SARAH:  When Hamlet says that he refrains from killing himself because of God's canon against self-slaughter, he's referring to the 6th commandment from Exodus:  "Thou shall not kill."  Is suicide the same as murder, then?

RALPH:  Well, Sarah, in early modern Europe, attitudes toward suicide were very different than they are today — killing yourself was a mortal sin, almost as bad as killing someone else.

SARAH:  Anyone who committed suicide was denied a Christian burial, and his or her soul was destined for hell. We’ll see that these beliefs regarding suicide will take on more significance later in the play.