeare's Hamlet. He states, "And yet it is almost against my conscience" which lets the reader know that he realizes he is breaking the sixth and ninth commandments, "Thou shalt not murder" and "Thou shalt not bear false witness.". Hamlet Themes: 6 Major Themes In Shakespeare's Hamlet Thus, if Hamlet, in a church, were to be performing the sacrament of reconciliation at the time Laertes murdered him, Hamlet could technically go to heaven because of his part in the sacrament of Last Rites. Christopher Marlowe Biography & Plays | Who was Christopher Marlowe? One cold night, Hamlet is told by an apparition claiming to be his father that Hamlets Uncle Claudius murdered King Hamlet. Maurice Hunt, Shakespeare's Religious Allusiveness (Burlington: Ashgate, 2004), xii-xiii. In Christian teaching at the time, the rooster's crow banishes evil and welcomes the light of God in the morning. I was hardly tucked away when the pursuivants broke down the door and burst in. Pickett, Joseph P., ed. In order to convince Hamlet to commit murder to avenge his murder, the Ghost uses religious arguments: one, he must be avenged to find rest, and two, he is trapped in purgatory because he was murdered before he could take confession. This scene should provoke engaging comments from the students. Gertrude, as mentioned before, marries her husband's brother, which to Christians at that time was considered incestuous, yet she doesn't seem to consider the religious implications of this act. Hamlet's View Of Religion In Hamlet - 790 Words | 123 Help Me On the right side of the board, students will pose any lingering questions about this concept, as well as formulate higher-level thinking questions inspired by it, and have these questions answered by their peers. Since God is present even at the fall of a sparrow, he will most assuredly be with a follower of Christ. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. The play's inconsistent representa-tion of religion is interesting in itself, and I would argue that to a certain Students should take note of the double entendre: nunnery also meant brothel during this time. Then, the three-week unit on Religious Elements in Shakespeare's Hamlet is taught. Religion is discussed throughout the play Hamlet. Therefore, it is also an act of free will, which has been a topic of religious debates. IV.v.223-224: Ophelia prays that, at the end of each person's life (ironically, this prayer is for herself), God be with him or her and that God may protect one from evil and lead each person into heaven. Cite specific example of religious potency throughout history from the 16th C to the 21st C. Students build claim, evidence, and commentary arguments. In conclusion, it seems quite plausible that religion is indeed what slows Hamlets movements toward revenge throughout the play. In the Bible, Matthew 10:29 speaks of Christs followers as more important than any sparrow. On the right side of the board is where they apply what they have learned: students must bring in present-day examples of people in society living out the religious concepts, e.g., newspaper articles, magazine pictures, advertisements, etc. Students should remember the promise of the New Testament, as outlined in the Nicene Creed, that since Jesus died for our sins, God bestows mercy on us for our sins, and we are thus promised the hope of salvation. Seven Holy Sacraments37: Students need to know about the functions of the Seven Sacraments in the Christian Church: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony, with particular attention paid to the Last Rites: how the ill person laments his sins before God, how God's forgiveness initiates the healing, and how this exchange prepares the ill person for death. 10. Beauregard, David and Dennis Taylor (New York: Fordham University, 2003), 222. Tom F. Driver, "Shakespeare's Sense of History" in Shakespeare's Christian Dimension, ed. How is religion relevant to William Shakespeare's Hamlet Cain & Abel40: Students need to know the story of Cain and his brother Abel, specifically about how Adam and Eve bore two sons, and when it came time for each to bring forth an offering to God, only Abel's sacrifice was acceptable to God. 37. Group-type discussions of this nature are always intellectually stimulating..(especially when we aren't under the pressure of working toward a grade!! Students should remember that the Holy Spirit resides in each human's body, according to Christian belief. Please note that my response is my opinion and not some fact I've found through research. Seven Deadly Sins47: Students should know the Seven Deadly Sins and their opposite virtues: Pride/Humility, Greed/Generosity, Lust/Chastity, Anger/Meekness, Gluttony/Temperance, Envy/Brotherly Love, Sloth/Diligence. Religion, Honor, and Revenge Theme in Hamlet | LitCharts 23. Is it a deadly apparition created from the house of Satan? This allows students to get inside the mind of Hamlet by creating answers to the reasons why Hamlet acts the way he does (religiously motivated or not). "Hamlet's Evasions and Inversions" in Shakespeare's Christian Dimension, ed. For example, Hamlet attends school in Wittenberg, the city where Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the church, which is a clear reference to Protestantism.