William Shakespeare s Hamlet - 1137 Words

At the very beginning Shakespeare could not have been a Catholic even if he wanted to, because Queen Elizabeth I had outlawed Catholicism during her reign. That being said, I can also use quotes and historical facts to solidify my basis of belief that Shakespeare was a protestant either through forced beliefs or in his own beliefs shown in the play. In the play, â€Å"Hamlet†, by Shakespeare there are specific quotes that show certain beliefs that only a Protestant would have. In the very beginning, the Ghost of King Hamlet’s father is spotted by guards. This belief of ghosts only exists in Protestantism vs. Catholicism, the belief that you will have a chance after suicide to go to heaven only exists in Catholicism, and the school that Hamlet†¦show more content†¦These penal laws were strictly enforced and for Shakespeare to even think about putting catholic views in his plays would be suicide. With Shakespeare also wanting to become famous, rich, and keep his pension from the Queen he would have only expressed protestant views in his plays. Even if Shakespeare was a catholic and wanted to express Catholicism in his plays. Then Rome would have gladly opened their doors for Shakespeare. With the amount of amphitheaters in Rome the stage was set for Shakespeare to freely move to Rome if he desired to express Catholicism in his plays. Now for the belief in ghosts, Shakespeare ties in ghosts to the Hamlet story in the very beginning of the play. King Hamlet’s father shows himself to the guards of his kingdom and scares them almost to death. This ghost showed itself twice, â€Å"look where it comes again†, (Act I, scene i) in the form of â€Å"the king that’s dead.† (Act I, scene i) We can trace back the first ghost in the Bible to King Saul and the Medium of Endor. In this Bible Story King Saul has the Medium of Endor summon Samuel’s spirit from the dead to consult him in time of war. Through this story it s hows that Protestants must believe in spirits of the dead, as protestants believe strongly in the scripture of the bible. The very foundation of Protestant theology relies primarily on scripture.