Hamlet's Domination by a Christian World View
England during the 17th century was a Christian society and country.
All Children would most certainly have been baptised shortly after
birth and once at a suitable age capable of understanding religion
would be taught the essentials of Christian faith. Attendance at
church was compulsory; failure to do so without a good medical reason
or otherwise would lead to a hefty fine. During the 16th century in
England those of Christian faith subsequently despised other races
against that of Protestantism, and any other religion or paranormal
existence that they did not understand. The persecution of Jews within
Elizabethan England meant the state forbade them the rights to
ownership of land or to engage in trade.
Shakespeare showed an incredible understanding and knowledge of issues
and crises of his time, introducing burning issues of today into his
deeply Christian country that showed an inability of understanding and
respecting other faiths and religions.
Within the pre-Elizabethan period and onwards society was influenced
heavily by the head of state, religion and new theoretician's ideas. A
Theocentric world view stated that everything was circled around God,
hence the 'Divine Right of Kings' , which derived itself from this
idea, proclaiming the head of state was put into power due to the
approval and justification of God. This idea generally became
associated with the Christian faith during the Renaissance period of
the late 16th and early 17th centuries which was spreading rapidly
through Europe settling much cultural diversity.
The Renaissance was a time of rebirth and massive ...
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...in your philosophy.'
What is philosophy? Philosophy is when there are no limits of
exploration as to questioning underlying factors which makes this
creation of life what it is. This is exactly what Hamlet says to
Horatio in Act I, Scene VI, 'There are more things dreamt of in heaven
and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' What Hamlet is
basically saying is never disbelieve. Anything is possible, never
oppose, wrongfully criticize or demean an object never before
witnessed or seen.
A modern day audience would understand specific actions after having
grasped what the 17th century religious influence within society was
like. However the way in which the government intervenes itself
regarding religion has greatly changed in that it is now no longer
seen as a way to indoctrinate people and influence them.
What does the word “renaissance” mean? It means “rebirth” or “revival” and the Renaissance was a period of change that began around 1350 to 1700. Before the Renaissance, there was the Middle Ages which people had little education and were more religious. Then, in the 1300s there was a movement called humanism which made people more educated and drew them into arts, literature, science, and medicine in the Renaissance. In the mid-1400s the printing press was made and gave humanism have even more momentum because more people could buy books. how did the Renaissance change man’s view of the world? The Renaissance changed a man’s view of the world in three ways: emphasis on individualism, emphasis on embracing this life(yolo), and emphasis on
Abdulaziz Alsaif, Omar. “The Significance of Religion in Hamlet.” Journal of English and Literature 3 (2012): 132-35. Academic Journals. Web. 15 May 2014. .
The Renaissance (A Very Short Introduction) written by Jerry Brotton has been illustrated into six illustrations: A global Renaissance, The humanist script, Church and state, Brave new worlds, Science and philosophy and Rewriting the Renaissance. Since this book is a history book, it is quite tough to read. This book is all about the past history which is related to the Renaissance. Honestly, I do not even have clear understanding on what is called “Renaissance” until I read this book. On page 9, under the subtitle of “Where and when was the Renaissance?” I finally found the meaning of Renaissance: the revival of classical culture. This word is come from Italian word which is rinascita. Then, French historian, Jules Michelet had come out with the definition of Renaissance. He define Renaissance as decisive historical period in European culture that represented a crucial break with the Middle Ages, and which created a modern understanding of humanity and its place in the world. He also promoted the Renaissance as representing a certain spirit or attitude, as much as referring to a specific historical period. But then, his Renaissance only took place on 16th century even though he had defined it from the previous century. There was also Jacob Burckhart, Swiss academic defined it as an Italian 15th-century phenomenon. By read it further, I found that these two persons read the vision of the Renaissance like a version of their own personal circumstances. Then again, there was also an Oxford-educated don, Walter Pater defined on this word. Similarly, in further reading, all these three thinkers had created 19th –century idea of the Renaissance as more of a spirit than a historical period.
Let us look at Claudius. Claudius is devious and intelligent, but also selfish. Claudius kills his brother, the King, to gain social, political, and economic power. “Of those effects for which I did the murder: My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen.” (3.3.Lines) Claudius from a Marxist point of view would be looked at as a figure who was been corrupted in his craving for political power. In fear and to protect his power, Claudius convinces Hamlets friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to spy on Hamlet to make sure he goes to England. “By letters congruing to that effect, The present death of Hamlet. Do it, England, For like the hectic in my blood he
Shakespeare’s Hamlet is heavily based on religious views. At the time of the play being written, the Elizabethan era, the religion that is most prominent is Catholicism. However, throughout the play there are conflicting views regarding Pagan and Protestant religion as well. The Protestant and Catholic religion are forms of Christianity. Pagan views are the opposite of this as in an unbeliever or one who has no religion.
In the play Hamlet, a number of questions arise--was it truly necessary for all the blood and murder to be written to make a point? Were his actions that followed, rational or justified? Was it ethical? Granted for the time period, many barbaric actions were regarded as accepted or justifiable, however, was there one point where Hamlet could have gone past the accepted level of shall we say, normality?Ethics (n), branch of Philosophy concerned with conduct--the determination of the good, and the right and wrong.
Throughout the history of the world, nonconformists have been making their mark by going against social norms. Religions have spawned from dissenters like Jesus Christ, Buddha, and Muhammad. Mathematics and technology still used today have been discovered by rebellious minds that go beyond the known and traditional. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that to be great is to be misunderstood. “Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh.” Nonconformists can do great things by rebelling and not behaving in a societally prescribed manner. William Shakespeare, Franz Kafka, Emily Dickinson, and Sandra Gilbert are four authors that not only were nonconformist, but also wrote about the subject. Each author explores the definition of nonconformity and highlights different aspects of it through characters that rebel by not behaving the same way as other people in a society or group. William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, reveals a character who channels his insubordinate ways into revenge for his father’s death. In the time the play is set, Hamlet does not kowtow to the ways of a true prince. Nor does he act as if he is next in line to the throne. Hamlet shows the reader that nonconformity can be disguised as madness and petty, trifling revolt. Franz Kafka’s novel, The Metamorphosis, revolves around a “man” who adapts to his new physical state. By conforming to his insect body, however, he goes against the rest of society. Kafka reveals that sometimes when one does not conform, those around the rebel can be affected in a negative fashion. Franz Kafka also transforms and challenges traditional gender roles in the twentieth century European ...
The character of Hamlet in William Shakespeare's play has been an enigma since the birth of the play. His inability to act, and his tendency to over analyse situations leads to the main events of the play. Schlegal is of the opinion that his distress is due to a lack of "firm belief in himself or anything else." Schlegal would appear to predominantly base this view on Hamlet's initial misanthropic and frequently suicidal speeches near the beginning of the play. Lines such as, "O that this too solid flesh would melt, thaw and resolve itself into a dew" certainly indicate a lack of optimism, as do his views upon the world in his first soliloquy, "How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world." He considers Earth to be like "an unweeded garden that grows to seed, things rank and gross in nature."
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is one of the most famous tragedies William Shakespeare has ever written. Found throughout Shakespeare’s tragedy are many religious references. According to Peter Milward, the author of Shakespeare's Christianity: The Protestant and Catholic Poetics of Julius Caesar, Macbeth, and Hamlet, “From a purely religious point of view, which is more than just biblical, Hamlet is rich in homiletic material of all kinds, reflecting almost every aspect of the religious situation in a deeply religious age” (Milward 9). These pieces of religious literature are crucial to the plot of Hamlet. The religious elements found in this tragedy provide the plot, allusions, and foreshadowing.
Shakespeare’s play Hamlet is a complex and ambiguous public exploration of key human experiences surrounding the aspects of revenge, betrayal and corruption. The Elizabethan play is focused centrally on the ghost’s reoccurring appearance as a symbol of death and disruption to the chain of being in the state of Denmark. The imagery of death and uncertainty has a direct impact on Hamlet’s state of mind as he struggles to search for the truth on his quest for revenge as he switches between his two incompatible values of his Christian codes of honour and humanist beliefs which come into direct conflict. The deterioration of the diseased state is aligned with his detached relationship with all women as a result of Gertrude’s betrayal to King Hamlet which makes Hamlet question his very existence and the need to restore the natural order of kings. Hamlet has endured the test of time as it still identifies with a modern audience through the dramatized issues concerning every human’s critical self and is a representation of their own experience of the bewildering human condition, as Hamlet struggles to pursuit justice as a result of an unwise desire for revenge.
The Renaissance or “rebirth” is a cultural movement that started in Italy during the late 14th century and expanded to the early 17th century. The Renaissance was a bridge that allowed Western Europe to move from the medieval era to the modern era. Renaissance later spread to other parts of Europe. Advances in technology allowed art and architecture to flourish during the Renaissance era. Cities like Florence in Italy saw a spike in artists and architects who have changed from mere paid skilled laborers to professional artists.
Although Hamlet does not act on instinct; he does understand what it is telling him to do, "Even when he doubts, or thinks he doubts, the honesty of the Ghost, he expresses no doubt as to what his duty will be if the Ghost turns out to be honest" (Bradley 80).
Faith plays a large role in how one lives their life. Christianity plays a strong role throughout Hamlet by William Shakespeare. When reading the play one must think of the controversies of the time when Shakespeare writes the play. Reformation and Renaissance opinions are reflected throughout. Shakespeare deals with very controversial attitudes and religious questions dealing with death, the existence of purgatory, morality, murder, suicide and marriage in his play Hamlet. It is obvious throughout the play that Hamlet’s life is guided by his faith and his religious beliefs.
Hamlet is one of the most often-performed and studied plays in the English language. The story might have been merely a melodramatic play about murder and revenge, butWilliam Shakespeare imbued his drama with a sensitivity and reflectivity that still fascinates audiences four hundred years after it was first performed. Hamlet is no ordinary young man, raging at the death of his father and the hasty marriage of his mother and his uncle. Hamlet is cursed with an introspective nature; he cannot decide whether to turn his anger outward or in on himself. The audience sees a young man who would be happiest back at his university, contemplating remote philosophical matters of life and death. Instead, Hamlet is forced to engage death on a visceral level, as an unwelcome and unfathomable figure in his life. He cannot ignore thoughts of death, nor can he grieve and get on with his life, as most people do. He is a melancholy man, and he can see only darkness in his future—if, indeed, he is to have a future at all. Throughout the play, and particularly in his two most famous soliloquies, Hamlet struggles with the competing compulsions to avenge his father’s death or to embrace his own. Hamlet is a man caught in a moral dilemma, and his inability to reach a resolution condemns himself and nearly everyone close to him.
Hamlet is not a play based on religion but it illustrates religious beliefs of the 16th century, and religion is used as a catalyst to provoke Hamlet’s procrastination creating internal conflict from within raising questions about society and the new King of Denmark. The play is set in Denmark, a protestant nation but this might not greatly influence the plot since it is set at a time period...