Essay: Religious Hypocrisy and Its Sinful Justification in Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Religious Hypocrisy and its Role in Justifying Actions
Religion is often a driving factor behind characters’ and peoples’ actions. However, the idea of religion is often misused to justify normally immoral actions or to clear one’s conscience of sins. For example, terrorists often justify their actions through misinterpreted religion and try to validate their decisions by claiming that it is condoned by their beliefs. In Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, most of the characters are religious and their doctrine does factor into their thoughts and actions. However, the trend of misusing religion to pardon dissolute acts is also present. Throughout the text, the idea of religious hypocrisy is shown by each character claiming that they are religious and then committing actions that directly contradict those claims. For example, Claudius engages in adultery and fratricide; Laertes and Hamlet both pursue revenge and murder; and perhaps most interestingly, Hamlet, a Protestant, descends almost into a state of living Purgatory.
When Hamlet was written, most of Shakespeare’s audience would have been Christian, and consequently, most of the characters in Hamlet are also Christian and believe in the idea of sin and punishment. At the time, however, Denmark was transitioning between Roman Catholic and Protestant rule. This conflict between religious sects is reflected in the characters in Hamlet. King Hamlet, for instance, is shown as a Roman Catholic ghost. When the Ghost comes to see Hamlet, he says, “My hour is almost come when I to sulph’rous and tormenting flames must render up myself” (1.5.3-4). In this line, the Ghost is saying that it is almost time for him to return to Purgatory. Most Protestants do not believe in Purgatory because it is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible. So, it can be concluded that King Hamlet was a Roman Catholic. Even though this is the case, King Hamlet’s son, on the other hand, is a Protestant. At the beginning of the play, Claudius says, “In going back to school in Wittenberg” (1.2.113) when speaking with Hamlet. Hamlet studied in Wittenberg, which was the place where Protestant reformist Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses. Furthermore, Hamlet repeatedly contemplates suicide throughout the play. Even though suicide is considered a sin in both Protestantism and Catholicism, suicide was much more common among Protestants at the time. This, combined with the fact that Hamlet references some lectures he heard when in Wittenberg shows that Hamlet was indeed a Protestant. Finally, we know that Claudius is also religious because he begs for forgiveness from God in Act 3, Scene 3. Although there is much debate as to whether the characters in Hamlet are Protestant or Roman Catholic, it can be concluded that all of the major characters are indeed Christian. Regardless of sect, both of these branches of Christianity believe in the Ten Commandments and concur about the seven deadly sins.
Because all of the major characters in Hamlet are religious, it is expected that they should act in accordance with the principles of their beliefs. Claudius claims to be a religious man, but his indulgence in various sins exposes his hypocrisy. Claudius confesses his murder when he says “O, Oh, my offence is rank. It smells to heaven. It hath the primal eldest curse upon ’t, A brother’s murder. Pray can I not.” (3.3.37-39). Claudius’ offence mirrors Cain’s murder of Abel which is described in the Bible. In this story, Cain killed his brother Abel and committed the first murder committed by humans (Douay-Rheims Bible, Gen. 4.10). Cain is often seen as the ancestor of evil, while Abel is considered the first martyr. Claudius knows that murder is a sin, especially the murder of one’s own brother. Regardless, he willingly commits this atrocious act, proving that he is a religious hypocrite. Furthermore, after Claudius kills King Hamlet, he engages in adultery and incest with King Hamlet’s widowed wife, Gertrude. When Hamlet is contemplating killing him in the church, he says, “When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage, Or in th’incestuous pleasure of his bed, At game a-swearing, or about some act That has no relish of salvation in ’t— Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven” (3.3.88-93). The incestuous acts that Hamlet describes violate two of the Ten Commandments written in the Book of Exodus. These Commandments say, “thou shalt not commit adultery” and “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house; neither shalt thou desire his wife” (Exod. 20.14-17). If Claudius was truly a religious person, he would not have willingly violated these commandments. Claudius is praying for forgiveness while still reaping the benefits of his sins. Therefore, it can be concluded that Claudius is only religious to clear his conscience of sin through spurious repentance, and does not actually believe in or adhere to the principles of Christianity.
Vengeance and murder are considered sins in both Protestant and Roman Catholic beliefs. Throughout the entire play, Hamlet’s actions are driven entirely by his pursuit of vengeance for his dead father. He eventually fulfills his goals, and not only kills Claudius, but kills Polonius and Laertes as well, while indirectly causing the deaths of Ophelia, Gertrude, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern. If Hamlet were indeed religious and believed in Protestantism, he would recognize that his actions were vile and amounted to severe sins. However, not only did Hamlet commit the murders, but he also showed no signs of repentance after for them. For example, immediately after killing Polonius accidentally, he says, “A bloody deed. Almost as bad, good mother, As kill a king and marry with his brother” (3.4.28-29). He recognized that his act was a “bloody deed”, but instead of showing remorse at having killed a man, he continues with his rant accusing his mother. He does not seem to even recognize that he has committed a grave sin and does not ask for forgiveness. Hamlet, however, is not the only character seeking vengeance. After learning of his father’s murder, Laertes also wants revenge and plans to kill his father’s killer. He says, “I dare damnation. To this point I stand, That both the worlds I give to negligence, Let come what comes, only I’ll be reveng’d most thoroughly for my father” (4.5.132-135). By saying that he does not fear damnation and will avenge his father at any cost, Laertes effectively derides the principles of his religion. In the end, Hamlet and Laertes both commit murder out of vengeance. Their acts contradict their religions, which have the fundamental principles of forgiveness and treating evil with respect.
By the end of the play, Hamlet descends almost into a state of living Purgatory. In Catholicism, Purgatory is the state between life and death where the soul undergoes purification before it can go to heaven or to hell. As discussed earlier, not all sects of Christianity believe in Purgatory, meaning that Hamlet, a Protestant, would not believe in it. However, Hamlet’s mental state in the latter half of the play comes to mirror a soul’s transition between life and death. Many characters, including Claudius and Polonius, believe that Hamlet has gone mad with grief and is unable to think rationally. When speaking with Guildenstern and Rosencrantz, Hamlet himself says, “I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw” (2.2.368-369). He compares his capricious mental state to the shifts in the wind and emphasizes his arbitrary changes in judgement. Hamlet’s transition between sanity and insanity can be seen as punishment for his actions throughout the play and closely imitates a person’s transition between life and death. The correlations between the Ghost in Purgatory and Hamlet’s mental state are uncanny, which could undermine Hamlet’s implied Protestantism. The similarities between Hamlet and the Ghost’s situations creates doubt in Hamlet’s belief in Protestantism and contributes to his apparent religious hypocrisy.
Throughout the play, characters often claim they are religious and then do not observe the tenets of their religion. For instance, Claudius is a murderer and adulterer, Hamlet and Laertes are vindictive killers, and Hamlet’s belief in Protestantism can be questioned due to his mental state. The characters in Hamlet use the guise of religion to justify disgusting and immoral actions, and do not actually follow the practices of forgiveness that their religions are based upon. The hypocrisy that results from the contrast between the character’s beliefs and actions is used to unveil their true appearances from their duplicitous facades, and can help us better understand motivations and intentions in the play.