The tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is one of the most famous tragedies that William Shakespeare ever wrote. Throughout Shakespeare's tragedy there are many religious references. According to Peter Milward, author of Shakespeare's Christianity: The Protestant and Catholic Poetics of Julius Caesar, Macbeth, and Hamlet, “From a purely religious point of view, which is more than merely biblical, Hamlet is rich in homiletic material of every kind, reflecting almost every aspect of the religious situation in a deeply religious age” (Milward 9). These pieces of religious literature are crucial to the plot of Hamlet. The religious elements present in this tragedy provide the plot, allusions and foreshadowing. One of the very first Christian pieces of evidence given to the audience in Hamlet is the idea of ​​purgatory. The Ghost, in act one scene two, says that he is neither in Heaven nor Hell, and that during the night he can leave, but during the day he is stuck in purgatory until he has paid for his sins (Shakespeare 1.5. 10-13). Purgatory, part of the doctrine of the Catholic Church, is believed to be the place where souls go after the death of the body. In purgatory the soul can make amends for unconfessed sins and earn passage to Paradise. At first this idea of ​​purgatory may not seem crucial to the work, but a closer analysis proves to contradict this thought. The whole idea that purgatory is neither Heaven nor Hell allows the Ghost to return as a spirit. Upon his return to the real world, the Ghost informs his son that he did not die of natural causes and that Claudius, the Ghost's brother, killed him. If the Ghost had not appeared to Hamlet, he would never have found... middle of paper... in Kierkegaard. Milwaukee: Marquette UP, 1998. Questiona. Network. December 12, 2013.Ferber, Michael. A dictionary of literary symbols. Cambridge, England: Cambridge UP, 1999. Questiona. Network. December 12, 2013.Milward, Peter. “Chapter 1: Meta-drama in Hamlet and Macbeth.” Shakespeare's Christianity: the Protestant and Catholic poetics of Julius Caesar, Macbeth and Hamlet. Ed. Beatrice Batsona. Waco, Texas: Baylor UP, 2006. 1-18. Questiona. Network. 10 December 2013. New Living Bible. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 2004. Print. Shaheen, Naseeb. Biblical references in Shakespeare's works. Newark, DE: University of Delaware, 1999. Questiona. Network. 11 December 2013.Shakespeare, William. The tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Literature: An introduction to reading and writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Robert Zweig. Compact 5th edition. New York: Pearson Longman, 2012. 1010-1107. Press.