Was Shakespeare Catholic or Anglican? Does it matter?

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SAVINGRACE

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"On Tuesday, 25 November 2014, word spread about the discovery of a “first folio” of the works of William Shakespeare, an artifact that news outlet placed somewhere between the holy grail and a black rhinoceros on the scale of metaphorical rarity. It was uncovered by some industrious librarians in St.-Omer, France, near the city of Calais, at a public library that already boasts possession of an even rarer Gutenberg Bible.

The folio, as the BBC noted, “collects 36 of Shakespeare’s 38 known plays for the first time, and was originally printed in 1623, seven years after the playwright’s death.” As Jennifer Schuessler reported, the folio’s unearthing brings the total number of known Shakespeare compendiums to 233.

So how did a public library in northern France come into possession of such an artifact? Well, the mystique is only enhanced by the fact that the folio was absorbed by the library from a collection held by a now-defunct Jesuit college. Add that flourish to an already semi-simmering theory that Shakespeare was secretly a Catholic and you’ve got yourself a mystery (or a Dan Brown novel).

For centuries, Shakespeare’s status as an upstanding member of the Anglican Church was unimpeachable. His father held community positions that only Protestants could hold and his family’s names appear in church registries. Throughout his life, Shakespeare was said to be a member of the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon.

But over the past century-and-a-half, based on his works and some biographical plot points, scholars and religious figures have begun to debate Shakespeare’s faith. In 2011, the Vatican’s official paper offered that Shakespeare “convincingly adhered to the Catholic faith,” submitting his inclusion of purgatory in “Hamlet” as part of the evidence."

theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/11/a-brief-history-of-catholic-claims-to-shakespeare/383243/
 
I tend to think he was Catholic. Does it matter? It might be the only thing that matters to Shakespeare now…
 
Once someone has gone to Purgatory, does it matter what faith he was?

ICXC NIKA
 
PietroPaolo said:
Who says he’s definitely in Purgatory?
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Hopefully he is no “longer” there (time not being a factor as we know it in Purgatory) if he ever was.

However, IIUC, great saints and great sinners both being very rare in humandom, pretty much everybody needs Purgatory.

ICXC NIKA.
 
DaddyGirl said:
His most famous play glorifies and romanticizes two young lovers who have unabashed sex before marriage.
This does not sound like the work of a devout Catholic.

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It would not have been the work of a devout Anglican, at that time, either.

Whether or not WS was a Catholic, nobody is arguing that he was a saint.

ICXC NIKA.
 
SAVINGRACE said:
"On Tuesday, 25 November 2014, word spread about the discovery of a “first folio” of the works of William Shakespeare, an artifact that news outlet placed somewhere between the holy grail and a black rhinoceros on the scale of metaphorical rarity. It was uncovered by some industrious librarians in St.-Omer, France, near the city of Calais, at a public library that already boasts possession of an even rarer Gutenberg Bible.

The folio, as the BBC noted, “collects 36 of Shakespeare’s 38 known plays for the first time, and was originally printed in 1623, seven years after the playwright’s death.” As Jennifer Schuessler reported, the folio’s unearthing brings the total number of known Shakespeare compendiums to 233.

So how did a public library in northern France come into possession of such an artifact? Well, the mystique is only enhanced by the fact that the folio was absorbed by the library from a collection held by a now-defunct Jesuit college. Add that flourish to an already semi-simmering theory that Shakespeare was secretly a Catholic and you’ve got yourself a mystery (or a Dan Brown novel).

For centuries, Shakespeare’s status as an upstanding member of the Anglican Church was unimpeachable. His father held community positions that only Protestants could hold and his family’s names appear in church registries. Throughout his life, Shakespeare was said to be a member of the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon.

But over the past century-and-a-half, based on his works and some biographical plot points, scholars and religious figures have begun to debate Shakespeare’s faith. In 2011, the Vatican’s official paper offered that Shakespeare “convincingly adhered to the Catholic faith,” submitting his inclusion of purgatory in “Hamlet” as part of the evidence."

theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/11/a-brief-history-of-catholic-claims-to-shakespeare/383243/
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It doesn’t matter to me! He was a literary genius who expressed the human condition in exquisite poetry better than any other writer in the English language.
 
I don’t know that it really matters except to include in the picture of who Shakespeare was in his times.
Wasn’t there even speculation if it was really shakespeare who had written the works at one time?
 
I don’t know that it really matters except to include in the picture of who Shakespeare was in his times.
Wasn’t there even speculation if it was really shakespeare who had written the works at one time?
 
7_Sorrows said:
I don’t know that it really matters except to include in the picture of who Shakespeare was in his times.
Wasn’t there even speculation if it was really shakespeare who had written the works at one time?
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Some folks still have that as a literary hobby.

GKC
 
Look at the turmoil of the times in which he lived. You didn’t have a choice of religion in those days. One minute you thought you were Catholic…the next …you’re Protestant…and then you can/have to be Catholic again!
For those unfamiliar with English history of the time:
Henry - broke with the pope…but still liked the pomp and rituals
Edward - fiercely Protestant …
Mary - fiercely Catholic…
Elizabeth - Protestant and fed up with all the OTT bloodshed…so trying to be more tolerant…

I over simplify for the sake of space, but that’s about how it was and it was a highly dangerous business. Both ‘sides’ were very blood thirsty. Shakespeare would have been brought up in a Catholic tradition. His father was a successful tradesman and rose to some status in Stratford. He was fined at some date for not attending Protestant worship. Their local church changed (as all local churches did) from Catholic to Protestant. The fact that Shakespeare’s father went to Holy Trinity church doesn’t tell us his real beliefs! It was his local church - he had to go.
This church was highly decorated as was the norm, and it seems that for some time it remained so. In the reformation all churches had to paint out their wall paintings and lose their statues, but Holy Trinity managed to keep 'under the radar ’ for a while. Eventually they had to whitewash the walls…

1564 - January John Shakespeare notes in his accounts as Chamberlain, 2 shillings ‘paid for defacing images in the Chapel.’( They were only whitewashed over). Rood loft taken down. (4 years late!) The chancel was partitioned off, with pictures intact until 1641…The Dance of Death on North Wall was allowed to remain. Stone altars in HT probably gone/hidden by now.
(From a history time-line of Holy Trinity church)

Anyway, they only put a very thin layer over the paintings - I expect they thought they might go Catholic again!
William Shakespeare was a genius at character observation. (I myself, think he must have gone to Italy, but this isn’t generally accepted!) Anyway, he got to the nitty gritty of human relationships - AND he’d had to get married! He wouldn’t have been such a great writer if he hadn’t shown humanity warts and all. They were not times for being squeamish or for advertising your true religious beliefs (whatever they were) too vociferously - in case the wind changed!
 
Joseph Pearce’s book The Quest for Shakespeare addresses this question. After reading it, I firmly believe Shakespeare was Catholic, and there are a lot of clues in his writings.
It was a time when, as mentioned above, Catholics were persecuted, sometimes violently. He may have witnessed people being hanged, drawn and quartered for their beliefs.

From the notes:
"Pearce’s quest leads to the inescapable conclusion that Shakespeare was a believing Catholic living in very anti-Catholic times.

Many of his friends and family were persecuted, and even executed, for their Catholic faith. And yet he seems to have avoided any notable persecution himself. How did he do this? How did he respond to the persecution of his friends and family? What did he say about the dreadful and intolerant times in which he found himself? The Quest for Shakespeare answers these questions in ways that will enlighten and astonish those who love Shakespeare’s work, and that will shock and outrage many of his critics. "
 
I vote Catholic. I see it in his works. He was very human. I understand that secret Catholics requested that a document stating so be placed in their coffins. I would not go that far-- let him rest in peace.
 
GEddie said:
OTT?
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Over the top!
The times he lived through must have been confusing and scary for average Joe Public. The pendulum swung one way then back and then back again. I guess it paid to keep your mouth shut and wait for your preferred religion to be in favour again!
There were atrocities on both sides…Henry was a ruthless selfish tyrant with a huge ego and set about nicking the wealth of the monasteries. Hardly anything can be said in his defence, but some of them HAD abused their power so he may have gained some sympathy from some parts of the country where the balance of power of the monasteries had gone awry. Mary got the name ‘Bloody Mary’ from her detractors which has tended to somewhat exaggerate her crimes - but only the numbers!
What was her weakness in the moral stakes was her cruelty rather than numbers, but well…what a tough and sad life she had…

Under the Heresy Acts, numerous Protestants were executed in the Marian persecutions. Many rich Protestants, including John Foxe, chose exile, and around 800 left the country.[118] The first executions occurred over a period of five days in early February 1555: John Rogers on 4 February, Laurence Saunders on 8 February, and Rowland Taylor and John Hooper on 9 February.[119] The imprisoned Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer was forced to watch Bishops Ridley and Latimer being burned at the stake. Cranmer recanted, repudiated Protestant theology, and rejoined the Catholic faith.[120] Under the normal process of the law, he should have been absolved as a repentant. Mary, however, refused to reprieve him. On the day of his burning, he dramatically withdrew his recantation.[121] All told 283 were executed, most by burning.[122] The burnings proved so unpopular, that even Alfonso de Castro, one of Philip’s own ecclesiastical staff, condemned them,[123] and Philip’s adviser, Simon Renard, warned him that such “cruel enforcement” could “cause a revolt”.[124] Mary persevered with the policy, which continued until her death and exacerbated anti-Catholic and anti-Spanish feeling among the English people.[125] The victims of the persecutions became lauded as martyrs.[126]

Elizabeth managed to escape being killed by being very skilful in diplomacy throughout her life. She reverted everything to Protestantism but she had no taste for revenge.
Also don’t forget that ALL churches pre-reformation were Catholic, and all became Protestant/Catholic/Protestant after it. So like I said before, you can’t make any assumptions about people’s beliefs as they were all required to go to one church!
 
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