The Theme Of Good And Evil In Shakespeare's Hamlet

Whether humans are born good or evil has been debated by religious scholars and social scientists for centuries. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the notion of good and evil is exceptionally difficult to define. Although rarely discussed in Hamlet, an interesting topic interwoven throughout the five acts is whether the ghost of late King Hamlet is honest and good. Hamlet and Claudius also make the distinction between good and evil difficult to define because both are morally complex characters.
Existential thought is also in constant conflict with Christian belief throughout the play and depending on the sense of morality one aligns themselves with, in this context good and evil can mean something completely different. Shakespeare’s Hamlet emphasizes the very fine line between good and evil.

The ghost of King Hamlet is introduced in the first scene of the play, and this near immediate appearance of the supernatural calls upon the theme of good and evil. Hamlet acknowledges this notion when the Ghost appears in scene four: “Be thou a spirit of health or a goblin damned/ Bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell,” (I.iv.44-45). This quote poses an …show more content…
Claudius demonstrates greed, echoing Macbeth’s “vaulting ambition,” when he acknowledges his willingness to commit murder. Lastly, Claudius demonstrates his desire for the queen—yet another of the “effects” of his murder—and with this, Claudius is also guilty of lust. The sins of Envy, Greed, and Lust are three of what the Roman Catholic Church calls “the seven capitol sins.” At the time, people were taught that all sins stemmed from these seven as the "origin" of all sin. In a way, this shows that Claudius is in no way a moral and noble character despite him “seeming” to be a noble