ubt, Hamlet hovers over other literature of its kind, and a reason for this is because of Hamlet’s capacity to deal with the moral distress he must face in the play. Throughout the play, morality plays a large role in the decisions Hamlet makes about his own fate and the fate of those near him. The moral anguish that Hamlet faces mostly comes from the differences between his Christian ideals and the ideals of the Middle Ages. For example, as mentioned before, at the onset of his father’s death and mother’s incestuous relationship, Hamlet says he wishes he could “melt, thaw, and resolve himself into a dew.” Rather, though, he decides not to commit suicide, against his feelings, because Christianity does not permit it and he fears going to Hell. Hamlet often is torn between satisfying both Christian morals and the medieval code of honor, especially in his decision to seek vengeance for his father on Claudius. The medieval custom of a blood feud is generally seen as “out of date” to the modern, Christian philosophy of mercy when this play was written. To make sure that what he was doing was as Christian as possible, Hamlet requires an elaborate trick (the play within the play) to ensure the spirit that came to him was indeed King Hamlet and not a demon from Hell. Hamlet is terrified to move much farther than this, because he is uneducated as a warrior and fears the consequences of his actions. Thus, he is able to put in perspective both his Christian ideals and still eventually avenge his father’s death. This is further elaborated in the “to be or not to be” soliloquy when he mentions his fears for not only dying himself, but also killing another human being. Hamlet assures that he does not feel he is ready to take another man’s life, and as a result die himself. In addition, in the Church scene when, instead of taking the opportunity to kill Claudius, he is hesi...
