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Hamlet's decisions are informed mostly by his religious belief, how…
Hamlet's decisions are informed mostly by his religious belief, how far do you agree?
yes, religion
the ghost is a symbol that challenges hamlet's religious belief, by putting it against his desire for honour (through revenge)
Shakespeare utilised the figure of a ghost to display Hamlet's devotion to God
the convention of a ghost in tragedy was tired in literature at this time, as it had originated from the classical period, with playwrights like Euripides and Seneca
with the advent of the Renaissance and the revitalisation of classical symbols and beliefs, ghosts were used extensively in contemporary literature also, such as Thomas Kyd's 'The Spanish Tragedy'
however, Shakespeare subverted the classical convention by making this ghost not from Tartarus, but of christian origin
however, sue to the religious reformation that had split the country and caused rebellions, Shakespeare could not specify the belief of the ghost or Hamlet as Catholic or Protestant lest he alienate a large part of his audience
rather, he used this lack of specificity to amplify the ambiguity of the ghost, and thus to test Hamlet's religious belief
Protestants at this time believed that ghosts were manifestations of the devil, and so this ghost 'could be a demon tempting [hamlet] to murder an innocent man' (Wiggins)
this is amplified by the fact that it was literary convention for the ghost to appear to the person who had wronged them. in this case Claudius, yet here he appears to hamlet, suggesting malicious intent
however, Catholic believed in purgatory and so would have viewed the ghost and simply old king hamlet in his 'fair and warlike form' awaiting heaven
this discrepancy is directly referenced when Hamlet probes 'be thou a spirit of health or a goblin damned?'
the binary opposition in religious lexis here reflects not only the reformation, but also the torment in Hamlet's psyche as he is not sure whether to trust the ghost
in this way, he is not sure whether to commit to 'revenge this most foul and unnatural murder' or to be pious and follow God's teachings, as revenge was prohibited in christianity
revenge represented a 'wild sort of justice' (Bacon) that seemed to undermine the power of God, as he was the one that was expected to right wrongs
therefore, the ambiguity of the ghost reflects the discourse between Hamlet's religious belief, and his attraction towards revenge and honour
it could be cited that this confusion was the reason for the play-within-a-play, as hamlet needed to prove that Claudius was guilty, and thus that the ghost was in fact not a demon, and was trustworthy, ensuring that his revenge would be less blasphemous and dangerous
overall, it is clear that 'all duties seem holy to Hamlet' (Goethe) as he must verify the ghost and his words before he can commit regicide, perhaps explaining the so-called 'indecision' of Hamlet throughout
Hamlet's piety can be seen in his frequent reference to God, his inability to commit suicide
Hamlet is quickly established as being a student of Wittenberg, which was the contemporary hub for Protestantism, suggesting that hamlet was especially pious
this is demonstrated by his frequent reference to God and to heaven, such as in his first soliloquy, in which he asks 'heaven and earth, must I remember?'
the mention of heaven here suggests that Hamlet is appealing to God himself in his time of despair, cementing the sense that he is an incredibly religious person
moreover, hamlet is also quickly introduced as a melancholic and suicidal person, represented by 'O that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew'
the ecphonesis used here emphasises hamlet's high education, and is thus another reminder of his attendance to Wittenberg, and thus of his piety
the epizeuxis and use of asyndeton also highlight Hamlet's strong desire for his life to end, and it seems he will really commit suicde as he is hopeless
however, he then despairs over the fact that the 'Everlasting' had 'fixed his canon against self-slaughter'
this highlights Hamlet's complete religious belief as he abides god's rules despite his strong desire to kill himself
the use of the term 'everlasting' may also reflect the nature of Hamlet's belief
therefore it must be seen that Hamlet is incredibly religious, and his decisions are partly informed by this
dalton affirms that suicide is 'an offence against God'
no, they are informed by his Oedipal lust
critics have posited that Hamlet's decisions, or lack thereof, and guided by his incestuous feelings towards his mother, and the jealousy this creates
the Oedipal interpretation of Hamlet was spearheaded by Freud and Ernest Jones, and is based off of the classical play of Oedipus, in which a man mistakenly sleeps with his mother
the term has come to be used psychologically as one denoting lust for one's mother, and thus jealousy of one's father
indeed, the lust Hamlet has is perhaps best represented the he speaks of her 'swift dexterity' to 'incestuous sheets'
the sibilance used here facilitates a sense of disgust in Hamlet, as one can imagine an actor visibly spitting these syllables to display his contempt
thus this could merely symbolise his disapproval of Gertrude's 'hasty' remarriage and sexuality
yet, in line with the Oedipal interpretation, this serves as evidence for hamlet's jealousy for his uncle. as he has fulfilled his repressed desire of killing his father and marrying his mother
and thus, Hamlet's decisions, or rather indecision, is caused by his 'buried' (jones) feelings, as to kill Claudius would be to accept and address these incestuous feelings, and confront them within himself
for this reason, as Jones dictates, Hamlet 'cannot kill [Claudius] without killing himself'
this may explain Hamlet's inactivity throughout the play, and his emphasis on thought
this interpretation is scaffolded by the fact that Hamlet does not commit his eventual revenge until Gertrude, the object of his desire, is dead, and he is able to do so without affirming the Oedipal lust within
thus, his decisions are partly informed by his lust and loyalty towards his mother, which he tries to hide
informed by a loyalty to Denmark
Professor McRae puts forward the interpretation that all of Hamlet's decisions are informed by a loyalty to Denmark, and a wish to put the time back in 'joint' by restoring order to Denmark
he does so by becoming the perfect avenger, and then the 'most royal', and ideal king, by eliminating corruption and ensuring safety for the state in his dying moments
thus, McRae posits, the play is a 'tragedy of becoming' as Hamlet is wholly loyal to Denmark, but must develop the attributes the kingdom needs, in order to save it
these attributes, according to Renaissance iconography, were an equal balance of head, heart, and hand: intellect, emotion, and fighting ability, represented by a book, a flower, and a blade respectively.
an ideal king had all three of these attributes, and Hamlet gains them throughout the play, as he recognises that Denmark is corrupt and his decisions are motivated by saving it
firstly, when Hamlet speaks to Polonius, he is reading a book and speaks of 'words, words, words', and when Ophelia dies he weeps for her, as she is enshrouded in 'fantastical garlands'. Lastly, hamlet acquires fighting ability by piercing Laertes with 'a point envenom'd'
therefore, by the end of the play Hamlet is 'most royal' according to McRae and Fortinbras, as through his decisions he has acquired these attributes
McRae suggests that Shakespeare adopted this narrative to explain Hamlet's motivation and also to exploit the contemporary 'spiritual, intellectual chaos' (McRae)
Elixabeth's reign had been tumultuous, as her sister Mary had left the crown £250,000 in debt, she faced foreign threat, and she refused to name an heir despite her being close to death early in her reign due to smallpox
thus, Shakespeare showcases the development of Hamlet to represent the King that England needed at the time, making him inherently supported by the audience, and his death all the more tragic
Shakespeare analyses the political situation of England through the lens of Denmark
thus, McRae suggests that all of Hamlet's decisions are informed by the end goal of eradicating corruption. restoring order, and thus putting the time back in 'joint'
informed by his madness
some posit that Hamlet was truly mentally unstable, suggesting that his decisions were not informed by much other than his mental state
a contemporary text written in 1583 by Thomas Bright details the symptoms of those suffering from madness. It is titled 'the Treatise of Melancholy'
firstly, it suggests that sufferers see 'phantasticall apparitions'
this may explain why hamlet sees the figure of the ghost, especially when we consider that it was custom for ghosts to appear to those that had wronged them, in this case Claudius. the fact it appeared to Hamlet is a symbol of his madness
also, in Act 3 Gertrude is not able to see the ghost, showcasing the development of his 'antic disposition' into real madness
moreover, Bright suggests that sufferers see their homes as a 'prison or dungeon' rather than a place of 'repose'
indeed, Hamlet dubs Denmark as a 'prison...in which there are many confines, wards and dungeons'
the similarities here are obvious, and the use of a tricolour here reflects the melancholia and despair which has led to Hamlet's madness
moreover, the comparison of Denmark to a prison suggests the poor morality of those within, as they are sinners who have committed crimes, perhaps another reason for his madness
Furthermore, in this time prisons were merely used as holding cells for those awaiting execution, and not as places of punishment
this may suggest that Hamlet predicts the plot against him, and fears for his own life as he feels he is awaiting execution, which would certainly induce paranoia and madness, further reinforcing Bright's evidence and thus this interpretation
it is unsure whether Shakespeare was familiar with this work at his time of writing, but it is clear he wanted to include elements of insanity in Hamlet, so that his motive is unclear, and we cannot guess what informed his decision most
if I have time