Religion vs. Society

As the play progresses, the importance of upholding the rules of religion decrease as the societal codes for revenge and justice do not coincide with the 10 commandments.

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The Ten Commandments are the ten laws in the Bible that God gave to the nation of Israel shortly after the exodus from Egypt. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai to serve as principles of moral behaviour for the human race. These commandments are the foundation of the moral code and legal system of justice for which Western Christian civilization is based on. The commandments focus on one’s relationship with God and with other fellow human beings. Christianity bases itself on these ideals and centres its moral principles around the commandments. As in the case of Hamlet, often the religious laws and societal codes conflict on their moral and ethical groundings.

The Ten Commandments serve as signposts, guiding the audience as they follow the moral development of the characters throughout the play. The Commandments being common knowledge, allowed all members of Shakespeare’s audience, from royalty to beggars, to understand the messages conveyed.

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1ST COMMANDMENT: There is only one God

Interpretation: Worship only God and no others.  Keep faith, hope, and love in God.

Forbids: Adoration of idols, superstitious beliefs, magic, atheism, and desecration of God’s holy practices.

Characters in Hamlet respect one God but make reference to Greek mythology. Hamlet uses comparisons to Greek mythology to explain his thoughts when he is overcome with emotion. Similarly, throughout the play as Hamlet’s psychological journey continues, when he is obsessed with revenge, he uses comparisons of Greek Gods to express his emotions. In Hamlet’s first soliloquy, he foreshadows the declining importance of religion when he breaks the First Commandment and references other gods. He uses the metaphor “[h]yperion to a satyr” to compare his father to his uncle (1.2.140). He uses references to Greek mythology more as the play continues to convey his intense emotions. These increasing references to Greek mythology illustrates a decline in the importance of religion. The First Commandment also forbids adoration of other idols, superstitious beliefs and magic. While Hamlet breaks this Commandment by referencing Greek mythology, he also infringes upon this commandment by listening to the Ghost’s story and advice. His dedication and belief in the Ghost illustrates the descending value of religion because Hamlet defies reason, God and the Commandments by listening to the Ghost’s advice to kill his uncle to avenge his father.

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2ND COMMANDMENT: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord your God in vain

Interpretation: Respect the Holy name of God.

Forbids: Blasphemy.

While the second commandment describes not taking the Lord’s name in vain, Hamlet demonstrates irreverence when he is angry and emotional. When Hamlet expresses his desire to kill himself he finishes with an exclamatory “O God! God!,” and only then realizes that committing suicide goes against his Christian beliefs (1.2.132). This emotional outburst breaks the third commandment as Hamlet disrespect God’s name. This clear cut violation shows that Hamlet’s emotions cause him to stray from his religious ideals, rather than finding comfort in what society allows.

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3RD COMMANDMENT: Keep the Sabbath Day holy

Interpretation: Visit church and participate in Holy Mass once per week.

Forbids: Working on the Sabbath Day – a day of rest, fun and enjoyment with family and friends.

Although there is no specific mention of a Sabbath Day in the play, this is a day to share and experience enjoyment with loved ones. Throughout the play, the importance of family and friends decreases as loved ones lie and plot schemes against one another.

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4TH COMMANDMENT:  Honour thy mother and father

Interpretation: Honour your parents and their civil and religious authority.

Forbids: Dishonouring and disobeying our parents.

The fourth commandment charges you to honour your mother and father. Hamlet’s soul purpose is to honour his father by avenging his death. Ironically, this goes against all the other Christian ideals, yet Hamlet deems this societal code to be more important. Although Hamlet tries to honour his mother, he is often rude and unfair in his treatment towards her.  When his father's apparition in Act I tells Hamlet to "Leave [Gertrude] to heaven" (1.4.86), Hamlet does not let her fate control her. Instead Hamlet beseeches Gertrude to repent her sins, allowing her to go to heaven. While this shows Hamlet trying to honour his mother, he is also often rude and unfair in his treatment towards her. Hamlet calls the Queen “your husband’s brother’s wife,” basically accusing her of adultery as it makes her relationship with Claudius sound like a betrayal to King Hamlet (3.4.13-14). Hamlet struggles with this commandment as he continually flips from honouring it to breaking it throughout the play.

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5TH COMMANDMENT: Thou shalt not kill

Interpretation: To safeguard life and respect the life of all others.

Forbids: murder, suicide, abortion, euthanasia and the use of dangerous drugs that will result in death.

The fifth commandment is broken many times throughout the play as almost every character ends up dead. The play starts off with the murder of the King, Hamlet’s father, and is quickly followed by Hamlet’s desire to kill himself. Both of these break the commandment. Hamlet then continues to break this commandment by killing Polonius and arranging Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s death. Later on, Ophelia’s death, although she drowned, is inferred as a suicide because she does not try to swim. This forbidden act is then followed up with Hamlet’s and Laertes's sword fight where both Hamlet and Laertes stab each other with a poisoned sword. The Queen then drinks from the poisoned goblet that Claudius had intended Hamlet to drink, ultimately killing the Queen. And finally Hamlet gets his revenge by killing the King with poison. All these fatal actions break different sections of the fifth commandment. As all of the characters in Hamlet rush to murder before trying to find another way to solve their problems, it is clear that the societal code for avenging a loved one’s death overpowers the religious virtue of do not kill.

Examples of transgressions of the Fifth Commandment, "Thou shalt not kill," are numerous, yet

Hamlet hardly speaks of them. When Hamlet stabs Polonius in Gertrude's closet, he is hardly cognizant of the deed while the Queen believes it was a “rash and bloody deed” (3.4.27).

“A bloody deed-almost as bad, good mother, As kill a and marry with his brother” (3.4.28-29). Hamlet takes no responsibility for his actions. For him, his own "bloody deed" is justified by the murder of his father. Later, the murder of Claudius is a vindication for Hamlet, rather than a sin, and he takes no responsibility for the action.

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6TH COMMANDMENT: Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

Interpretation: The actual physical act of having immoral sexual activity.

Forbids: fornication, sex between unmarried people, prostitution, incest, pedophilia.  

The breaking of the Sixth Commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery;" occurs between Gertrude and Claudius. In Hamlet, the Ghost speaks of the adulterous intrigues of Claudius, the “incestuous, adulterous beast … that ha[s] the power to his shameful lust” (1.5.42). In Act 3 another example of immorality is demonstrated when Hamlet suggests to Ophelia that having sex would calm him down. Ophelia and Hamlet are not married therefore the proposal of intercourse before marriage breaks the Sixth Commandment.

Ophelia: “You are keen, my lord, you are keen.” (3.2.238)

Hamlet: “It would cost you a groaning to take off my edge.” (3.2.239)

As the sanctity of marriage is not preserved in the play, it is clear that the characters make choices approved by society instead of religion.

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7TH COMMANDMENT: Thou shalt not steal

Interpretation: Respect and honouring the possessions of others.

Forbids: cheating people for their belongings and vandalism.

In Hamlet, Claudius, the brother of King Hamlet, covets the Queen and the throne. Ultimately he steals both from his brother. In Claudius’ soliloquy, he explains that he killed his brother for “[his] crown, [his] own ambition and [his] queen” (3.3.55). Driven by the Deadly Sins of gluttony and greed, he murders his own brother and steals his wife, throne, and possessions.  

Claudius breaks the Seventh Commandment by not only stealing his brother’s crown, but also his wife. Hamlet is disgusted by the fact that Claudius has taken his mother’s virtue and considers this as incest. The theme of incest is very prevalent in the beginning of the play. In his first soliloquy, Hamlet is distressed because his uncle has married his father’s wife and despises Claudius’ “dexterity to incestuous sheets!” (1.2.157). However, throughout the play, the significance of Claudius’ incest and his stolen crown declines, as Hamlet begins to care less about repercussions and more about the fact that Claudius murdered his father. At first, Hamlet is angered and disgusted by his uncle’s infringement on this Commandment; but, as the importance of religion declines as it conflicts with what society demands of him, he becomes more consumed with the idea of revenge rather than what is right.

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8TH COMMANDMENT: Do not bear false witness against thy neighbour

Interpretation: To be truthful, accept brotherly correction, remedy our lies and correct our neighbour.

Forbids: Lying, secrecy, gossip, hypocrisy, and slander.

The Eighth Commandment condemns lying. This moral guidepost is broken again and again throughout the play. All the different schemes and plans between Hamlet and Claudius all involve lying and deception. Most notably when Hamlet pretends to be mad he is lying to everyone, even the girl he loves. Claudius also breaks this Commandment regularly. Claudius lies to all of Denmark about how King Hamlet dies, lies to Hamlet when he sends him to England and lies to Gertrude throughout the entire play. Other examples of lying come from characters like Polonius, Laertes, and even Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

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9TH AND 10TH COMMANDMENT: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife; Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s goods

Interpretation: To love our spouse, to be pure of heart and to follow Jesus.

Forbids: Adultery, divorce, polygamy, envy and greed.

Claudius’ jealously of his brother drives him to murder. In Claudius’ soliloquy, he explains that he killed his brother for “[his] crown, [his] own ambition and [his] queen” (3.3.55). Claudius’ blatant disregard for the tenth Commandment exemplifies his lack of a christian conscience and how easily he prescribes into societies values. Claudius’ jealous and vindictive nature is personified when the ghost of the King refers to him as a “serpent” (1.5.39). This reference has deep religious roots as it compares Claudius to the serpent from the original sin. Despite the religious reference, it is clear to see that Claudius is anything but.