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.