Hamlet by WIlliam Shakespeare

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William Shakespeare was a Stratford Grammar School boy, who was a member of the Church of England, similar to just about everyone else in Stratford. However, due to some events that occurred in the Shakespeare family home, there is some evidence that could prove that the family may have had some Roman Catholic connections. When William Shakespeare was 10 years old, legal issues and debt took a toll on his family’s life. Shakespeare’s father’s stopped attending alderman meetings which resulted in the removal of his name to become an alderman, and he was also forced to sell his beautiful home. The cause of this crisis is unknown, however the records can be used to throw together the idea that there were peculiar religious events going on (Fox). Due to these mishaps, William Shakespeare’s religion is a bit of a mystery. The play, Hamlet, was written by William Shakespeare during the Elizabethan era, which happened to be a time when religious conflicts were a big deal (Alsaif). The protagonist in the story, Hamlet, is a character who seems to make his choices through his religious beliefs. Hamlet is a very indecisive person, but his thoughts on religion tend to persuade him. In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare uses the character of Hamlet to show the flaws in all religions. Hamlet does his best to follow the rules of Christianity, but he often questions the morality involved. Although Shakespeare belonged to the Church of England, he didn’t find any particular religion to be perfect.
When Hamlet’s mother remarries to Claudius, her husband’s murderer, Hamlet is disgusted that she could move on so quickly. He’s also disturbed over the fact that his Uncle could kill his own brother, and then marry his brother’s widow. This “incestu...

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...ll religions, some more than others, and he shows these flaws through Hamlet’s actions.

Works Cited

Abdulaziz Alsaif, Omar. “The Significance of Religion in Hamlet.” Journal of English and Literature 3 (2012): 132-35. Academic Journals. Web. 15 May 2014. .
Fox, Levi. The Shakespeare Handbook. Boston: G.K. Hall and Company, 1987. Print.
Kay, Karen. “Concepts of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory in Hamlet.” Shakespeare Online Study Tools. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2014. .
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York City: Spark Publishing, 2003. Print.
"What Is the Christian View of Suicide? What Does the Bible Say about Suicide?"
Got Questions? N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2014.
.

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