Shakespeare's plays employ many allusions to religious stories and beliefs. Hamlet and Measure for Measure, for example, both address religious themes and incorporate religious imagery. However, Shakespeare's personal religious beliefs have never been clear. Some claim that his plays reflect Shakespeare's doctrine, but mere references to religion do not prove that the playwright himself was a follower of the Catholic tradition. An analysis of Hamlet and Measure for Measure, as well as an examination of religious beliefs typical of Shakespeare's time, shows that the messages contained in at least these two works of Shakespeare do not condone or condemn religious teachings. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Although Shakespeare's Hamlet is classified as a revenge tragedy, it includes scenes and speeches that deal with religious beliefs. The idea of ​​the afterlife is addressed several times. In the opening scene, we are introduced to a ghost captured in purgatory, a ghost who claims to be Hamlet's father and describes in detail the pain he suffers from dying without having been cleansed of his sins: "I am the spirit of your father, condemned. for a while I will walk by night, And by day I will fast in the fires, Until the vile crimes committed in my natural days Be burned and purged” (IV, 9-13). The effect of the actions of one's life on one's afterlife is a recurring theme throughout the play. In Hamlet's first soliloquy, we see that Hamlet refrains from committing suicide in order to avoid God's wrath: “Oh that this flesh also, too defiled, would melt, thaw, and dissolve into dew; Or that the Lord had not fixed his canon against self-mutilation. O God, God, how tired, dull, dull and useless all the uses of this world seem to me! (I.ii., 129-134) It is clear that Hamlet does not lament his suicidal thoughts because he feels guilty; on the contrary, he refrains from "self-mutilation" only for fear of going to hell or purgatory for it. The question of what one must do to be admitted to heaven permeates the play. Conversely, how can Hamlet ensure that Claudius lives in eternal torment? – also appears. Hamlet realizes that killing Claudius would have the undesirable effect of sending Claudius, who would die seeking forgiveness and purging his soul of his sins, to heaven: "A wicked man kills my father, and for that I, his son unique, I make this same villain send to heaven. Well, this is a commitment and a salary, not a revenge” (III.iii., 76-79). Hamlet uses his religious belief to "save" Claudius on earth and thus – according to Hamlet – send him to hell for killing Hamlet's father. During Ophelia's burial scene, religious beliefs are again used to determine a character's placement in death. Act V, Scene I opens with a joke between two gravediggers discussing the proper burial of Ophelia. Due to her possible suicide, they are unsure whether her body should be allowed in consecrated ground: "If she were not a noble lady, she should have been buried outside a Christian burial" (Vi, 23- 25). We see here that social status takes precedence over what the gravediggers believe to be religious law. At the very end of the play, we see that Laertes admits his guilt in the attempted murder of Hamlet and wishes to cleanse himself of his sins before he dies. . “Exchange your forgiveness with me, noble Hamlet. Mine and my father's death will not come upon you, noryours on me! (V.ii., 323-325) Hamlet grants him this forgiveness but, considering that this idea of ​​what it takes to purify his soul and ensure entry into Heaven, their confessions and their forgiveness are rather brief and apparently little sincere. Once again, it appears that the two men are exchanging "forgiveness", not because they truly forgive each other, but because they are desperate to avoid the depths of hell once they die.none of these examples Shakespeare does not take a position on what the characters should do when faced with their dilemmas. In the case of Laertes, Shakespeare even alludes to the folly of religion: if one can be forgiven so easily and with so little conviction, what meaning can religious doctrine really have? In Measure for Measure, Shakespeare addresses this question. In this play, a duke disguises himself as a religious figure and Isabel is about to become a nun. Because one is only pretending to be religious and the other has not fully committed to entering the convent, neither character can be considered a truly religious figure; as the critic Harper notes, "In Measure's Vienna, Isabella is not a nun but a novice, the Duke is not a real brother, and Angelo is certainly not an angel" (p.2- 3). The Duke feels obligated to give power to Angelo because he, the Duke, has been lax in enforcing the law and letting his people spiral out of control. Angelo then arrests Claudio for premarital sex and sentences him to death. Claudio claims that he had planned to marry his lover but had not yet announced his engagement and therefore deserves clemency. When asked why he was arrested, Claudio replies: “For too much freedom, my Lucio. Freedom, like excess, is the father of much fasting; Thus, any immoderate use turns into restraint. Our natures pursue, like rats ravaging their own flock, a thirsty evil; and when we drink, we die. (I.ii.118-122) Claudio's statement highlights why the Duke has given Angelo the harsh responsibility of enforcing the law: too much freedom causes problems, and Angelo is strict about laws affecting personal freedom. But how strict is too strict? Claudio does not deserve to die for his crime. This question leads us to wonder whether religious law should be enforced by the state or by God, who probably has a more nuanced view than Angelo on when and how to punish – or forgive. The question of who is fit to administer justice becomes more complicated as the play progresses, as we realize that Angelo and the Duke are acting in morally questionable ways. Angelo's proposal to Claudio's sister is inappropriate, and by marrying Isabella, the Duke distances her from religious life – it's not exactly a sin, but it's hardly an endorsement of religious life. As in Hamlet, Shakespeare remains neutral on the issue in Measure for Measure. to know whether religious law is good or bad; he simply uses the question to move the story forward. A number of critics have argued that Measure for Measure "exemplifies the central concepts of Christian doctrine" (Gless p.1), but this does not mean that Shakespeare adhered to such a doctrine. Furthermore, if her goal was to promote Christianity, why would Isabella abandon her plan to become a nun? As Gless states, "despite Isabella's once fervent commitment to virginity and her impending vows, she tacitly but clearly agrees to marry [the Duke]" (p. 5). In the case of Hamlet, a play promoting Christian doctrine would most likely allow, 1965.