Amy Bushong
E 314J
Spring 2017
Historical Close Reading
Hamlet and the Divine Right of Kings The concept of divine right experienced a forceful resurgence justifying monarchal rule during the Tudor dynasty due to the religious turbulence and increase in education that marked this period. The way through which the Tudors ascended to power was a forceful deposition of the current monarch, a direct violation of the divine right of kings made all the more ironic by their emphasis on the model. Through his play Hamlet, Shakespeare explores the legitimacy of divine right personified by his characters and ultimately displays the futility of celestial anointment. The political doctrine of the divine right of kings can be dated back to the medieval …show more content…
Throughout the play, Hamlet often questions the validity of his father’s ghost and the task that has been given him, mirroring the confusion experienced by laypeople during this time, expressed in the quote “Thou comest in such a questionable shape” (Hamlet, 1.4, 43). This “questionable shape” could be an allusion to the relatively new religious sects such as Calvinism and Presbyterianism that swept across England and Scotland during the mid-late sixteenth century. In the next line, Hamlet exclaims “bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell..” (Hamlet, 1.4, 41), which while literally referring to the ghostly apparition of his father can also in historical context be taken as commentary on the unforgiving nature of Calvinism, and the certainty of eternal damnation that it promotes. In Calvinism, also known as Puritanism, only a small group of the population who are pious enough are able to go to heaven, and they are viewed as saints on Earth. In contrast, Catholicism promotes the belief that once you confess your sins you are eligible to enter heaven once you die. This uncertainty of what could possibly happen to Christians in the afterlife is reflected in Hamlet’s confusion and fear in the wake of the appearance of his father’s
E 314J
Spring 2017
Historical Close Reading
Hamlet and the Divine Right of Kings The concept of divine right experienced a forceful resurgence justifying monarchal rule during the Tudor dynasty due to the religious turbulence and increase in education that marked this period. The way through which the Tudors ascended to power was a forceful deposition of the current monarch, a direct violation of the divine right of kings made all the more ironic by their emphasis on the model. Through his play Hamlet, Shakespeare explores the legitimacy of divine right personified by his characters and ultimately displays the futility of celestial anointment. The political doctrine of the divine right of kings can be dated back to the medieval …show more content…
Throughout the play, Hamlet often questions the validity of his father’s ghost and the task that has been given him, mirroring the confusion experienced by laypeople during this time, expressed in the quote “Thou comest in such a questionable shape” (Hamlet, 1.4, 43). This “questionable shape” could be an allusion to the relatively new religious sects such as Calvinism and Presbyterianism that swept across England and Scotland during the mid-late sixteenth century. In the next line, Hamlet exclaims “bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell..” (Hamlet, 1.4, 41), which while literally referring to the ghostly apparition of his father can also in historical context be taken as commentary on the unforgiving nature of Calvinism, and the certainty of eternal damnation that it promotes. In Calvinism, also known as Puritanism, only a small group of the population who are pious enough are able to go to heaven, and they are viewed as saints on Earth. In contrast, Catholicism promotes the belief that once you confess your sins you are eligible to enter heaven once you die. This uncertainty of what could possibly happen to Christians in the afterlife is reflected in Hamlet’s confusion and fear in the wake of the appearance of his father’s