The Significance of Death and Sex to William Shakespeare
In this essay, I will consider Death and Sin in Shakespearean drama and I would like to look at three of Shakespeare's tragic plays: "Hamlet", "Othello" and "King Lear".
Shakespeare uses many themes in all his play that attract audiences throughout history. The things he wrote about are as relevant now as they were in his time. Death and Sin were issues that are always around. In his plays, Shakespeare could comment on these things and make audiences see things that they could not before.
In Hamlet, we can see clear examples of Death and Sin as significant to Shakespearean drama.
The first thing that points to both death and sin is the inclusion of a ghost in the play.
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Claudius is the cause of a death and therefore also the committer of a sin, and having committed incest, he is guilty of two sins. The cause of the revelations on Claudius' character as revealed by the ghost make him a hated character in the play by the audience. There is normally a character that the audience know everything about, giving cause for them to hate him, and Claudius is "Hamlets" hated Character.
Religion in the 16th Century was still a prominent issue. Religion had changed from Catholicism to Christianity, depending on which monarch was on the throne at the time. People were expected to change religion depending on what their monarch said or face being an outcast. In Elizabeth's reign, the religion changed from Catholicism to Protestantism. Being unsure of religions myself, the definition in the Collins pocket dictionary is as follows:
"Protestant: n 1 follower of any of the Christian churches that split from the Roman Catholic Church in the sixteenth century. Adj 2 of or relating to such a church. Protestantism n"
In the Ten Commandments, written for the Christian faith, there are some elements that must be followed that are also relevant to Shakespeare's writing:
"Honour thy father and thy mother. Then you will live a long time in the land."
"You must not murder anyone."
"You must not be guilty of adultery."
"You must not want to take your neighbours house. You must not want his
During the 16th century, Protestantism emerged as a new sect of Christianity. This process was not calm or peaceful in the slightest. Protestant leaders like Martin Luther and John Calvin fiercely attacked and denied traditional Catholic beliefs, causing much controversy and debate upon religion. Many regions of Europe as a whole were converted to Protestantism, and many more Protestants emerged in areas where Catholicism remained the state religion. The Catholic faith became less and less appealing to people as the abuses of the clergy were now publicly addressed by reformers and a new, personal approach to religion was offered in Protestantism. In addition, rulers favored Protestantism as a state religion because it meant that no power
murder in a rash mood. It is not seen by Gertrude. It tries to urge
In this paper I am going to state seven commandments that I think is most important in our society. The seven commandments in Animal Farm were based on animal rights and what not to do so that they avoid acting like humans. These commandments however changed later in the story so it was very hypocritical. My commandments will be basic rules and will not change under any circumstances.
The gravedigger scene in act 5 scene 1 shows the most about how Hamlet feels about death. Hamlet refers to the skulls he finds belonging to other people and their past lives.
The Protestant Reformation was a major 16th century European movement aimed initially at reforming the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. The Reformation in western and central Europe officially began in 1517 with Martin Luther and his 95 Theses. This was a debate over the Christian religion. At the time there was a difference in power. Roman Catholicism stands with the Pope as central and appointed by God. Luther’s arguments referred to a direct relationship with God and using the local vernacular to speak to the people. Luther’s arguments remove the absolute power from the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church in general. The revenue from the taxes paid to the Church would be reduced with Luther’s ideas, in part because of
Shakespeare's is one of the most read writers ever and his writing was so successful that not just one group of people liked it. He did this by relating to his audience using universal truths. . Human emotions are not something that change over time and they are also known as universal truths; love, hate, revenge, and envy are all examples of universal truths. This play was so successful that many other movies have copied the plot but changed the scenery. Over the past 400 years since this play was written the world has changed drastically, but the emotions and feelings in this play have withstood the test of time. This is why the movies, Romeo and Juliet (1996) and West Side Story (1961) were so
The tragedy of Hamlet by William Shakespeare brilliantly recounts the tale of feigned and true madness as it delves into themes of betrayal, incest, revenge, moral corruption, and death. The play, set in the kingdom of Denmark, gives an account of how Prince Hamlet seeks exact revenge on his uncle Claudius, for murdering his own brother and Prince Hamlet’s father. After assassinating King Hamlet, Claudius succeeds the throne and becomes joined in holy matrimony to King Hamlet’s widow and Prince Hamlet’s mother, Queen
The Protestant Reformation was the 16th-century religious, political, intellectual and cultural upheaval that splintered Catholic Europe, setting in place the structures and beliefs that would define the continent in the modern era.
In 1558, Protestantism had officially broken off of the Church of England. However some people still
Shakespeare’s work is so pervasive that it is echoed many times. This is because many well-known quotes are attributed to Shakespeare and writers use these quotes to add depth to their work. In addition to quotes, many themes and plots are borrowed from Shakespeare as his work gives meaning to anything written after his work.
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet has been widely regarded as one of the greatest tragedies ever written. One prominent theme exemplified in this particular play is the theme of rottenness or decay. Shakespeare uniquely uses disease, rotting, and decay in order to reveal the manifestation and consequence of moral corruption. Physical corruption mirrors the moral corruption within the characters in the play. The moral corruption in Denmark is showcased for the readers throughout the play by images of physical corruption and disease. Shakespeare argues in Hamlet that sin or moral corruption is like a disease that leads one to one’s own “death” or demise. Nobody is immune from it.
Rotten. Exploitive. Faithless. The Roman Catholic church was seen as corrupt in the late fifteenth century.The populace struggled with the brazen capitalistic Roman Papacy that didn't meet the needs of its congregation. The clergy’s use of indulgences as a way to salvation lacked the piety that disciples desired. Criticism of Catholicism did not cause sweeping changes in the sixteenth century; instead, the Protestant Reformation occurred due to the confluence of events triggered by one priest, Martin Luther. (Schilling) Although some historians allege that Martin Luther’s theology was reactionary due to its roots in medieval Christianity, his beliefs that the hierarchy of the church was unnecessary and that salvation was
During the elizabethan era most were considered Catholics, however in the early 1500s the practice of roman Catholics was questioned during the reformation according to Linda Alchin. The beliefs of German, Martin Luther caused Protestantism. Martin Luther's supporters protested against the rules and regulations, which resulted in the laws that put a limit on the new ideas Martin was trying to spread (Alchin 2). The protesters decided to create there own religion and beliefs, now known as the Protestants.
In the play, Hamlet, Shakespeare leaves you wondering about death. Through the characters in the play, he reveals his own thoughts about death. Does Shakespeare portray a deep understanding of death in this play? The never-ending cycle of death and revenge is evident throughout the entire play.
In the tragic play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Hamlet is a teenager and the son of the murdered King Hamlet. In light of King Hamlet’s death, Claudius, the brother of King Hamlet, takes the throne as well as his wife, Gertrude. In multiple scenes of the play King Hamlet’s ghost appears and asks Hamlet to get revenge on Claudius, who had murdered him. Hamlet’s thoughts of suicide due to the murder of his father cause him to begin to go insane, however the idea of killing Claudius causes Hamlet to begin to act more strangely and contemplate decisions such as love, and getting revenge on Claudius. Although Hamlet’s murder of King Claudius could be considered an immoral act, the justified killing will ease both Hamlet’s mental state and the unsettled state of the country.