The Role of Religion in the Odyssey, Oedipus the King, and Hamlet Essay Example

guides and supporters. Homer notes that the lustrous goddess kept Odysseus from coming back to home (Homer, 18).

Interaction between religion and people is demonstrated through various characters including Penelope, Nestor, Odysseus, among others. People use religion to ask for certain things. Penelope is praying to Artemis, the goddess to kill because she does not want to continue living with Odysseus. This shows that people asking for favors from the gods was a common thing. People believed through sacrifices, god will fulfill their wishes. They practices Greek mythology to please the gods so that they can smoothen their anger towards the mortals. Nestor asks his sons to briskly make sacrifices to please Athena, the goddess. Odysseus too plays to the gods to show him his way back to Ithaka (Homer, 81).

In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, the theme of religion has also been extensively discussed. Oedipus fate lies in the hands of the gods. It was determined a long time ago. In this context, religion was incorporated to understand why unexpected things occur. They possess the highest power and people believe they are responsible for controlling human destiny. It is believed that Oedipus destiny was determined by the gods way before his birth.

Oedipus is the king of Thebes, but the city is on the verge of collapsing. He is concerned about this issue and visits Tiresias to understand why things are happening this way. He is however, shocked to learn of the prophecy that he will kill his father and get married to his mother. He is determined to cancel this prophecy and blames Apollo when things do not happen the way he wants. Many characters ran

to Apollo for advice and answers and then decide for themselves what to do to change the stated outcomes. They ran to him to understand the causes of several things. Gods are also in control people’s lives. Despite Oedipus attempts to prevent the fulfillment of the prophecy, it comes to pass and he ended up doing as prophesied. He kills King Laius and marries Jocasta his mother.

There are other several instances where characters make reference to gods. When Oedipus learns from Creon that there were no investigations following King Laius death, he says a prayer asking for punishment for the slayer. He says that I pray for the slayer to wear his unblest life evilly because he is evil and says may he suffer the things that he has called down on others (Sophocles, 83). By this statement, Oedipus is calling for punishment to befall the unkown slayer who caused the King’s death. People also look at god for help. Oedipus is praying to god for help. He is praying to god to answer his prayers (Sophocles, 80).

However, the gods here seem to impose decisions on the mortals and does not give them a chance to decide for themselves. Oedipus is seeking answers through prayers and does not stop even when Jocasta persuades to stop asking and think otherwise. People believe gods power are supreme and no one can equal them. The priest tells Oedipus that he cannot be equal to the gods and even his children know that (Sophocles, 74). During the play when Tiresias, exits, there are choruses chanting the great masters Zeus and Apollo knows the depth and darkness of human life

(Sophocles, 79). This shows that people believe in superiority of gods in controlling and determining their destinies.

Religion plays a crucial role in Hamlet by William Shakespeare. The theme has been extensively discussed throughout the play through characters thoughts and actions. Hamlet behavior and speech reflects his faith in religion. He knows that committing suicide is against God’s orders. He is against the spread of debauchery and inebriation in the community. Religion plays a significant role in helping people judge right from wrong (Alsaif, 132).

Due to his religious beliefs, Hamlet was able to see his mother’s marriage to his uncle as wrong .Religion also helps people to control their actions. Hamlet is yearning to take revenge for his father’s death and his mother’s betrayal to his father by marrying Claudius. The ghost of his father has also warned him of committing murder. His father was admits to be a sinful person when he was alive but advises his son not to commit sin like his uncle who poisoned him (Shakespeare , 128). Even when Hamlet was ready to take revenge against his uncle, his religious beliefs does not allow him to kill his uncle in church when he was asking forgiveness as this will be a clear way of sending him to heaven. He wanted an opportunity to kill without giving him an opportunity to repent just like he did to his father. As Hamlet is contemplating whether to kill Claudius, he is also praying. This shows that Hamlet decisions are governed by his religious beliefs (Alsaif, 132).

People also turn to religion to seek moral guidance. Ophelia also prays for guidance after his father and brother

tell his that Hamlet is not suitable for her because he just wants to steal her innocence. She has high religious beliefs and even cautions his brother against doing anything ungracious to pastors. However after her death the pastors who she strongly defended failed her as the pastor refused to accord her equal treatment with others who die naturally. This shows that suicide went against the religious that the priest upheld and Ophelia by taking her life went against them. Horatio also after the dialogue with the ghost ended prayed for heaven to secure Hamlet (Shakespeare, 116).

In the Oedipus the King and Homer’s Odyssey, the Greek culture influenced people religious beliefs. The characters in both plays believed in polytheistic and several gods whom they considered to influence their lives. From these three literary works, it is evident that people turn to religion to seek answers, direction and fulfillment of their wishes. Various characters have different beliefs about the role of religion and god in their lives. In odyssey, characters believed that god controlled their lives and they had to sacrifice and appease them for favors. In Oedipus the King, characters are praying to the gods for guidance and help. Oedipus is asking god to punish whoever killed the king and he is asking him for help over his life. In Hamlet, hamlet is a staunch believer who strives to uphold his religious beliefs. These three pieces of work may be directed to different readers and audiences but carry similar theme of religion. Every in today’s society, people conform to various religious beliefs. People turn to God for various reasons. Religion plays a crucial part in

people’s everyday life. We ask God for various things including good health, prosperity among others.

Work Cited

• Alsaif, Omar Abdulaziz. "The significance of religion in Hamlet." International Journal of English and Literature 3.6 (2012): 132-135.
• Homer, , and W H. D. Rouse. The Odyssey: The Story of Odysseus. New Am Lib, 1937. Print.
• Lattimore, Richmond. "trans. The Odyssey of Homer." (1965): 134-135.
• MacDonald, Dennis Ronald. "Christianizing Homer the Odyssey, Plato, and the Acts of Andrew." (1994).
• Shakespeare, William. The tragedy of Hamlet. University Press, 1904.
• Sophocles. (2102). Oedipus the King