Essay on Corruption of Christianity in Shakespeares, Hamlet

In the play Hamlet, the motif of suicide is used throughout the play to shine a light on the corruption of Christianity and the implications of suicide and the after-life and the effect it has on one’s relationship with God. It accomplishes this through the use of allusions and metaphors and the development of multiple characters relationships with God throughout the play as they go through the challenges and experiences that are present within Hamlet. In Hamlet, the act of suicide is a motif, however it is also an act that Hamlet himself cannot commit in order for this story to fit the role of a revenge tragedy. If Hamlet were to commit suicide, the ghost of Hamlet’s father would not have his work fulfilled by Hamlet. The late Hamlet’s†¦show more content†¦Almost all the characters in Hamlet display signs of a connection to Christianity, whether it be small or large. And most or all of these characters experience challenges throughout the play, and we c ould classify this as a religious tragedy, highlighting the flaws of Christianity. One can look at Hamlet’s delay of his plan of revenge to kill Claudius as an act of cowardice, however if you delve deeper into it, we can see that Hamlet went against his father’s ghost’s commands, thus going against God, and tainting his mind. While the audience may consider Hamlet to be an indecisive coward, we must remember that he mindlessly killed Polonius and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern which hesitation. We can connect all of this back to the fact that suicide and the act of killing one self or another is what shines the light on religion and its corruption. Shakespeare complicates the fragile relationship between suicide and religion. The self-death of Ophelia challenged fundamental religious beliefs that suicide is a sin to the point that the audience is feeling empathy for Ophelia in that suicide was the only real escape from all of the chaos in the play. Ophelia’s character is often associated with innocence and purity. The perception of Ophelia’s weakness has dominated the audience’s idea of her, thus makingShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s The Morality Of Hamlet- Sweet Prince Or Arrant Knave Essay1340 Words   |  6 PagesA literary critic of Hamlet, Patrick Cruttwell, explores in his writing titled The morality of Hamlet- ‘Sweet Prince or ‘Arrant Knave’? the purpose of religion during Elizabethan times to set moral value sets th at often conflicted with man’s nature. Additionally, Cruttwell states the actions in the play aggressively clash with the religious values of the time period. 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