{"id":320,"date":"2021-05-13T17:32:05","date_gmt":"2021-05-13T17:32:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/?p=320"},"modified":"2021-05-13T17:33:06","modified_gmt":"2021-05-13T17:33:06","slug":"protestant-and-catholic-providence-in-shakespeares-hamlet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/?p=320","title":{"rendered":"Protestant and Catholic Providence in Shakespeare\u2019s Hamlet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

William Shakespeare possessed a remarkable ability to vigilantly observe conflict, comprehending the eminent pain on every side of it, and express multiple perspectives through his interpretation. He demonstrates this empathetic perspective within each of his tragic plays so that the audience can experience the agony of the protagonists, and at the same time, completely understand the motives of the antagonists. Agony of the protagonist is particularly evident in his tragedy, Hamlet, <\/em>which is known for being one of the most significant Shakespearean plays to demonstrate pensive suffering. Within Hamlet\u2019s profound thoughts are concepts of Catholic and Protestant interpretations of affliction with respect to divine providence. Through these expressions of thought, Shakespeare alludes to the religious conflict occurring at the time of the play\u2019s composition. While Protestantism was the only accepted and approved religion of England at the time, traces of Catholicism still lingered in the region, and the faithful observers of its denomination were persecuted for their beliefs. Relating to the suffering of Catholics in England at the time, Shakespeare uses the theological concept of divine providence in Hamlet <\/em>to draw subtle correlations between the two religions, ultimately sympathizing with the victims of Catholic disdain and persecution. The Catholic hints he incorporates into the play demonstrate his pensive relation to their suffering as well as the English crown\u2019s motives for committing such heinous acts of violence against them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Brief History of the Religious Conflict in England<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Catholic and Protestant conflict in England during this era is rooted in the events surrounding King Henry VIII\u2019s break from the Roman Catholic Church in 1533, which marked the beginning of Anglicanism. While the break launched eminent tension between the two religions, persecution of the Catholic faith in England did not surface until the latter half of the reign of Elizabeth I. Queen Elizabeth\u2019s parliament enforced strict laws countering Catholic faith in her country after the onset of the Anglo-Spanish War\u2014a decision largely based on a political fear that English Catholics would take up arms against England in defense of the Catholic nation of Spain. As a result of these strict laws, many Catholics were restricted, persecuted, and even executed upon the demonstration of loyalty to the papacy, which signified a threat to the English throne. These horrific events began their assent in the late sixteenth century while Shakespeare was penning his first plays.1<\/sup> Hamlet <\/em>was performed between 1600 and 1601, indicating that it was likely written a year or two before, which lies directly in the middle of the Catholic conflict. Shakespeare would have been very knowledgeable of the deepest facets of this conflict because of his position in time and society. He was born in the peak of the conflict and died in its aftermath. Like any English citizen at the time, he was a witness to the persecution and expulsion of Catholic believers; and as some scholars suggest, he found himself intimately close to the conflict by his familial support of the faith.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the ostensible allusions to Catholicism found throughout his works, as well as historical documents from his family line, scholars have come to an understanding that Shakespeare held the Catholic faith with very high regard in his personal life.  <\/sup>The maternal side of Shakespeare\u2019s family was committed to rescuing persecuted Catholics, resulting in the persecution and death of some of his own relatives as well. His father left behind traces of Catholic loyalty, along with his daughter who was cited for refusing to attend the Church of England\u2019s mandated services.2<\/sup> During this period in English history, expressing even hints of loyalty to Catholicism resulted in citations, imprisonment, and other various forms of persecution. For this reason, it is certain that Shakespeare treaded lightly on the Catholic subject while writing his plays, which explains why there is no overt evidence of Shakespeare\u2019s genuine religious belief. However, there is a significant amount of evidence for his compassions for the turmoil of Catholic believers within his very own plays\u2014particularly within Hamlet<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Release: The Protestant View of Providence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Biblical perspective on providence is most clearly seen in the story of Job. This book of the Bible was the very first to be recorded in writing, making it the oldest document from the ancient Hebrew text.3<\/sup> Its account reveals the Jewish understanding of suffering\u2014that not all suffering is a direct result of sin, but at times is permitted by God to teach His people a lesson or to test their faithfulness. This is similar to Prospero\u2019s manipulation in The Tempest; <\/em>however, his acts were carried out as an imperfect, self-seeking man rather than a perfect, omniscient and loving God. The idea of divine providence is supported throughout the Bible, and is especially evident in Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and in certain places throughout the New Testament as well. While it is first a Jewish perspective on providence through suffering, it is also a Protestant viewpoint. To the Protestant, pain, loss, and turmoil is not an indication that God has turned his back, but rather that there is a lesson to be learned through it, or glory to be brought to God. Suffering is not something that can be materially paid for with indulgences or penance. It is something that the Protestant believer takes directly to the foot of their Savior in sacrifice, trusting that he knows what he is doing and that he will ultimately be glorified through their life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is this sentiment that led Hamlet to express toward the end of his life, \u201cThere\u2019s a divinity that shapes our ends, Rough-hew them how we will\u2026There\u2019s a special providence in the fall of a sparrow\u201d (Shakespeare v. ii.10-11, 199-200).4<\/sup> The voice and diction of this passage points directly toward the Protestant release of cares into the all-knowing hands of God, and trust that he will provide for the needs of his people. In the New Testament, Christ speaks to His disciples, \u201cAre not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father\u2026.Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.\u201d5<\/sup> This is what Hamlet comes to understand after five acts of searching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a similar manner, Job cried out after seven days of silence, \u201cWherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter soul?\u201d6 <\/sup>This sentiment of desiring death over a life of misery is very present throughout Hamlet\u2019s life as well. His famous soliloquy, \u201cTo be or not to be,\u201d is focused on the idea of death appearing more satisfying than the painful life that he was given to live. Walter King, in his book, Hamlet\u2019s Search for Meaning, <\/em>asserts that the central issue of the play is Hamlet\u2019s final understanding of divine providence. He expresses that \u201cfrom the start [Hamlet] is driven by an agonized search for meaning.\u201d7<\/sup> Similar to Hamlet\u2019s agonizing quest and longing for death, Job set himself to the same. The clear response that came was a direct word from God expressing that his ways are not easily understandable, yet they are all within his sovereign hand. John Dover Wilson presents a thought on the conclusion of Job\u2019s suffering in relation to the events of The Tempest;<\/em> \u201cThe healing comes neither from argument or statement, but from a contemplation of the\u2026world.\u201d8<\/sup> This is the key to Hamlet\u2019s healing as well; his contemplation of life and the world around him. From a Protestant mindset, the contemplation is directly shared with God and released into his sovereign hands. Ultimately, Hamlet relinquishes his thoughts just before his death; \u201cIf it be not now, yet it will come. The readiness is all, since no man of aught he leaves knows what is\u2019t to leave betimes. Let be\u201d (v. ii. 199-202). The phrase \u201clet be\u201d is his direct surrender to God as Job similarly expressed after hearing from him in the storm; \u201cI know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee\u2026I have uttered things that I understood not; things too wonderful for me which I knew not.\u201d9<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Action: The Catholic View of Providence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Protestant opinion, suffering is not a means of paying for sin, but rather joining with Christ and becoming more like him to bring glory to God. For the Protestant, payment for all sin has already been made by Christ\u2019s sacrifice on the cross. The Catholic perspective of suffering differs slightly in this manner. Sin must be \u201cfully remitted through the merits only of Christ\u2019s Passion in the sacrament of Penance\u2026[and] leave behind them a debt of temporal punishment.\u201d10 <\/sup>The term \u201ctemporal punishment\u201d refers to actions that man must take to redeem himself of sin\u2014actions that please God and satisfy his just anger. Within the Catholic faith, debts are procured daily and only released by the continual process of penance. Catholicism is grounded on action and less on mere faith. The action of pursuing salvation carries over even after death within the bounds of Purgatory where further purging of sin takes place by way of more physical payment\u2014whether it be physical pain, mental suffering, or a tangible sacrifice of giving up something valuable. It is all carried out through the works of man, which shows that the Catholic opinion of suffering\u2014whether in the mind or of the body\u2014is that it is generally a direct result of sin that needs payment.11<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subtle evidence of this understanding is found throughout the story of Hamlet <\/em>which demonstrates the moral battle that Shakespeare waged within his mind and through his work. When Hamlet first speaks with his father\u2019s ghost, their conversation is led toward redeeming action that Hamlet must take to liberate his father. \u201cI am thy father\u2019s 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 and purged away\u201d (i. v. 9-13). The spirit of Hamlet\u2019s father has been confined to punishment in purgatory until his deeds can be paid for\u2014the Catholic opinion that sins must continuously be remitted and purged. These ghostly apparitions of human spirits are not an outcome of Protestantism, but as Stephen Greenblatt explains in his book Hamlet in Purgatory, <\/em>\u201cthey are specimens of ‘folk beliefs,’ to be savored or despised, or evidence of fraud, or signs of residual ‘Catholic superstition.’\u201d12<\/sup> Shakespeare includes these Catholic hints to draw attention to the significant presence of these believers, and the contradictions found between belief structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hamlet\u2019s father seeks revenge. The Judeo-Christian ideology expresses clearly through biblical text that \u201cTo [the LORD] belongeth vengeance, and recompence.\u201d13 <\/sup>This is found both in Protestant and Catholic holy texts. However, with such a prominent opinion about the actions of man justifying and redeeming sins\u2014purgatory, indulgences, penance, confessions to priests\u2014it is not surprising that revenge would be considered in an acceptable manner to those having some sort of Catholic influence in their beliefs. Penance is, in a sense, an act of taking on the role of God. If the sacrifice of Christ paid once and for all for sin, then there would be no need for extra payment through penance. Yet Catholics feel there is still a need\u2014that they must take on that role of God himself to complete the task. In the same sense, revenge is meant to be kept for God alone. However, Shakespeare expresses through Hamlet <\/em>that his father can only be free of his purgatorial debt if his son avenges him through personal action against the murderer. This is a Catholic opinion that justice is of so much importance to God that man\u2014as well as God\u2014must take it upon himself to ensure it reigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By seizing this manner of control\u2014liberating a soul from Purgatory by way of revenge\u2014there is left little room for divine providence to work. This is unless the Catholic perspective views providence as working though the actions of man. For example, God\u2019s revenge is enabled through the sword and hand of Hamlet\u2014just like his salvation and forgiveness are enabled through the forgiveness of priests and the action of penance. \u201cBut this eternal blazon must not be to ears of flesh and blood\u2026If thou didst ever thy dear father love\u2026revenge his foul and most unnatural soul\u201d (i. v. 21-25). Thus, Shakespeare demonstrates the Catholic view of divine providence through the payment and action of mankind. Protestants view divine providence as a control completely out of their hands\u2014salvation and the forgiveness of sins already won, and revenge to be left completely up to God Himself. Catholics view it as God\u2019s sovereignty and justice working through them and through their actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Juxtaposition and Connection of the Two Perspectives<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result of such a juxtaposition of ideologies is a pensive and considerate audience. There was a great amount of tension between the two belief systems at the time when Shakespeare released this play. However, the manner in which he blended the two perspectives of providence allowed for consideration to be made on both sides. The audience, when made privy to the truth of the guilty murderer, automatically, in one form or another, takes Hamlet\u2019s side and hopes for a form of just revenge\u2014even though it is not a Protestant view of justice. The action that Hamlet takes to avenge his father and pay for his debts\u2014those not able to be paid for before his death\u2014demonstrates Shakespeare\u2019s attempt to relate to the Catholic faith within his writing. The end of the play when Hamlet relinquishes his action into the hand of the divine by expressing \u201cLet be\u201d shows Shakespeare\u2019s consideration of the Protestant position on providence  as well (v. ii. 202). The balance of the two leaves the audience wondering where peace truly lies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greenblatt again expresses that \u201cEverywhere in the world [\u2026] civil society manifests the same […] core principles, the universal building blocks of the poetic imagination and therefore of social practice,\u201d and the first, he says, is \u201cdivine providence.\u201d14<\/sup> There is something of the human condition that yearns to understand this principle. As mentioned previously, Walter King noted that the key issue found in Hamlet <\/em>is that of interpreting divine providence as an explanation for suffering, pain, and loss. Hamlet spends the best part of his life fighting for justice and the payment of debts through predominantly Catholic means, yet at the end of it, he relinquishes all personal responsibility and declares that the outcome of the situation is ultimately not in his hands. Through the blending of the two ideologies, Shakespeare demonstrates that both hold elements of what it means to be human\u2014that is, all humans wrestle with these thoughts of guilt, revenge, loss, and pain. Hamlet, in a very relatable way, draws together the concept of battling these ideas in his mind, working to eradicate them, and ultimately letting them go into the hands of one much more capable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end of the play, each person in the audience is able to relate to the Catholic mindset\u2014the need to justify oneself through action\u2014which in a sense, unites the two religions in a subtle way. This relation that Shakespeare makes underscores his sympathies toward the persecuted followers of the Catholic faith. By working in their theology on the idea of providence, and connecting it to a strictly human trait\u2014one to which all mankind can relate\u2014he is able to reach a Protestant audience and offer them similar perspective of compassionate contemplation. Hamlet demonstrates that every man wrestles with pensive states of suffering\u2014whether it be from guilt, physical injury, death, or any kind of loss. All mankind is subject to this type of mental battle, the result of which naturally and initially tends toward Catholic action\u2014what might be done in order to justify the wrong\u2014but then levels out toward Protestant release\u2014the understanding that nothing is done apart from the divine providence of God Himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

December 15, 2018<\/p>\n\n\n\n

End Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Pritchard\u2019s Catholic Loyalism in Elizabethan England<\/em> contained an introductory summary of the Protestant-Catholic conflict in England during the Elizabethan period.<\/li>
  2. Robert S. Miola\u2019s Early Modern Catholicism <\/em>contains an excerpt titled \u201cWilliam Shakespeare\u201d on page 352 of the book. It offers scholarly opinions and evidence that points toward the idea that Shakespeare was either Catholic himself, or that he held the religion with very high regard.<\/li>
  3. In the 1994 Ryrie Study Bible in the King James Version, there is an introductory excerpt regarding the history of the book.<\/li>
  4. This is from Shakespeare\u2019s Hamlet, published by The Arden Shakespeare and edited by Ann Thompson and Neil Taylor. The references throughout the paper are cited within the text.<\/li>
  5. This is again from the 1994 Ryrie Study Bible in the King James Version. It is the passage Matthew 10: 29-31.<\/li>
  6. The citation is from Job 3:20 of the same King James Version. It is the first time in seven days that Job opens his mouth and speaks to his sympathizing friends.<\/li>
  7. King, Walter N. Hamlet\u2019s Search for Meaning<\/em>. Athens. The University of Georgia Press, 1982. This book delves into the Job-like search for a divine hand in suffering.<\/li>
  8. This excerpt is from the book Twentieth Century Interpretations of The Tempest. <\/em>It is from the opinion of John Dover Wilson from his essay, \u201cThe Enchanted Island.\u201d<\/li>
  9. This is from Job 42:2-3 of the same King James Version Bible.<\/li>
  10. This excerpt comes from Robert Miola\u2019s Early Modern Catholicism <\/em>in the section titled, \u201cControversies\u201d and the essay titled \u201cOf Indulgences or Pardons.\u201d<\/li>
  11. This information is contained within the pages of Miola\u2019s Early Modern Catholicism <\/em>again in the same essay, \u201cOf Indulgences or Pardons\u201d and another titled \u201cAn Antidote against Purgatory.\u201d<\/li>
  12. Stephen Greenblatt\u2019s book Hamlet in Purgatory <\/em>expresses many thoughts on the Catholic and Protestant interpretations of the happenings within the story of Hamlet. <\/em>This excerpt is found in chapter 4 titled \u201cStaging Ghosts.\u201d<\/li>
  13. This passage is from Deuteronomy 32:35 from the same King James Version Bible.<\/li>
  14. This excerpt is taken from Stephen Greenblatt\u2019s book Hamlet in Purgatory <\/em>in chapter 2 titled \u201cImagining Purgatory.\u201d<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Works Cited:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Greenblatt, Stephen. Hamlet in Purgatory<\/em>. Princeton University Press, 2001.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    King, Walter N. Hamlet\u2019s Search for Meaning<\/em>. The University of Georgia Press, 1982.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Miola, Robert S. Early Modern Catholicism: an Anthology of Primary Sources<\/em>. Oxford University Press, 2009<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Pritchard, Arnold. Catholic Loyalism in Elizabethan England<\/em>. The University of North Carolina Press, 2011.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Shakespeare, William. Hamlet<\/em>. Edited by Ann Thompson and Neil Taylor, 3rd ed., The Arden Shakespeare, Bloomsbury Academic, 2005.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Ryrie Study Bible: King James Version<\/em>. Moody Publishers, 2008.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Wilson, John Dover. \u201cThe Enchanted Island.\u201d Twentieth Century Interpretations of The Tempest:<\/em> A Collection of Critical Essays. <\/em>Edited by Hallett Smith. Prentice Hall, Inc. New Jersey. 1969.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    References:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Chalmers, George. Another Account of the Incidents from which the Title and Part of the Story<\/em> Shakespeare\u2019s Tempest Were Derived.<\/em> AMS Press, 1975. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Flatter, Richard. Hamlet\u2019s Father.<\/em> Yale University Press, 1949.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Grebanier, Bernard. The Heart of Hamlet: The Play Shakespeare Wrote. <\/em>Thomas Y. Crowley Co., 1960.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Scofield, Martin. The Ghosts of Hamlet: The Play and Modern Writers. <\/em>Cambridge University Press, 1980.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    William Shakespeare possessed a remarkable ability to vigilantly observe conflict, comprehending the eminent pain on every side of it, and express multiple perspectives through his interpretation. He demonstrates this empathetic perspective within each of his tragic plays so that the audience can experience the agony of the protagonists, and at the same time, completely understand…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[143,141,144,102,142,12],"class_list":["post-320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-critical-analyses","tag-catholicism","tag-divine-providence","tag-elizabethan-england","tag-hamlet","tag-protestantism","tag-shakespeare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=320"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":325,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320\/revisions\/325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}