Shakespeare's Ambiguous Message: Religion in Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure" and "Hamlet" Samantha Ethel Thomas

Shakespeare’s plays employ many allusions to religious stories and beliefs. Hamlet and Measure for Measure, for example, both address religious themes and incorporate religious imagery. However, Shakespeare’s personal religious beliefs have never been clear. Some argue that his plays reflect Shakespeare’s doctrine, but mere references to religion do not prove that the playwright himself was a follower of Catholic tradition. An analysis of Hamlet and Measure for Measure, along with consideration of typical religious beliefs in Shakespeare’s time, shows that the messages in at least these two of Shakespeare’s works neither condone nor condemn religious teachings.

Though Shakespeare’s Hamlet is classified as a revenge tragedy, it does include scenes and speeches that deal with religious beliefs. The idea of the afterlife is dealt with many times. In the opening scene we are presented with a ghost caught in purgatory, one who claims to be Hamlet’s father and describes in detail the pain he suffers as a result of dying without having been cleansed of his sins: “I am thy father’s 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...