Shakespeare was heavily influenced by Queen Elizabeth's patronage and approval as she was fearful of the stability of her heirless monarchy and coupled with her conversion to Protestantism, much of the political and religious conflict emerging from the Catholic Elizabethan ideology, shifting into the Renaissance, manifests in the tragic play, Hamlet (1603). ... In Hamlet, Claudius has disrupted the Greater Chain of Being and subsequently, King Hamlet's Ghost has corrupted Hamlet's Renaissance mindset and morals in demanding he avenge his father's death. ... At the beginn...

• Word Count: 1108
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

With the collapse of the Roman world and the invasions of the barbarians came the beginnings of the long, slow development of the Christian Church. ... With the coming of the Renaissance, the visual arts more and more came to represent the afflictive aspects of life, and the word tragedy again came into currency. ... In the professional playhouses of the Renaissance and after, only rarely is music absent: Shakespeare's plays, particularly the comedies, are rich with song, and the skill with which he pursues dramatic ends with musical help is a study in itself. ...

• Word Count: 1396
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The very beginning of the play gives us a hint to the character of Edward, his irresponsibility towards his kingdom, as he writes in a letter to Gaveston, "My father is deceased; come Gaveston, and share the kingdom with thy dearest friend.... In the Renaissance political scenario, the King was the reflection of God, the omnipotent and all-powerful in a state: he is not comparable to any other being except for God. ...

• Word Count: 949
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate