Evaluate the dramatic impact of the supernatural Essay

Shakespeare’s Hamlet, tells the story of the prince of Denmark, a headstrong and passionate young man, who is seeking revenge for the murder of his father. He achieves this but tragically loses his own life in the process. The audience of Shakespeare’s time would have been newly deemed Protestant, as Hamlet makes reference to a belief in Purgatory, is never clear whether or not Shakespeare follows a particular religious line, however the audience would certainly have been familiar with the concept. The protestant beliefs differed little from those of the Roman Catholics. The only drastic changes being the Protestants acceptance of divorce, and exclusion of the belief in Purgatory; I am thy fathers spirit, Doomed for a certain term to walk the night, And for the day confined to fast in fires Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature Are burnt and purged away (1. 5. 9-13) Whilst the existence of the ghost is a common belief in Elizabethan England, and evidence for the existence of an afterlife, he speaks of his confinement in what can be assumed to purgatory or hell. Purgatory is represented as being the state between heaven and hell in which tainted souls are purged of their crimes and sent, in a state of purity to heaven. This belief is a uniquely Catholic one. However recently, the Pope has stated that Purgatory is a state of mind rather than a physical place, and whilst a person is in that state of mind, repenting of their sins, they will be allowed to enter heaven upon death. This reflects upon a change in the nature of the Catholic Church as well as a laxity in the structure of religious education. Religion in Shakespeare’s England was a much more prominent part of life than it is in comparison with today. The multicultural nation we live in now was then dominated by the chosen religion of the monarch. At this point the religion was Protestantism. As Elizabeth the first was on the throne. Whilst being a protestant, Elizabeth was recorded as being tolerant of Catholic beliefs. This adjustment to a protestant life would still have left some remnants of Catholicism in its path. Redemption and the state of the immortal soul after death was one of the main beliefs of the Catholic Church and the Protestant faith, however to less of an extent and this is reflected as it is one of the main themes in Hamlet. This manifests itself in several ways. For example, it is Hamlet’s belief in the afterlife and desire to act as ultimate judge is what stays his hand as Claudius unwittingly tries to pray in the church; A villain kills my father, and for that I his sole do this same villain send To heaven! Claudius, as he appeared to be praying, would have died in a state of grace with god and gone to purgatory or heaven rather than hell, which is where Hamlet would much prefer Claudius spent eternity. This is in line with the religious beliefs of the time. Therefore to the audience of the time, hell would have been a much more real and present threat than today. As attendance at church was mandatory and punishable by time in the stocks, the majority of the audience would be familiar with the concept. The heat of hell is another concept the audience would have been familiar with is the heat of hell. Shakespeare makes reference to this in act one scene five, and it is also a point of reference in the bible; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:42) At this point in history, the bible was first being translated from Latin into English. So religion reached the British public on mass on new levels. In Hamlet, the fires and sulphur of hell are3 referred to initially by the ghost; When I to sulph’rous and tormenting flames Must render up myself (1. 5. 2-3) Whether the ghost of Old Hamlet is residing in hell or Purgatory is an issue which Shakespeare leaves open and unresolved. This leaves the Shakespearean audience with the question of whether there was a hope of redemption for Old Hamlet, and in relation themselves. The ghost uses a great deal of apocalyptic imagery, heightening the dramatic impact of his words on the modern and contextual audience; Oh horrible, oh horrible, most horrible! If thou hast nature in thee bare it not Let not the royal bed of Denmark be A couch for luxury and damned incest (1. 5. 80-84). The relationship between Claudius and Gertrude would have been seen as incest n Shakespeare’s time, whilst it would be more acceptable today. This declaration is seen coming from the mouth of the ghost. To a contextual audience, this would greatly increase the sense of urgency, and condemn incest as being against god. This shows the audience of Shakespeare’s time was far more greatly affected by the supernatural, religion and the afterlife than today. As today, our understanding of religious teaching is far less comprehensive than this, and applies to a far smaller proportion of society. Shakespeare’s accuracy regarding religious beliefs of the time would have had a far larger impact on the audiences of the time, as these beliefs directly related to their lives. These beliefs were taken a great deal more seriously by the majority of the country. Evidence for this is that the clergy, in the social hierarchy was second to the nobility; the church was often consulted in parliamentary matters. In contrast to today, where the church, still an influential force, is influential over far fewer people. To a modern audience, Hamlet offers an insight into the mindset of the 1600’s audience. This interest in the afterlife, and the duality between life and death occurs in more than one of his plays. Macbeth for example is fully aware of the apocalyptic consequences of murdering the king, placed there by god. Today, the divine right of kings is less of an issue as we live in a country run by an elected parliament based on a voting system involving universal suffrage. A similarity between the Shakespearean audience’s perception and a modern audiences perception of Hamlet is the human fascination with death and the afterlife. Shakespeare clearly shows the Roman Catholic perception of death, one of the few acceptable at the time. This would have relevance to a much smaller percentage of the modern audience. Rather than appeal to the darker side of a Roman Catholic belief, Hamlet tempts the inquisitive and growing, almost pagan darkness in society. The ghost of Old Hamlet is the most vivid appearance of the supernatural directly influencing the play. It is a crucial issue whether or not the ghost is the past king of Denmark.