Religious Moral Themes and Their Role in Society

Religious Moral Themes and Their Role in Society

During the Elizabethan era , which William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe characterized in their theatrical work , religion was an important facet of daily life . It served as the basis of one 's moral character , dictating how one should and should not act , and what one should or should not do . The influences of religion and the expectations it placed upon Elizabethan society appear consistently throughout the plays of the era , such as Hamlet , by William Shakespeare and Dr . Faustus , by Christopher Marlowe . In addition , the

Age of Enlightenment wholly permeated Elizabethan mores , describing a period in which the quest for knowledge , new ideas and scientific theories was deemed threatening to religion 's moral precepts

Both plays were written only 10 years apart , their authors both residing in Protestant-ruled England during their production . As such , their plays were informed by similar undertones of Christian mythology . The common manifestation of this mythology in both plays seems to involved notions of sin and condemnation

In Shakespeare 's play , for example , we often see prince Hamlet in a state of psychological conflict as he agonizes over his determination to exact revenge upon Claudius , his father 's slayer . Murdering Claudius would be a sin against God , as would suicide , another alternative Hamlet contemplates in the early scenes of the play . In Marlowe 's work , Dr Faustus is also portrayed as an internally conflicted character . His fight is also with God 's will , but manifests itself in a different manner . Dr . Faustus craves ultimate knowledge , an ambition quite removed from Hamlet 's thirst for vengeance . Power and riches are also among Faustus ' desires , though subordinate to his lust for knowledge To discover that which is not meant for mortal understanding , Faustus sells his soul to the Lucifer . He wants to know God 's secrets , and in doing so strays from Him , and turns to evil . The reader often witnesses Faustus questioning himself , wanting to recant his doomed mission . Like Hamlet , however , he cannot . Both Faustus and Hamlet feel compelled to execute the task they have set before themselves . Inevitably , they suffer the pangs of self-condemnation , Faustus for his unbridled lusts and Hamlet for his delay in delivering retribution . This self-condemnation forecasts the divine condemnation they fear , and is at the allegorical forefront of either play

Hamlet , after seeing his father 's ghost and hearing of the malicious act by which Claudius murdered him , resolves to seek revenge . His plan is not only to expose his uncle 's deed , but end his life as well . After deciding on this course of action , Hamlet proceeds to second-guess himself . His father 's spirit spoke of how he is now Doom 'd

for a certain term to walk the night , and for the day confin 'd to fast in fires , till the foul

crimes done in my days of nature are burnt and purg 'd away (as cited in Kennedy Gioia , 2005 ,

. 1625 , explaining to his son that he is now tormented...