Hamlet Liturgy

What is a liturgical drama? According to Oxford Scholarship Online, “the term ‘liturgy’ traces the revival of religious drama after its initial suppression by Christianity, not only in medieval mystery plays but also in now largely forgotten Reformation and Counter-Reformation dramas. It then turns to baroque poetry and explores how disputes about ritual often reflected a wider cultural change that is indebted to notions of theatre.” Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, is an excellent example of a liturgy drama because Hamlet does not commit certain actions because religion weighs in on his decision making, the ghost of King Hamlet speaks of a Roman Catholic Doctrine while speaking to Hamlet, Ophelia did not get a proper burial because

While contemplating, Hamlet thinks to himself: “now might I do it pat, now he is praying and now I’ll do‘t: and so he goes to heaven: and so am I revenged” (3.3.75-76); however, readers can see the thought process of Hamlet and the way religious thinking weighs in on his decisions. Hamlet then states, “that would be scanned; A villain kills my father; and for that, I, his sole son, do the same villain send to heaven” (3.3.77-78). Hamlet realizes that killing Claudius right then when he is getting forgiveness from God for his sin he committed, would send Claudius to heaven, thus, not getting his revenge at

Hamlet professes that “not a whit; we defy augury: there is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, ‘tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all; since no man has aught of what he leaves, what is’t to leave betimes? Let be”(5.2.190-195). According to Phoebe Spinrad in her article, The Fall of the Sparrow and the Map of Hamlet’s Mind, “it has become almost obligatory to point out that Hamlet’s reference to the “special Providence in the fall of a sparrow” just before he engages in the fencing match with Laertes (5.2.208–9) is a scriptural allusion to Matthew 10:29” (453). In the Christian Bible, Matthew 10:29 states “are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.” The scripture seems to relate back to when Claudius set up the fencing match with Laertes and Hamlet supposedly to help them with their fight over Ophelia, but actually in hopes that Laertes will do the dirty work for Claudius because of his hatred against Hamlet and murder Hamlet before the people of Denmark discover the truth about King Hamlet’s death. The “two sparrows sold for a penny” saying seems to relate to Hamlet and Laertes being used by Claudius for his own