We do not know the religion practiced by William Shakespeare. He could have been a Catholic, a Protestant, an Atheist or who knows what. The scholars, who study his works and his history, have not been able to determine his religion. To me, this is a surprising mystery. He is the most influential literary figure of the last 500 years but we know very little about this genius. He left no memoirs, he did not write an autobiography. Through the characters in his many plays, he commented on religion in all its aspects but what were Shakespeare’s beliefs? He was a dramatist who made his characters express opinions that were suitable for them, but which may not have been those of the poet. Knowledge of his religion would be very helpful in understanding the man and his works. All he left us is, “Shakespeare’s Complete Works”. No personal notes and no clues as to his private beliefs. He is the greatest playwright who ever lived but his religion remains a mystery.
I say he was a non-practicing Catholic, if this indeed a possible statement. It is not possible to be something and not "practices" it. Bill
ReplyDelete"Some scholars claim that members of Shakespeare's family were Catholics, at a time when Catholic practice was against the law.[178] Shakespeare's mother, Mary Arden, certainly came from a pious Catholic family. The strongest evidence might be a Catholic statement of faith signed by John Shakespeare, found in 1757 in the rafters of his former house in Henley Street. The document is now lost, however, and scholars differ on its authenticity.[179] In 1591, the authorities reported that John had missed church "for fear of process for debt", a common Catholic excuse.[180] In 1606, William's daughter Susanna was listed among those who failed to attend Easter communion in Stratford.[180] Scholars find evidence both for and against Shakespeare's Catholicism in his plays, but the truth may be impossible to prove either way." Wikipeda
I agree the preponderance of evidence points to his being Catholic. It was very dangerous to let it be known, so ambiguity was the letter of the day.
ReplyDeleteThe bigger question is whether Will ever wrote any of that stuff. There is a growing belief that it was actually Zebidiah Teets, the GGGGGGGGG grampa of our own bard, Harrence Teets.
Tsar Pat
I am pleased that this post has stimulated some interesting discussions. There is no doubt that the Bard was born into a Catholic family but my theory is that, as a renaissance man of great intelligence, he rejected the dogma of the Catholic church. I think it is likely that Shakespeare embraced the thinking of the humanist scholars of his time. His unique and extraordinary mind would follow the philosophers not the church. We can only speculate about his beliefs but that is my opinion. Thank you for your thoughtful opinions.
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