
Shakespeare and Religion
Alison Shell(Author)
The Arden Shakespeare (Publisher)
Published on 25. October 2010
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-1-904271-70-3 (ISBN)
Description
This book sets Shakespeare in the religious context of his times, presenting a balanced, up-to-date account of current biographical and critical debates, and addressing the fascinating, under-studied topic of how Shakespeare's writing was perceived by literary contemporaries - both Catholic and Protestant - whose priorities were more obviously religious than his own. It advances new readings of several plays, especially Hamlet, King Lear and The Winter's Tale; these draw in many cases on new and under-exploited contemporary analogues, ranging from conversion narratives, books of devotion and polemical pamphlets to manuscript drama and emblems. Shakespeare's writing has been seen both as profoundly religious, giving everyday human life a sacramental quality, and as profoundly secular, foreshadowing the kind of humanism that sees no necessity for God. This study attempts to reconcile these two points of view, describing a writer whose language is saturated in religious discourse and whose dramaturgy is highly attentive to religious precedent, but whose invariable practice is to subordinate religious matter to the particular aesthetic demands of the work in hand.
For Shakespeare, as for few of his contemporaries, the Judaeo-Christian story is something less than a master narrative.
For Shakespeare, as for few of his contemporaries, the Judaeo-Christian story is something less than a master narrative.
Reviews / Votes
Shell's picture of Shakespeare's religious contexts reminds us that there was a time when religion permeated almost every aspect of English life * Huntington Library Quarterly * One of the book's great virtues is its clarity ... Key scenes such as Hermione's revelation in The Winter's Tale and key plays such as King Lear and Measure for Measure come in for close, competent, citable attention. ... In its prioritisation of Shakespeare's devout religious context, in its careful and sympathetic discrimination between historical eras using both comparison and contrast, this book's greatest gifts to us are the structure, substance, and emotions of tragicomedy. * Literature & Theology *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
15 in text illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 209 mm
Width: 132 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
438 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-904271-70-3 (9781904271703)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Alison Shell
Shakespeare and Religion
E-Book
09/2014
1st Edition
The Arden Shakespeare
€30.99
Available for download
Person
Alison Shell is Professor of English at Durham University.