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Even farther than the direct evidence found within the play, Hamlet is also faced with the contradictions of Christianity, especially since it was the main- if not only- practiced religion through the sixteenth century. Religion has an extreme influence on literature of that time, thus transfusing through the plays and impacting the characters themselves. The 10 Commandments reveal such contrasting ideals in regards to Hamlet's moral predicament: the fifth commandment says to honor thy mother and father whereas the sixth commandment says thou shall not kill.
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In the major soliloquy delivered by Hamlet, a sense of intellectual debate arises. In the to be or not to be soliloquy during the first scene of Act III, Hamlet quotes, "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all/ And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied over with the pale cast of thought" While being exiled to England, hamlet thinks his procrastination is a result of "some craven scruple/ Of thinking too precisely on the event". Here, his ability to think clearly and thoroughly process his thoughts are evident. He argues whether murdering Claudius would be nothing more than a murderous lust versus whether letting him live would bring upon guilt and a bad conscious to [Hamlet] himself. He even goes as far as questioning suicide; he would rather be dead than live with the unavenged murder of his father. Hamlet has two separate and ongoing battles with his conscious during this soliloquy: the first, trying to decide whether he should commit treason against Claudius and if his death would really solve all Hamlet's problems and the second: if suicide would end his pain and suffering by creating an eternity of peaceful sleep or does the unknown of death hold an overwhelming potential of eternal damnation. The back-and-forth of the rationale in this mental debate is showing a sane mindset, suggesting that Hamlet's main goal is to avenge his father for a moral sake rather than by committing an impulsive revenge.