The influence, or not, of religion on the behaviour of Shakespeare's main characters in Hamlet and Macbeth

Abstract

The Elizabethan England, its people and the morals of the time are reflected in many of Shakespeare's plays. Conversely, religion is a subject that is not entirely defined in some of his plays. The doubts about which was the religion of the playwright and the disagreements between Catholics and Protestants of the period could have been the cause of the lack of clarity of this subject in his works. This feature can be observed in the plays of Hamlet and Macbeth . Within each play, the characters are familiar with the Christian religion. In Hamlet , the presence of religion from symbols and acts is much more precise than in Macbeth where religion is a more abstract topic, and it is related to the belief of the existence of Heaven and Hell. On the other hand, other theories defend that in both works they do not follow religious ideas because the characters do not pursue the path of forgiveness and they only seek their happiness. However, in both plays, it is observed that the characters bear religion in mind in their life, but they also pursue their earthly desires and acts that are related to sin and that lead them to perdition away from the path of God. Therefore the ambiguity of the influence of religion in both works is evident.