Hamlet: Grace or Revenge?

March 3, 1987

Copyright © 1997 Property of Deborah K. Fletcher. All rights reserved.

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When William Shakespeare composed the tragedy of Hamlet, he used a ghost's vengeance as his main stimulus. For this to be effective, it had to be quite clear that the elder Hamlet had died unshriven and before his time:

Thus was I sleeping by a brother's hand
Of life, of crown, of queen at once dispatched,
Cut off even in the blossoms of my sin,
Unhouseled, disappointed, unaneled,
No reck'ning made, but sent to my account
With all my imperfections on my head.
~~I, v, ll. 74-79.
A question stands, however - separate from, yet related to, the immortal question, "To be, or not to be," - which must be considered. That question is: Would King Hamlet have returned to the earthly plane to avenge himself against Claudius if he had received the proper sacraments, or would he have ascended to Grace, as would be his right?

If Hamlet had chosen Grace, the story of his son would never have needed to be written. Certainly, young Hamlet would have had to deal with the marriage between his mother and his uncle, and, surely, life throughout Europe would have continued apace, but the themes of madness and revenge would have been absent.

However, the question concerns a simple man, to be considered as an historic figure, rather than as a character in a play. It does not concern the plot itself.

King Hamlet is given as having lived at a time when learning was heavily stressed, giving the impression that it was also a time of religious feeling and awareness. His statement (as a ghost) of having died unhouseled and unaneled shows him to have been a Catholic. Knowing this, we can determine that he knew his Bible and felt strongly about the incestuous relationship between Claudius and Gertrude:

Let not the royal bed of Denmark be
A couch for luxury and damn'ed incest.
~~I, v, ll. 82-83.
This incentive alone would be strong enough to cause a spirit to turn from Grace to the haunting limbo of salvationless souls.

Grace, on the other hand, would be a strong force in the mind of a warrior's spirit. The warrior king lives a long and difficult life. As King, he protects his subjects from all manner of danger and wrong-doing. Ideally, he uses his power to help the populace, putting forth great effort to do what is right for their welfare. This monumental effort is very exhausting, and the rest and quiet to be found in Grace would be a solace to the wearied spirit, and a strong incentive to leave mortal hatreds behind.

Also, as we have already determined that Hamlet was Catholic, and that he had at least a rudimentary knowledge of the Bible, we know that he would pay heed to God's utterance:

'Vengeance is mine,' saith the Lord.
~~Deuteronomy 19:21.
This would certainly deter King Hamlet from seeking vengeance against his brother.

With strong religious, and personal, considerations on each side of the issue, it is difficult to determine whether Hamlet would actually have choaen Grace or revenge. Certainly, even dying unhouseled and unaneled, he leaves vengeance against Gertrude for her marriage to Claudius in God's hands:

... nor let thy soul contrive
Against thy mother aught. Leave her to heaven
And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge
To prick and sting her.
~~I, v, ll. 85-88.
Perhaps, as mortals, we can not contrive to understand the inner workings of a spirit's thoughts. Perhaps the question must stand: Grace or revenge? - a difficult question for the temporal plane.

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