The Elizabethan audience would have understood Hamlet's careful process of reflection and procrastination on the topic of revenge because in this era “the Church, the state and the regular morals of the people did not accept revenge" ("Elizabethan Revenge in Hamlet"). Revenge was considered a sinful act and was not tolerated under any circumstances, no matter how unjust the original action. "It is repugnant on the level theological, for Christian orthodoxy presupposes a world ordered by Divine Providence, in which revenge is a sin and blasphemy, endangering the soul of the avenger" ("Elizabethan Revenge in Hamlet"). An Elizabethan audience would have sympathized with Hamlet because he recognized that revenge went directly against the cultural, political, and religious morals of the time. This explains why it took Hamlet so long to act on his desire for revenge. The Elizabethan audience would also have been afraid for Hamlet because they understood that revenge is an illegal action with several serious consequences. It was believed that eternal punishment in hell awaited those who disobeyed ("Oh vengeance!"). The play's audience would clearly understand the reasoning behind Hamlet's hesitation to commit murder, but they would also be engaged and entertained by his decision to rebel against