What Role Does Catholicism Play in Shakespeare’s Works?

What Role Does Catholicism Play in Shakespeare’s Works? January 12, 2025

William Shakespeare
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“Un-thread the rude eye of rebellion, and welcome home again discarded faith.” – William Shakespeare.

William Shakespeare is often at or near the top of any list of the world’s greatest English writers. Author of nearly forty plays and over one hundred and fifty poems, Shakespeare remains the quintessential playwright and poet some four hundred years after his death.

What I would like to examine, however, is William Shakespeare’s religious views. Specifically, is it possible to find the influence of Catholicism in Shakespeare’s writing?

Life And Times

Record keeping in the Victorian era often left much to be desired. As such, there are no official records pertaining to Shakespeare’s birth. However, church records indicate that Shakespeare was baptized on April 26, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Because of this, most scholars ascribe April 23, 1564, as Shakespeare’s birthday.

Shakespeare was the third child of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. John and Mary had eight children together, though three of the children did not live past childhood. Their first two children—daughters Joan and Margaret—died very young, so William was the oldest surviving offspring. Only one of his siblings, Anne, would outlive William.

Religious Views

As stated above, Shakespeare was baptized as an infant. Growing up in reformed England would have meant that Shakespeare was likely baptized in accordance with the formularies of the Church of England. The Act of Uniformity of 1558 would have meant that Shakespeare and his family were legally obligated to attend Anglican services.

In light of England’s compulsory membership in the Church of England, it is somewhat difficult to ascertain Shakespeare’s views on religion. Nevertheless, there are indications that his religious loyalty lay elsewhere other than in the Church of England.

Rowan Williams, former archbishop of Canterbury, thinks that Shakespeare had a “recusant Catholic background.” Recusant Catholics were those Catholics who refused the government mandate that all English subjects were to attend Church of England services. There are significant reasons to suggest that this was the case with William Shakespeare.

First, Shakespeare’s family was decidedly Catholic. His mother, Mary Arden, was a member of a conspicuous Catholic family in Warwickshire. Some scholars thought Williams’s father, John Shakespeare, had Catholic sympathies.

A Shakespearean scholar, Edmond Malone, ascribed a tract to “J. Shakespeare,” in which the author pledged to remain a Catholic. However, there are some questions as to whether the “J. Shakespeare” refers to William’s father, John, or his sister, Joan. Still, the English government apparently fined John Shakespeare for being a rescuant Catholic in 1592. (See The Catholicism of William Shakespeare, by Joseph Pearce).

Suffice it to say that there is sufficient evidence to at least infer that William Shakespeare was familiar with the Catholic faith. Moreover, it is possible to find Catholic themes in numerous works of the playwright William Shakespeare.

Catholic Themes In Shakespeare

It is likely impossible to simply cite or number the references or allusions to Catholicism in Shakespeare’s writing. For the purpose of this paper, I will briefly examine five areas where one can infer the presence of a Catholic or at least religious sentimentality.

Shakespeare is quite liberal in his use of what can be considered religious language. For example, the term “soul” appears four hundred and fifty-four times, and “holy” is used two hundred and three times. “God” appears seven hundred and ninety-six times. (George Mason University, Open Source Shakespeare provided the numbers cited).

Often, Shakespeare’s use of religious terms is employed to contrast corruption and wickedness. It is also possible to attribute Catholic qualities to particular characters in Shakespeare’s plays.

In Othello, Desdemona portrays Catholic attributes. These include several Christian virtues, such as Prudence, Restraint, Courage, Faith, and Hope. Some scholars have drawn parallels between Desdemona and Mary, the mother of God (See Shakespeare and the image of holiness).

In The Merchant of Venice, one of the central characters, Antonio, appears to be a thinly veiled representation of a Jesuit. Additionally, a courtroom scene seems to recreate the trial of Robert Southwell. Southwell was a Catholic priest who was tortured and murdered by the English Crown.

In King Lear, the title character uses the phrase “God’s spies” to reference Jesuits, who were considered “traitors” by the state. It is likely that Shakespeare’s use of the words “God’s spies” is intended to indirectly refer to a poem by Father Robert Southwell. In a poem titled “Decease Release,” Southwell writes of “God’s spice.”

Finally, there is Prospero’s epilogue in the play The Tempest. In the epilogue, the character Prospero essentially asks the audience to pray for him. This request of Prospero appears to echo the Catholic beliefs of purgatory and intercessory prayer.

Conclusion

The question of whether William Shakespeare was Catholic and whether he infused his plays with Catholic sensibilities is frequently overlooked by scholars and historians. To some extent, this is surprising considering the historical influence religion has had on art and literature.

In this essay, I have sought to suggest both that William Shakespeare was Catholic and that his work was influenced by his faith.

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