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;
I’ll take the ghost’s word for a thousand
Pound (3.2.260)
To the audience of the time, the issue would have been far more apparent, and why Hamlet has to prove Claudius’ guilt to himself was much less baffling than to today’s audience. This supports the earlier statement that Hamlet serves to put today’s audience in the mindset of 16th century England. Today, in education there is a much less structured teaching of religious beliefs. More than a one religion is covered, in contrast with England in the 1600’s, and religion is taught from an objective point of view, rather than being taught as the truth. As Britain has become a far more multicultural society, Buddhist, Islamic, and Jewish beliefs are being taught in education. So it cannot be assumed the modern audience has a structured understanding of the teachings of specifically the Catholic or Protestant Church.
The character of Gertrude is a point on which the modern and contextual audience can relate. She is highly conscious of how the sins of her life will affect her in death, and is a figure which shows the treatment of women in society;
Thou turn’st my eyes into my very soul,
And there I see such black and grained spots
As will not leave their tinct (3.4.89-91)
It was an Elizabethan belief that in some communities and traditions is still present, though in far smaller proportions, that a person was born with a pure white soul, and sins committed stained the soul with black spots. This is a recurring idea in Shakespearean tragedy, as shown by Lady Macbeths cry of “Out! Out! Damned spot!” the soul could be kept white by living a good and virtuous life devoted to God. Regular attendance at church, mandatory by law, ensured the indoctrination of the masses with ideas including this one. And so the dramatic impact would have been far greater than it is today. As today’s community is based on scientific rather than religious advancement, the dramatic impact is significantly lessened.
Issues such as the way in which Gertrude and Ophelia are portrayed, Claudius’ incestuous behavior, and Hamlet’s inner torment are more of a dramatic focus of the modern audience. This is due to religion becoming a less dominant part of life, the advancement of science and technology, the building up of cohabitation, and a growing multicultural society due to mass immigration during the first and second world wars, and later conflicts. Catholic beliefs apply to a much smaller percentage of the population. The structured understanding of Shakespeare and his audience is less applicable today and less widely accepted. Beliefs in the afterlife are less important to today’s audience’s appreciation of Hamlet then in the 17th century.
