Preview

The Delay of Regicide with Hamlet due to Religion

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1484 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Delay of Regicide with Hamlet due to Religion
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark:
The Delay of Regicide with Hamlet due to Religion

By
Killian David Mustain

Senior English
Mr. Steve Rivas: Period 6
March 16th, 2012

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark:
The Delay of Regicide with Hamlet Due to Religion
William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark can be considered one of the most influential and powerful tragedies that the English language has been blessed with. Shakespeare’s longest play embellishes the revenge that Prince Hamlet must partake in by killing his uncle for murdering his father, King Hamlet of Denmark. This tragedy, which was first performed between the years 1600-1601, is still considered one of Shakespeare’s best works and still ranks among his most-performed, topping the Royal Shakespeare Company’s performance list since 1879. With Hamlet written during a time of religious upheaval and the wake of the English Reformation, Shakespeare wrote this play with more purpose of Catholic and Protestant views. Major connections shown in the play, which shows Catholic characteristics, is the Ghost and the burial ceremony that is given to Ophelia. Some scholars have observed that revenge tragedies are native to traditional Catholic countries such as Italy and Spain; and they present a contradiction, since according to Catholic doctrine the leading responsibility that a Catholic has is to God and family. Hamlet’s challenge, then, is whether his shall be avenging his father and killing his Uncle Claudius, or to leave this vengeful act to God, as his religion requires. Religion also embodies on a major part in this play through Hamlet’s procrastination. Prince Hamlet delayed killing his uncle due to religion portrayed in this play
Dealing with Procrastination of Skills Ahead touches on the fact that Hamlet’s famous soliloquy, “to be, or not to be,” shows the struggle of the Prince of Denmark with procrastination throughout this play. With the longing answer on whether Hamlet eradicates

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Ophelia In Hamlet

    • 1399 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a revenge tragedy play that primarily focuses on Hamlet’s quest to avenge his father’s death. The tragedy of Hamlet, while mostly revolving around Hamlet himself, also concerns the character of Ophelia, and Hamlet’s relationship with her throughout the play. Despite of her absence from all but five scenes, Ophelia manages to receive a considerable amount of attention, as her character becomes truly tragic with her realization that she is powerless politically, socially, and psychologically amongst the men in her life, and without them. As a woman with limited options in a patriarchal society, this realization drives her mad, ultimately resulting in her death.…

    • 1399 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark was written by the world renowned, English poet, playwright, and actor, William Shakespeare, between 1599 and 1602. Scholars suggest that Shakespeare’s inspiration came from the legend of Amleth, which follows the storyline of The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark very closely. Shakespeare’s tragedy takes place in the Kingdom of Denmark, where we meet a multitude of seemingly ordinary characters, who ultimately meet untimely deaths. The play revolves around the concept of seeking revenge and the repercussions of their actions. Although Hamlet is a dark tragedy, it contains important life lessons. Through the life of Hamlet, Shakespeare shows how revenge is futile, by using the death of his father, his mother’s incestuous marriage, and his…

    • 419 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet possesses an indecisive, morose, and wrathful outlook on people and life, causing him to take brash actions. William Shakespeare’s tragedy “Hamlet” was written in 1601 and published in 1603. Set in Denmark during the Middle Ages, the play revolves around the tragic hero, Hamlet, whom is forced to cope with his father’s death. During the scene 5 of Act I, it is revealed by the ghost of King Hamlet that he was murdered by his own brother, Claudius. Thus, Hamlet is impelled to satisfy his father’s request and avenge his father’s death by killing Claudius. Moreover, Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, briskly marries King Claudius, thus prompting Hamlet to having a distrust of women. The play centers on making moral choices, corruption, and the nature…

    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare is one of the most compelling and influential tragedies in English literature. The tragedy is rife with death, vengeance, and puissant soliloquies that are highly interpretable by the audience. Hamlet discovers his father’s unnatural death was a heinous plot by his uncle to steal the crown and the queen. Throughout the play, in Hamlet’s soliloquies, he reveals himself to be a righteous individual who will execute what he believes in: justice.…

    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ghost In Hamlet

    • 1324 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Hamlet was considered to be wallowing in self-pity over everything that had recently transpired. His father’s death, his mother’s marriage to his uncle as well as he had been stripped of his rightful place as King of Denmark. Hamlet was of high morals and religious background. He was raised within the Lutheran Christian Faith and was appalled by everyone’s behavior. Resentment now raised its ugly head towards his mother in her “incestuous” union when Hamlet during his soliloquy, proclaims “Frailty, thy name is Woman!” to reflect his disgust of her weakness. But due to the love for his mother Hamlet keeps his resentment and disappointment to himself at this time. Faced with the realization of the murder of his father, who he had idolized and compared to a Greek sun-god and whose ghost has demanded revenge in order to leave purgatory, Hamlet is further torn between his moral values and his Christian faith, as his faith does not allow murder (“Thou shall not…

    • 1324 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet - Textual Integrity

    • 1070 Words
    • 5 Pages

    William Shakespeare's famous tragedy 'Hamlet' follows a young prince of Denmark who after his father's death, is confronted by his fathers ghost and sets out to prove his uncles participation in killing his father and marrying his mother, "the serpent that did sting thy father now wears his crown". For over 400 years, Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' has been studied and examined countless times by scholars and students alike, all of whom have had different interpretations on the dramatic piece as a consequence of the texual integrity of the play. The plays exposure of life's fundamental and timeless questions in which are still relevant today, allows for the continual study and reinterpretation of the dramatic piece.…

    • 1070 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Hamlet Critical Lens

    • 391 Words
    • 1 Page

    In the William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet the Prince of Denmark is plotting to kill his uncle, who is the king because he poisoned his father, the previous king. The theme of the play is revenge and the protagonist, Hamlet is characterized as being fully devoted to avenging his father, no matter the cost. After two months of mourning for his dead father, Hamlet encounters his father’s ghost, who tells him that it was his brother, King Claudius who killed him. Hamlet then promises his father that he will get revenge on Claudius however, his inability to act prolongs Claudius’s death. Hamlet must first find out if it was actually his father’s ghost and not Satan trying to trick him so he modifies a play that shows a similarity to the murder of Hamlet’s father at the hand of Claudius. Claudius leaves before the play before it ends and berates himself for the murder, “Oh, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven. It has the eldest primal curse on it, a brother’s murder.” Therefore, Claudius will pay the price for killing Hamlet’s father by losing his throne, his wife, and even his own life. Hamlet will also pay greatly for avenging his father. He will lose Ophelia, the woman he loves who drownes herself after her father, Polonius is killed by Hamlet who thought it was Claudius. He will lose his mother, Gertrude who drinks wine that was poisoned by Claudius and intended for Hamlet. Hamlet will also lose his own life after being stabbed with a poisoned sword by Larates in a fencing duel, who was seeking…

    • 391 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Shakespeare’s Hamlet, set in the late middle ages (14th and 15th centuries) in and around the royal palace in Elsinore, a city in Denmark, oversees…

    • 327 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, can be seen as one about duty, in particular Hamlet's struggle with his duty to his father and the possible consequences involved. Hamlet's duty is revealed when he speaks with the ghost of his father who commands Hamlet to "revenge his foul and most unnatural murder." The appearance of the supernatural and the suggestion of a "most unnatural murder" also presents the idea of corruption as it portrays the idea of death against the natural order. Hamlet clearly struggles with this command from his father's ghost, as avenging his father's death would mean that Hamlet himself would have to murder not just another person, but his uncle CLaudius, the new king of Denmark. Therefore, Hamlet struggles to take immediate action but instead he tells the ghost, "with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love may sweep to my revenge." This simile suggests that Hamlet is eager to seek revenge quickly, however his response is paradoxical as "meditation" and "thoughts of love" suggest that he may have to think about the task ahead of him first. This highlights Hamlet's struggle with his duty as while he wants to avenge his father's death, he is also unsure and so cannot…

    • 1139 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Hamlet's Paranoia

    • 2158 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Hamlet, the eponymous hero of Shakespeare’s greatest work, descends swiftly into madness and paranoia after the murder of his father and the realization of his mother’s true, morally reprehensible, nature. As a result of these new responsibilities and extreme circumstances, Hamlet diverges from his usual, logical thinking into paranoia and over analysis, a condition that prevents him from trusting anyone. Hamlet, having been born a prince, is, for the first time, forced to make his own decisions after he learns of the true means of his father’s death. Another contributing factor to his madness is the constant probing of others into Hamlet’s sanity. These factors all contribute to Hamlets delay, and that delay contributes to the tragic downfall of Billy Shakespeare’s most brilliant hero at the hands of a distraught and vengeful Laertes.…

    • 2158 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Ophelias Flowers

    • 1015 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Shakespeare, William, Barbara A. Mowat, and Paul Werstine. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. New York: Washington Square, 2002. Print.…

    • 1015 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Hamlet

    • 1058 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Bibliography: Barnet, Sylvan, and William Shakespeare. The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark. New York: Penguin Group &, 1998. Print.…

    • 1058 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet encompasses many elements characteristic to the tragedy genre of the Renaissance, including a personal search for revenge, deception, a ghost of the past, the death of several central characters and incest. But unlike most other plays of the Elizabethan era - including those written by William Shakespeare - the main focus is on the character himself, and not solely on the line of action. Prince Hamlet’s thoughts are central throughout the play, and his soliloquies provide the reader/listener with insight into what essentially becomes the tragic turning of events.…

    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The play Hamlet, written by Shakespeare, was a poor representation of believability, likeable characters and a plot that makes readers want to continue reading. It is a story that represents honor and revenge. The emotion of the novel is over-exaggerated, therefor lowering the relatable factor. The ghost appears to Hamlet and tells Hamlet to seek revenge for his fathers’ murder. Although the ghost shows personal traits it is not believable that Hamlet would simply be convinced to commit himself to overtly violent actions from a character that he just met. With all the quick assumptions and lack of thought before killing, it makes the story unrealistic. The main characters Hamlet, Claudius and Gertrude show traits of a hero, villain and everything in between. The likability is lacking in all of these characters because it is impossible to go along and back up their outlandish decisions. They behave rashly and impulsively to a point where connecting…

    • 1113 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The themes of suffering, revenge and religion have very popular in stories for centuries. Almost everyone on this earth has, at a time in their life either suffering, seeking revenge or turning towards religion. William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet begins with the recent death of King Hamlet, who was Prince Hamlet's father. The king’s brother Claudius, was enthroned the King of Denmark. After becoming king, Claudius married Queen Gertrude, Prince Hamlet's mother. The prince is angry by the actions of Claudius and still mourning his father. Not long after the death of his father, the ghost of King Hamlet appears to the prince. Everybody believed that the king died because of a snake bite, but the ghost discloses that the king was murdered by Claudius…

    • 225 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays

Related Topics