In light of the fact that Shakespeare criticized the Catholic Church in other plays such as "Romeo and Juliet" in which the friar oversteps his vows in experimenting with herbs, etc. and in his involvement with intrigue, it seems reasonable that the gravedigger is correct and Shakespeare offers yet another criticism. Also, it is a known fact that the clergy was often influenced to make rulings in favor of royalty who contributed greatly to the support of the cathedrals, etc. One salient example of such favoritism is the annulment of King Henry's marriages by the pope--that is, until he became carried away in his efforts to have a son.
Since Vatican II, the Catholic Church has relaxed its stand on many issues. Suicide is one of these since the Church now states that if one is not in his/her right mind, he/she does not realize the evil of what is done to him/herself. However, it seems unlikely that such a psychological investigation would have been conducted in the setting of the play "Hamlet."
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